The release of F9 marks 20 years since the first Fast & Furious movie was released, with the series now having grown to accommodate spin-offs to go with the many sequels. Fast 10 has been set up through the events of the ninth movie, and there’s a good reason why Dominic Toretto and his family should make it their final adventure.
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F9 saw Dom take on his brother Jakob, and it featured the return of overarching antagonist Cipher, with plenty of plot threads still to be resolved in the next movie. Because of this, there are very good reasons for the series to nevertheless continue after Fast 10, although there may just be as many reasons for the franchise to come to a conclusion as well.
End: Characters Are Fully Developed
There’s only so much development that characters can go through, with the series giving these characters several arcs from the original Fast & Furious to the reboot. By this point, viewers are thoroughly aware of who these people are and what their backstories are, meaning there’s really nowhere to go as far as characterization is concerned.
Fast 10 can serve as the coda to these characters’ stories, giving them one last run to tie into their endings and leave fans with a parting shot for them. Other than that, there’s no development left for these characters to undergo.
Continue: The Series Can Explore Different Genres
The series used to be about all the expensive cars on display before shifting gears into action territory. This genre shift can be expanded upon in the future to keep things fresh, with the release of the female-led spin-off already hinting at things to come.
Even the mainline series can dabble in this aspect by either venturing into dramatic territory, becoming a thriller, or turning toward funnier material. Whatever it may be, the franchise has seen one evolution before, and there’s certainly room to do so again after Fast 10.
End: It’s Time To End Cipher’s Arc
It was revealed in The Fate of the Furious that Cipher was the one behind the villains from Fast Five onwards and had been pulling the strings the whole time. F9 brought her into a subdued role, but one where she once again became the main villain by the film’s end.
However, the Cipher arc has gone on long enough, and Fast 10 is poised to bring her back a final time for the end of this storyline. Moreover, the fact that Cipher has been revealed as the main villain makes the addition of another in the future not all that appealing since it’ll be difficult to top Cipher’s threat.
Continue: The Mainline Series Can Act As The Culmination Of Multiple Arcs
The confirmation of a sequel to the Hobbs & Shaw spin-off – once again starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham – along with a female-led Fast feature has brought the potential to turn the Fast & Furious franchise into something resembling the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To this end, the mainline series can take the same role as The Avengers movies.
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This would mean that the characters would all be brought together in a Fast & Furious movie for an epic crossover while these plot threads would originally play out in the spin-offs. This way, the mainline series can become the must-see part of Fast & Furious where arcs collide.
End: Villains Inevitably Become Less Of A Threat With Each Movie
The problem with bringing in a new antagonist each time is that the previous ones become too weak. In Fast & Furious 6, Owen Shaw was Dom’s adversary, only to become a joke in The Fate of the Furious. Along the same lines, Deckard Shaw was unbeatable in Furious 7 but a minor threat – and later ally – in the next movie.
Cipher herself was captured easily by Jakob in F9 after proving impossible to catch in the previous movie. After awhile, the villains become characters that fans don’t want to take too seriously, which is why continuing after Fast 10 would keep on making former villains look like cannon fodder.
Continue: The Chance Of Seeing More Fan-Favorite Actors Appear
Ever since the Fast & Furious series has gone fully mainstream, there has been an influx of A-list stars. These include the likes of Helen Mirren, The Rock, Jason Statham, Kevin Hart, Ryan Reynolds, John Cena, Charlize Theron, and many, many more, with all of them playing their parts to perfection.
Carrying on from Fast 10 will allow the studio to cast more big-name actors to fans’ delights, with many already having names like Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington on their wish lists. The sky’s the limit in this aspect and the series can bring in one big name after another.
End: There Are Enough Characters To Be Spun-Off Now
For this point, it would be worth ending the mainline series and opting to go just for spin-offs in the future to avoid too much Toretto family overload. With fans connecting to Roman Pearce’s hilarious lines, Han’s stylish attitude, and Sean and his crew, there are more than enough characters to continue the franchise.
Due to this, Fast 10 can bring the story of Dominic Toretto and his immediate family to a close and prepare the next phase of the series based on these spin-offs. It would make the mainline franchise a saga for the Torettos like The Skywalker Saga was and set up future stories.
Continue: To Bring New Over-The-Top Sequences
There’s no doubt that the Fast & Furious ups the ante with each release, with F9 going so far as taking things to space. By now, everyone involved has accepted that being over-the-top is the series’ greatest strength and the best sequences are reserved for the mainline movies.
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Should Fast 10 be the final one, the fanbase will still have many set pieces they want to see, as the series has truly begun to push the envelope over the last few releases and can definitely go into further lengths the longer it continues.
End: F9 Set Things Up To Be Resolved In The Sequel
The fact of the matter is that F9 is well and truly placed to be the final movie, as Cipher is the only threat standing in Dom’s way. With Jakob also looking for revenge, Han’s survival needing just one more explanation, and Mr. Nobody’s status to be revealed, every character is ready for the last hurrah.
Fast 10 is the only movie as of yet in the series to have so many plot threads connecting back to it, making it the perfect set-up for one last ride. As mentioned earlier, there have already been too many villains, and Cipher’s endgame has been shown already.
Continue: The Fanbase Keeps Growing And Has Never Diminished
When all is said and done, money is the ultimate deciding factor, and the Fast & Furious movies have raked in commercial success in big numbers. Fast Five is where the series took off and it has never diminished since then, with the seventh and eighth movies each grossing around $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office.
Fan demand trumps storyline purpose and a supposed Fast 11 can conjure up yet another reason for Dom to come out of retirement and saddle up in his car once again. With reviews also remaining positive since the fifth movie, there’s every reason for the series to continue its success both commercially and critically.
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