When “The Fast and the Furious” hit theaters in 2001 with great music, cars and minimally clothed women, viewers experienced the underground world of street racing at its finest. Though the fourth film in the series — all-too-appropriately titled “Fast & Furious” — may have all the same parts as the original, it doesn’t take audiences on the most interesting ride.

After a stale sequel and unnecessary threequel, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker return as Los Angeles street gang leader Dominic Toretto and LAPD officer Brian O’Conner, respectively. Completing the foursome from the first film in the series is Michelle Rodriguez as Dominic’s girlfriend Letty and Jordana Brewster as Dominic’s sister —and Brian’s love interest — Mia. The film begins five years after the original and acts as an interquel, set between “2 Fast 2 Furious” and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” But with no reference to any of the events that transpired in “2 Fast 2 Furious,” it’s as if some of them never even happened.

In “Fast & Furious,” Dominic seeks revenge against a group of drug smugglers that murdered Letty at the beginning of the movie. For the rest of the film, she appears only in flashbacks. Brian, now an FBI agent, is after Arturo Braga, a notorious drug lord wanted for smuggling millions of dollars worth of heroin across the Mexican border. Brian’s investigation intertwines with Dominic’s quest for revenge as both are after Braga.

The film focuses on the return of the original four characters, but the real spotlight is on Dominic and Brian. Though a substantial portion of the plot uses Letty’s murder as a way to reunite the characters, details of her life leading up to the murder are barely explained, leaving viewers with unanswered questions. Flashbacks of her murder reveal some details, but they are few and far between.

Without any character development, Brewster is utterly useless, which might explain why her character is forced into the background. Mia appears infrequently throughout the movie, only to provide a sense of calm for both Dominic and Brian. It’s exciting to see how Brewster’s character has grown up since the first film, but she barely has purpose until the end, when she finally gets her moment of glory.

The car races are the real standouts of the film, providing the thrill and excitement that audiences have come to expect from the series and which they anticipate to piece together the broken pieces of the plot. The street racing segments pack just as much force as action chases in the vein of a James Bond film. The standout car scene comes when Dominic and Brian race through the desert toward the Mexican border. Perfectly in sync, they evade border patrol cameras and helicopters while zipping through an underground mine. The tension is palpable as audiences can feel that each move could be a driver’s last.

A fresh retooling to the franchise, “Fast & Furious” would have been better received years ago, before the sequel and third film failed to live up to expectations and lost audiences. The latest film’s purpose was to provide the street feeling fans have been craving since the original created an impact eight years ago. While the top-notch car scenes accomplish this, it comes at the sacrifice of other elements, such as plot and character development, which feel like a complete afterthought in the minds of producers.

“Fast & Furious” was written by Chris Morgan and directed by Justin Lin.