It’s that time of year again, time to take a look forward at what movies should be on your radar for 2021! But wait! Next year’s list sure looks a lot like the the films we previewed last December. The covid pandemic has delayed hundreds of film projects, but some made it through. When you walk back through last year’s list and compare it to movies released after theater lockdowns, you get some insight into how Hollywood thinks. Big movies and movies predicted to be successes were universally held back, while less popular films were released to low box office returns from theaters that remained open, and yet other films went directly to home streaming or related media platforms.
Last year we pulled 85 of the hundreds of films then slated for the 2020 movie calendar. The first two dozen made it to theaters (films like Underwater, Dolittle, and Birds of Prey) before the national shift began on March 11 with news of the NBA reacting to the pandemic by suspending pro basketball–the first national awareness of the scope of the problem. Suddenly we saw Vudu and other home platforms coming to the rescue for our entertainment fix, adding a new Theater at Home option, which captured movies like Anya Taylor-Joy’s Emma, Vin Diesel’s Bloodshot, and the animated Scoob! Disney began an interesting tiered release of Mulan, which for half the year showed a studio doing its best to maximize returns on what would have been a key release in any other year. After another delay The New Mutants made it briefly to theaters followed by home release after three years of getting kicked aside as the last vestiges of the Disney-Fox merger were shaken out. Other films, like Vast of Night, Extraction, The Old Guard, Rebecca,Radioactive, and Fantasy Island safely premiered on Netflix and Amazon Prime, with Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction standing out as the clear popular winner–the entire world needed some new entertainment and after what would only be the first of several months of shelter-at-home, it tentatively filled the void.
So our predictions for the year’s big genre films were flat wrong, every single one except Mulan was delayed to 2021, including Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Black Widow, No Time to Die, a new Fast & Furious, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, and superhero flicks Venom 2, Eternals, and Morbius. Wonder Woman 1984 is expected to have a theatrical release by year end. Altogether 35 of last year’s 85 movies previewed on our annual list are back again below, plus we found more than 35 new genre films we think will appeal to borg readers.
So what’s left and what’s new?
Grab your calendar and start making your plans–here are the movies you’ll want to see in 2021. Then compare the below list to our 2020 list, and look back to the 2019 list, 2018 list, 2017 list, 2016 list, 2015 list, or 2014 list. Last year we noticed studios moving genre content from the big screen to the small screen via streaming services, and the pandemic only stepped up that migration. Note: Warner Bros. has reported it will issue its 2021 releases simultaneously on HBO Max. Netflix has mostly dramas slated for 2021, but a few genre films are in pre-production, so expect a few surprises throughout the year. Amazon Studios has fewer, most partnerships with Blumhouse Productions.
As we learned well this year, many of these films will have revised release dates, and even get pushed to 2022.
January
Mortal Kombat. Based on the video game. New! Tentative release date: January 15, 2021. HBO Max.
Wrath of Man. Next Jason Statham action flick. New! Tentative release date: January 15, 2021.
The French Dispatch. Wes Anderson and his familiar actors in new quirky film about journalists. New! January 28, 2021.
The Dig. A film about a woman finding archaeological treasures on her land, starring Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, and Carey Mulligan. January 29, 2021. Netflix.
It’s time for borg′s annual look at the Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines in film and television. This year we selected 26 characters that rose to the top. Again the studios gave us more to cheer about than ever. We’re highlighting the very best from a slate of fantastic heroines, with characteristics to learn from and root for. Determined, decisive, loyal, brave, smart, fierce, strong, you’ll find no one here timid or weepy, but all rely on their individual skills to beat the odds and overcome any obstacle that comes their way. Over the years we have expanded the list to include any tough, savvy, gritty character played by a woman, so villains are welcome here, too. Some may be frazzled, put-upon, war-weary, or human, but all have fought, some against difficult circumstances, others against personal demons (literally, figuratively, or both), and some against gun and laser fire. And they all showed what a tough, kick-ass character is about.
Several characters who made previous years’ kick-ass heroine lists returned to TV and film and could very well make the list again, but we’re looking for new recruits. So we’re not forgetting Lagertha in Vikings,Liv Moore from iZombie,Trish Walker in Jessica Jones, and Juliana Crain from The Man in the High Castle, all in their final seasons of their series, plus Eleven in Stranger Things,Juliet Higgins in Magnum PI,Liz Dudley in Lodge 49, the 13th Doctor in Doctor Who,Betty Cooper from Riverdale, and Sabrina Spellman and Ms. Wardwell from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. At the movies Valkyrie, The Wasp, and Okoye were back, this time in Avengers: Endgame, Martha/Ruby Roundhouse returned in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Rey was back one more time in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This year we add a mystic, a former Russian operative, a DHS agent, an adventurer, an undercover cop, a bounty hunter, a general, a gang leader, superheroes, martial arts masters, special agents, survivors, former soldiers, resistance fighters, gelflings, warriors, witches, a bride, an emperor (not empress!), and even a cyborg–with a roster evenly split between television and movie characters.
Credit goes to both the writers and other creators of the characters and the actors and performers that brought them all to life.
These are the Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines of 2019:
Aughra(The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). If there was a greater woman character in the history of fantasy film, we don’t know who that would be. We first met her 37 years ago thanks to Jim Henson in the original movie, and she hardly changed at all for the prequel series that arrived at last this year. Voice actor Donna Kimball and Muppeteer extraordinaire Kevin Clash perfectly replicated the witchy sorceress whose wisdom, savvy, and mystic powers were stealthily used this season. She went to death and back again, and was key to defeat the Skekses once again. (Henson/Netflix)
Black Widow(Avengers: Endgame). After a decade of being the only superheroine in the Avengers, Scarlet Johannson’s Natasha Romanoff finally took center stage this year as the bravest of the entire bunch, giving her life to save not only everyone on Earth, but everyone across the universe destroyed by Thanos. And yet she still didn’t get the fanfare that Tony Stark did. We’re hoping she gets the solo film she deserves when she’s back one more time next year in her own movie. (Disney/Marvel)
Hattie Shaw(Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). As part of a big bad assassin family, whose mother was played by Helen Mirren and brother by Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby’s Hattie might be the toughest of them all. If you need to track down a missing deadly virus in the hands of a cybernetically enhanced superhuman, who else are you going to call to team up with Statham and The Rock? (Universal)
Agent M (Men in Black: International). Valkyrie Tessa Thompson is back on the list again, this time as the first movie lead Woman in Black, earning her nebulizer with the help of her Thor-world partner Chris Hemsworth. As a little girl, Molly witnessed an alien as her parents were zapped by Men in Black, and she worked her entire life to be able to get into the CIA or FBI, hoping one would be the entry point into the secret organization. Agents O and High T would recognize her value to the team, as she saved the planet from the latest menace. (Columbia/Sony)
Cyclone Mei(The Legend of the Condor Heroes). Even as an evil witch, Viola Mi’s master of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw and Heart Destroying Palm techniques became a sympathetic villain after her husband died at the hands of young Guo Jing and she became blind. Even blind she used internal techniques to defeat anyone she perceived as a threat. Master of the whip with fearsome claws, beautiful and fierce Mei Chaofeng once joined her husband as the “Twin Masters of the Dark Winds” to possess a forbidden manual of martial arts, and would leave mountains of bodies in their wake as they sank deeper into the dark teachings. (iQIYI)
Sarah Connor (Terminator: Dark Fate). We were excited when we heard Linda Hamilton would return to the franchise 27 years after she had a major transformation from waitress into the woman who would save 3 billion lives. One of Sci-Fi’s two best-known kick-ass heroines (along with Ellen Ripley), original terminator target Sarah Connor lost none of that drive and determination to continue to kill Terminators into the 21st century. As a grandma surrogate and mentor to the next generation of leadership, we’ve no doubt the future is safe again. (Paramount/20th Century Fox)
Special Agent Dinah Madani (Marvel’s The Punisher). For the entire second season, Amber Rose Revah’s DHS agent was hot on the trail of taking down Billy Russo’s villain Jigsaw. Who knew she’d need to get through his psychiatrist first. She was always tough and good at her job, but proved herself in the final two episodes of the series. (Netflix)
Leia Organa(Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker). Princess or General, Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa was one of the 1970s brand of kick-ass heroines, although we still wish she’d had the opportunity to show her stuff just as Rey was able to in the third trilogy movies. We prefer seeing her as she continued after the original trilogy in Timothy Zahn’s novels, the Dark Empire comics, and the 20 years of the Expanded Universe stories, where we saw her realize power as great as Luke and the rest of the Jedi Order. (Disney/Lucasfilm)
Captain Marvel(Captain Marvel/Avengers: Endgame). Brie Larson’s take on Captain Marvel was an end-to-end story about being tough and taking charge. An entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that didn’t fit the mold of past films, it allowed audiences to meet her for the first time and ramp up our appreciation for all she could do in short order. Soon enough she’d be integral to relocating Thanos after The Snap, and she’d return one more time in the final battle to try to turn the universe back to the way it was. (Disney/Marvel)
Cara Dune(The Mandalorian). A master of hand-to-hand combat as well as crack sharp-shooter, the latest Star Wars heroine (played by Gina Carano) helped the Mandalorian take down an AT-ST in their first go. Once a shock trooper with the Rebel Alliance and a fighter after the Battle of Endor, Cara is just the help the Mandalorian and The Child need going forward in the series. (Disney/Lucasfilm)
Sue Lynn Blackbird(Stumptown). Always the smartest person in the room, and ten steps ahead of everyone else, Tantoo Cardinal’s Sue Lynn runs the local Tribal Casino, but she does much more. She’s a businesswoman who always negotiates from the power position. Her leadership role means she has the power to excommunicate anyone who isn’t acting in the best interests of the tribe–or give them another chance. She’s also tough enough to forgive and mentor younger walking disasters she encounters from time to time. (ABC)
Emperor Philippa Georgiou(Star Trek: Discovery). We’ve always loved Michelle Yeoh, but the series writers for her latest character held back in the first season of the series. At last viewers got the full monte when the mirror version of the series lead character’s captain returned not only to help her, but to eliminate any who got in her way, and proceed to take over the secret spy agency of the prime world timeline. Up there with Jaylah from Star Trek Beyond, “Mirror Georgiou” is one of the new breed of badass Star Trek character.
Christine Gavin (Wu Assassins). Vikings star Katheryn Winnick makes her second showing on the list, this time as San Francisco undercover police officer Christine Gavin. Expecting to find the ringleader of a major crime syndicate, she began her work gaining the trust of a man in a local chop shop, only to discover a larger world existed beyond the world we see every day. Possessing some major martial arts skills and a street fighting manner, she didn’t lose a fight all season long, and helped battle evil in both dimensions. (Netflix)
Grace (Terminator: Dark Fate). Sent from the future to save a young woman who has the potential to go forward and lead a rebellion against a new technological apocalypse, Mackenzie Davis’s Grace stepped up to fight a new brand of Terminator. A human that volunteered to undergo enhancements to make herself into a full-fledged cyborg, she would fulfill her mission, giving the ultimate sacrifice for the future of humanity. (Paramount/20th Century Fox)
Huang Rong (The Legend of the Condor Heroes). Quick thinking with a photographic memory, Yitong Ling’s Rong’er met her future husband on one of her outings in beggar garb disguised as a man, practicing her skills as a thief and 13th century grifter. Young and easy to underestimate, with the witty banter of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and an almost supernatural ability to coerce anyone to do her bidding, her charismatic traits were only matched by her mastery of enough schools of martial arts to prevent anyone from learning who taught her. Raised on Peach Blossom Island by her father, she learned how to confuse an enemy, and is able to convince Hong Qigong to teach her even more, all in exchange for her cooking–hey, you can be a badass and also a master chef. (iQIYI)
Maudra Fara(The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). Refusing to recognize Seladon’s claim to the position of All-Maudra, she’d challenge her for the Living Crown. Fara assumed the title of Maudra after Vala, her mother, had been killed during the First Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood, and she would prove to be the fiercest of all the Gelflings, male or female. Who wouldn’t follow her into harm’s way? Alice Dinnean was the puppeteer behind the scenes, with Lena Headey supplying her voice. (Henson/Netflix)
Grace(Ready Or Not). Samara Weaving’s character Grace made for the perfect bride on her wedding day… who married into a family of psychopaths that required she first beat them in a wedding night game of hide and seek–to the death. A horror movie that was also a suspense thriller, Ready Or Not ran circles around the similar Knives Out from an entertainment and excitement standpoint. Grace had to shoot though her in-laws and extended family to survive the night, somehow finding the mettle to defend herself when the unthinkable became the thinkable–and for audiences it was so much fun! (Mythology/Vinson)
Vedek Kira Nerys(Deep Space Nine: What We Left Behind). In this year’s Deep Space Nine documentary, the creators of the series returned to give viewers a glimpse at what Season 8 would have looked like had they been able to continue, complete with Kira as Vedek, in charge of the space station and taking her seven year character arc into new places. It’s the same grit Nana Visitor gave to her performance, and the spirit of the original shown through as she joins with her former Starfleet colleagues at the show’s cliffhanger.
Agent Francesca “Frankie” Trowbridge (Whiskey Cavalier). Lauren Cohan’s Frankie had it all, and unfortunately for fans the show was canceled after only one season. But what a season! This agent was every bit 100% James Bond but she also used her looks and smarts to double as “Bond girl” when the mission called for it. In hand-to-hand combat or with a weapon, whatever bad guys the writers threw at her, nobody could get past her for long. (ABC)
Zan Hui(Wu Assassins). Cold and near emotionless, Hong Kong movie star JuJu Chan’s Zan was ruthless as henchwoman to the leader of the Triads. But she was also ambitious, and at her first opportunity she didn’t hesitate to act. Incredibly skilled in kung fu and street fighting as well as weaponry, she didn’t need the supernatural skills of the other characters to make an impact. (Netflix)
Two (6 Underground). Melanie Laurent’s Camille was ready to join One and his secret force of ghosts, undoing some of the damage she’d done while CIA operative. Quiet and saying little most of the time, she reveals to the squad’s hitman she knows all she needs to navigate international politics. Take down a government led by a murderous villain and replace him with someone better? Count her in. (Netflix)
Gunnhild(Vikings). An entire series could be written around Ragga Ragnars’ strong and proud warrior. As shield-maiden, she doesn’t hesitate to lead the fight with her sword onto the battlefield. Also kind and humble, she also doesn’t hesitate to make sure her niece and nephew are protected when she has a dream that they are in danger. As Queen of Kattigat she proves she’s the right person at the right time in history. (History)
Dex Parios(Stumptown). Taking a character from the comic books to the screen, Cobie Smulders made ex-Marine Dex her own. Her P.I. is a walking disaster, always “this close” to succeeding, and always trying to claw her way back from the last worst decision she could have made. Somehow she is able to look after her brother. She makes Jessica Jones look like a lightweight, always her own worst enemy. But if she keeps fighting back in this city, she may just make it after all. (ABC)
Amelia Wren (The Aeronauts). Nobody else on the list had to climb to the top of a balloon in freezing cold temperatures with frostbitten, unusable fingers at a height of more than 30,000 feet. And Felicity Jones’s Amelia Wren was based on a real person. Does it get more badass than that? That she was a composite character doesn’t matter–she’ll make audiences breathless as she performs one death-defying feat after another in her two-hour flight. (Netflix)
Bell Mallory(The Man in the High Castle). In the series’ alternate histore, while the Eastern United States was still being fought over by the Nazis and a small band of resistance fighters, Frances Turner’s Bell Mallory rescued San Francisco and led a revolt that removed Japanese occupation from the entire west coast. Undercover op? Whatever it takes. A strategist and brains behind taking out a slew of leaders, she knew who to trust and who not to, and her decisions helped put the U.S. back into American control. (Amazon Studios)
Deet(The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). The nicest gelfling of the Grottan clan you could ever meet, she befriends plant and animal alike. Once she experiences a vision by touching Vliste-Staba, the Sanctuary Tree located in the Mountains of Grot, the nature loving soul joins the resistance. And when the Skekses are ready to destroy Thra, she is the only one who can muster the power to stop them. An unlikely hero, we don’t yet know the extent of the price she paid for restoring the balance of Thra. Performers Beccy Henderson and Nathalie Emmanuel couldn’t have created a better heroine. (Netflix)
And that’s this year’s list. Keep coming back the remainder of this month as we reveal the rest of our Best in Film, Best in TV, and Best in Print, and our borgHall of Fame inductees for 2019.
Want to see previous years’ kickass genre heroines? Here are 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.
The biggest action film of the summer is easily the most enjoyable film of the year. That’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, a movie that gets so many genre formulas right it just can’t miss. Certainly one of the better entries in the Fast & Furious franchise, it knows what works and uses it. That’s a sure-bet cast of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, Mission: Impossible–Fallout’s Vanessa Kirby, Idris Elba in the ultimate badass role as a James Bond spy gone bad with Superman powers, lots of futuristic cyborg tech, and an understanding of why audiences come to the movie theater in the first place. Hobbs & Shaw is a movie for people who like movies.
The trailers gave audiences a glimpse at what to expect, and they delivered on all promises: laugh-out-loud funny dialogue, nonstop action, road races and camera angles that the franchise is known for, and lots of surprises and callbacks, and a script that doesn’t take itself seriously. There’s something for everyone here. If you’re after only the fast cars, action, and speed of the franchise, this entry measures up. And that family drama that the regular franchise leads Diesel, Paul Walker, and Jordana Brewster built the franchise on is here, too. This time that includes digging into the past between Statham’s Deckard Shaw and sister Hattie, played by Kirby, and Helen Mirren back again as their mother (Luke Evans’ brother Owen from the last film may or may not be mentioned this time), and Johnson’s Luke Hobbs is pals with his young daughter at home and returns to the family he left behind years ago in the Samoan Islands.
But stuntman-turned-director David Leitch(Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, John Wick) and script writers Chris Morgan (writer of five prior Fast & Furious films) and Drew Pearce (Hotel Artemis, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation) know why audiences are really buying tickets, and you just need to drift over their previous film credits to see why they were tapped for Hobbs & Shaw. Hattie is a badass equal to Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde (Theron also co-starred in the most recent sequel), any of the four lead characters could give Leitch’s John Wick a run for his money, and moviegoers will hardly remember last year’s much-lauded Mission Impossible: Fallout’s action scenes after they see this. (A few casting spoilers follow).
It’s no surprise the movie studios are releasing trailers more frequently this time of year. In the weeks leading up to San Diego Comic-Con, just as studios are holding back more genre and “pop culture” trailers to showcase in San Diego, they’re giving audiences a peek now at everything else. We have five new trailers today, three for films we haven’t yet previewed, and two are new trailers for films you already know about. What do they all have in common? They all feature stars from the British realm.
So what’s new from Keira Knightley (why doesn’t she have an Oscar yet?), Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith, and Katherine Kelly? You’ll find them in the political thriller Official Secrets, based on the story of Katherine Gun, who leaked a secret memo exposing an illegal U.S. spying operation. The Good Liarstars master thespians Dame Helen Mirren and SirIan McKellen in a swindler story about meeting online. Luke Evans and Ed Skrein lead a new World War II historical drama in Midway. And from the two films you’ve probably heard of: Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Idris Elba, Helen Mirren, and Eddie Marsan all star in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate and Damian Lewis plays Steve McQueen in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Finally, don’t forget, another Brit, Tom Holland, stars in next week’s latest Marvel movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home. Check out these trailers:
It emerges from the nearly 20-year franchise about cars and action that began in 2001 with The Fast and the Furious. The ninth movie in the Fast & Furious franchise is on its way to theaters this summer, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and Universal Pictures has released its second trailer–check it out below. The five leads have ample action movie street cred, beginning with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, not only from their previous roles in the franchise. In addition to his Time Magazine cover appearance as one of the most influential people of today, Johnson has busted heads in films including Walking Tall, The Mummy series, Get Smart, The Other Guys, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Central Intelligence and the new Jumanji series, and, of course, there’s his wrestling days (and he wrestled Seven of Nine in a memorable Star Trek Voyager episode). He’s already played Hercules, but coming soon look for him as Black Adam, Doc Savage, and he’s said to be in talks to play Jack Burton in a Big Trouble in Little China remake. Statham’s own on-screen fight record goes back to three action movie series: The Transporter, The Expendables, and The Mechanic, plus The Italian Job, The Bank Job, and a bunch more, from Parker to last year’s The Meg.
Although she hails from Plaza Sésamo, Eiza González earned her action film cred in Baby Driver, Alita: Battle Angel, and the From Dusk Till Dawn TV series. Vanessa Kirby climbed the big peak in Everest and had her breakout performance just last year in Mission Impossible: Fallout. As the film’s villain, you couldn’t ask for a better tough guy than Idris Elba, playing Heimdall in the Marvel movies, plus key roles in Star Trek Beyond, Prometheus, 28 Weeks Later, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Pacific Rim, and The Dark Tower). And that’s Helen Mirren in the trailer, too, who also has a slate of badass roles in action films including the RED series, The Fate of the Furious, years of Prime Suspect, and the coming Luc Besson action movie Anna.
The Fast & Furious series has seen plenty of break-out performances along the way, including the span of the career of Paul Walker, and memorable roles for Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ted Levine, Ludacris, Lucas Black, Sung Kang, pre-Wonder Woman Gal Gadot in four of her first films, John Ortiz, Luke Evans, and Kurt Russell. Former Brad Pitt and Jean-Claude Van Damme stunt double-turned-director David Leitch(John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2) is directing this entry, bringing even more action movie experience to the film.
Check out the second trailer for A Ninth of Furious, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw:
It’s a nearly 20-year franchise, all about cars and action in the world of illegal street racing, and it’s fun moviegoing from the first movie, 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, to the latest, 2017’s The Fate of the Furious. The ninth movie in the Fast & Furious franchise is on its way to theaters this summer, Fast & Furious Presents:Hobbs & Shaw, and Universal Pictures released its first trailer today. The latest is a spinoff focusing on two of the newest characters joining the series, with Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service agent who began pursuing ex-con Dominic Toretto, played by series star Vin Diesel, his close circle of friends, and their turbo-charged, four-wheeled co-stars beginning with 2011’s Fast Five. Along the way Hobbs adjusts his loyalties, and in 2015’s Furious 7, Hobbs pursues Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham), on a mission of vengeance for Toretto murdering his brother. For the 2019 sequel, Hobbs and Shaw are joined in an unlikely alliance, as it’s Shaw’s turn to switch loyalties and he redeems himself, at least partially, in The Fate of the Furious. For the first look at what’s happening next, check out the trailer for Hobbs & Shaw below.
Former Brad Pitt and Jean-Claude Van Damme stunt double-turned-director David Leitch(John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2) is directing this entry, which should mean fans are in store for a new level of action within the series. Idris Elba(Thor: Ragnarok, Star Trek Beyond, Prometheus) plays the show’s villain and superhuman, Brixton. Eiza González(Baby Driver) and Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible: Fallout) co-star.
If you decide to jump in and get caught up on the previous eight films in the series (and why wouldn’t you?) you need to know that you’ll find some bouncing around of characters throughout the series. It’s Universal’s biggest franchise of all time and currently the eighth-highest-grossing film series of all time, so it’s worth diving into. Take it from someone who watched the series in the order in which the films were released, you’re better off watching the series with one movie pulled out and added back in later. And that film is 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. As the third film in the series, Tokyo Drift came as a bit of a surprise, a detour from the regular cast to pull in a new character (and the result of actor and studio conflicts), but once you climb onboard it’s another fun ride on par with the rest of the series. But there’s a twist at the end of Tokyo Drift that doesn’t get explained until the end of Fast & Furious 6. So skip the third film and view it sixth. Got it?
First, check out the first trailer for Furious’s ninth, Hobbs & Shaw:
