KaZooo posted... Original was the best imo. Dedicated aesthetic with the filtering/temperature settings, BT soundtrack....coming from playing Gran Turismo 1 and 2, it was crazy as a kid seeing a share of those cars in that light.
I thought it aged well and had one of the best arcs with a proper closure that could've left it as a standalone movie. The cringe parts just became objectively funny more so than something to seriously hate on, because they made the movie more memorable.
The rest of the series became more mindless. Tokyo Drift seems to resonate with a lot of people, because I guess the timing was perfect for that specific generation, while drifting was starting to pick up internationally. But I think it also indulged in the (exaggerated) imagination of what Japan was like seeing some cars we didn't get in the US and what lifestyles were led. It arguably became the reason for a good share of people to visit Japan.
Knowing what those cars were, I was just more critical with how they were depicted like some older than myself at the time. That S15 was ugly. Seeing an Evo in that light was cringe, but I get to new eyes it had a made more positive impression. RB26 in a Mustang was just...even to this day I wouldn't call it cool, but I get why they did that. Just knowing the JGTC existed, and generally other higher end tuners, I felt like there was a lot missed in painting a picture about the automotive landscape in Japan.
I like this view - it's the opposite we got in the UK. We get the Silvia and Skylines etc - but we don't get the US stuff. To some extent the films made sense because they brought together car cultures from across the world - you americans got your mustangs, we got our European stuff, and long story short we can all laugh at Hondas.
I say that as a Civic Type-R owner.
Actually on that note I've just had a thought, 4 of my 5 cars aren't actually sold in the US. You guys are missing out. My FN2 Type-R, my C63 estate (wagon), my Twizy, and my classic Mini.