“The EW series summary of the Fast franchise referred to this as the car-ate kid. Quite fitting actually.
So this movie had disaster written all over it. Three-quel. None of the original stars (as least not from the initial look at it). Completely new setting. Introducing a new concept, drifting. That all usually spells straight to DVD bargain bin. But yet, it was given a summer release in 2006. The theaters were flooded with the trailer. For months leading up, I don’t think I could go see a movie and not catch this trailer. My thoughts went from “”oh God another one”” to “”actually that looks kinda cool”” to “”geez, enough already make it stop””. I resisted then, but eventually a Black Friday sale offered it to me for five bucks and I caved. Incidentally, this is the only one I don’t own on BluRay, since I bought it first. I got 1 and 2 on sale when 4 came out and then 5 upon its release as well.
For a five dollar DVD, this one is actually pretty fun. Yeah, until those last two minutes, it’s kind of a stretch tying it into the franchise other than “”oooh look cars!””. Knowing what I know now, that 4-6 are meant to take place before Tokyo Drift, it really was interesting to see and understand that connection. They really did keep the best character, Han, to incorporate back into the fold when 4 happened. But we’ll get there later. Tomorrow prolly.
For the rest of Tokyo Drift, nothing too remarkable. Plot, thin as ever. Cars, hot and fast. Pretty boy outsider in the drivers seat. A little more juvenile in the story line since these were high school kids instead of cops and maladjusted young adults. And it being Tokyo, there’s some Yakuza thrown in too, like ya do. Were this not a Fast movie, I find it hard to imagine anyone would have ever cared about it. As it is, it’s sort of the step child of the series.”