Fast and Furious 11 faces a potential problem when concluding the franchise, as it must fulfill a promise it has kept repeating since Fast & Furious 7. The Fast and Furious movies have been growing both in cast and scope throughout the years, with bigger conflicts constantly raising the stakes for Dominic Toretto's family despite their wish to move on from the action. Even after reaching ten installments and one spinoff, there's still some story left to tell as an eleventh movie concludes the franchise's main storyline.
A lot has happened to Dominic Toretto and his family throughout the years. They befriended unlikely allies, lost friends and then recovered them, redeemed their enemies, made tragic sacrifices, and went from dealing with street crime to saving the world from nuclear terrorists. But as invincible as they may seem, Dominic Toretto and his family know that all things must come to an end. And whether tragically or not, the Fast and Furious franchise must find a way to conclude their story in a satisfying and believable way.
Fast & Furious 11 Must Fulfill Its "One Last Ride" Promise
The Fast and Furious franchise lost part of its heart and soul with the resurrection of Gal Gadot's Gisele Yashar and Dante Reyes' redemption in Fast X, the Fast and Furious franchise could easily continue forever.
Since Fast and Furious 11 has been confirmed to be the end of the Fast and Furious franchise, its plot must finally honor the promise of "one last ride". After breaking that promise for so many consecutive movies, Fast and Furious needs to find a way to make the family's final goodbye feel definitive. Otherwise, Fast and Furious 11 would seem open-ended even though no further sequels will be planned.
Fast & Furious 11 Needs To Establish A Definitive Ending For The Saga
Since Fast X and Fast and Furious 11 have been confirmed to end the Fast Saga long before their release, they have the responsibility of setting up a fitting goodbye for the characters that audiences have followed for more than 20 years. To accomplish it, both movies need to shake up the formula and establish some definitive changes, including their narrative structure. For instance, having the team defeat or befriend Dante Reyes and then celebrate with a barbecue at Dominic Toretto's backyard would diminish the prospect of an exciting final installment, as it would come off as just another Fast and Furious movie ending with the usual status quo.
How Fast X and Fast & Furious 11 Can Truly End The Franchise
As a massive blockbuster franchise with several installments released throughout the years, the Fast and Furious franchise can take a page out of other similar franchises' books and structure its epic conclusion differently than its previous installments. One way Fast X can set the stage is by ending on a bleak note with the team's defeat at the end of the movie, similarly to the Harry Potter franchise and the MCU's Avengers films. Alternatively, Fast X could set up Fast and Furious 11's big villain by having Jason Momoa's Dante Reyes be just the first taste of the definitive villain that will give Dom's family their biggest challenge ever.
With the proper set-up laid out by Fast X, Fast and Furious 11 can focus on delivering the most gut-punching moments in the whole franchise, either by paying off its "one last ride" tragically or ending the saga on a lighter note. Naturally, the character who needs a definitive farewell is Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto, whose story can end with a heroic sacrifice or with Dom riding into the sunset with Brian. Either way, providing a definitive conclusion to the Fast and Furious franchise may be Fast and Furious 11's most important challenge.
