

In the six-minute film, Brian is on the run after helping Dom escape. Marvel’s post-credits scenes receive the hype, but The Fast and Furious franchise was finding creative ways to further the story half a decade earlier. The first short film in the franchise was included in the special edition DVD set of 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious. It’s not essential viewing - it’s buried in the special features of a DVD - but it provides a nice little link between the first and second films and shows just how forward-thinking this franchise really was. The Turbo-Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) Rather than turn Dom over, Brian helps him escape, setting the stage for an enduring partnership. Ultimately, Brian realizes he has more in common with Dom than he expected and falls in love with Dom’s sister, Mia, to boot.

The first film follows undercover LAPD officer Brian O’Conner (the late Paul Walker) as he infiltrates notorious street racer and gang leader Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) crew to investigate grand theft auto.

If you’ve only seen some of the more recent films in the franchise, 2001’s Fast and Furious will be almost shocking in its restraint. And note, while we’re pretty sure you can slide Furious 9 on at the end of this list, this franchise has never shied away from a surprise. Below, we’ve broken down the best order to watch the Fast and Furious movies to follow the storyline in the way it was intended. If you want to catch up on everything that’s happened in this saga, you may need a little guidance because, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you can’t just watch the movies based on when they came out. Put simply, The Fast and Furious franchise is huge.
