Review of Furious 7 (2015) by Atot F — 24 Nov 2017

"This time it ain't just about being fast.".

James Wan, who is well known for directing horror films (The Conjuring and Saw), took over the seventh film in this franchise replacing Justin Lin who had been sitting on the director's chair since the third installment. What I found most interesting about this franchise is that it didn't seem like it was going anywhere after its solid debut in 2001 since the first couple of sequels focused on different characters and story lines. Even when they got the entire cast back together in 2009 for the fourth film I didn't feel like it was anything special. I'd always mildly enjoyed the films, but it wasn't until Fast Five that I was really engaged with the series. Justin Lin may have not impressed me before, but when that film came out he decided to have fun with the overblown action scenes and audiences embraced it completely. We had the team reuniting together being chased by tanks and planes and pulling off nearly mission impossible tasks. My greatest concern for this film was that Wan wouldn't follow that basic formula that had elevated the franchise in the first place. But in an early scene in the film those fears were soon gone when Wan practically gives the audience a wink by having Brian (Walker) telling his son that "cars don't fly" when he playfully throws a small toy car through the window. We were about to find out that that claim wasn't necessarily true because throughout this film we actually see several cars fly during the spectacular action scenes.

By the end of Furious Six the franchise was tied perfectly together by uniting the events that took place in Tokyo during the third film with the present. In the fifth and sixth installments Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian (Paul Walker), Tej (Ludacirs), and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) had finally found financial stability and cleaned their names to return home. The character of Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) had helped reinvigorate the franchise and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) was brought back from the dead (well actually she never really died, but fans of the franchise know what I mean). Mia (Jordan Brewster) and Brian were enjoying their newfound family life, but as we found out in the end of the sixth film, Owen's brother Deckard (Jason Statham) was set on avenging him. Their seemingly peaceful life is interrupted as the team begins to be hunted down by this dangerous British criminal. Loretto is offered the opportunity to flip the papers on Deckard from being hunted to becoming the hunters when a secret government official known as Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) offers him a deal. A Somalian mercenary (Djimon Hounsou) has kidnapped a hacker known as Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) who has developed a computer program known as God's Eye that basically allows you to find anyone across the globe in a matter of seconds. If Toretto's team can rescue Ramsey and retrieve God's Eye he will let them use it to track down Deckard and catch him off guard. And so the adventure across the globe begins with flying cars, helicopters and droids exploding across the mountains of the Middle East, the elegant buildings in Abu Dhabi, and the city of Los Angeles.

Gisele and Han were part of the reason why I enjoyed the previous films so much so I was worried that their absence in this film would hurt the movie, but the addition of Jason Statham as the main villain of the film elevated this to a higher level. There are great fight scenes between him and Dwayne Johnson and then with Vin Diesel that were incredibly entertaining. These are probably the best action stars of our generation and when the fighting choreography is filmed correctly you can't go wrong with these guys. There are also some fantastic action scenes involving fast car chases across a gorgeous mountain that ends in a Jurassic Park like cliffhanger. The action scenes are overblown, but that is what makes them so entertaining once you learn to accept the absurdity of it all and simply enjoy the ride. Over-the-top action scenes is what elevated this franchise in the first place and Furious 7 continues to play with that same premise taking advantage of Wan's knowledgeable work behind the camera and his use of different camera angles which makes the film look all the more entertaining.

The greatest success of Furious 7 is being able to blend the incredibly fun action scenes with the dramatic elements involving the chemistry between the characters. We've grown to love these characters and each new addition always seems to work. Furious 7 takes some common themes from films like Mission Impossible or Ocean's Eleven and applies them really well here. Tyrese Gibson plays a similar character to the one Matt Damon played in Ocean's where he wants to prove his leadership qualities to the rest of the crew. There are elements recycled from other action films, but thanks to the cast it works extremely well in this franchise. And then you have the emotional aspect of this film surrounding Paul Walker's untimely death. You can't help but feel emotionally engaged towards his character knowing that the actor has recently passed away. There are several scenes of his face where the CGI seems evident, but the voice work was perfectly executed. The CGI never distracted me however, and I'm glad they decided to continue with the production of the film. The last five minutes are emotionally engaging and without spoiling the film all I can say is that the crew did him justice with a beautiful tribute. Furious 7 continues to build on an already engrossing franchise and it might just be my second favorite after Fast Five. Furious 7: Without a doubt, this is the biggest fast and furious movie to date. Everything is bigger. The action scenes are bigger, the car scenes are even faster, and of course, "The Rock" is bigger. Furious 7 was already highly anticipated, and then tragedy struck, Paul Walker was killed in a car crash when filming. He will always be sorely missed and no one can ever take his place. Even though some of the dialogue and action might be a little cheesy, with great action and car sequences, Paul Walker got the send off he deserved in the series he dedicated his life to.

What I mean by cheesy dialogue is primarily applied to "The Rock's" lines in the movie. He still has a supporting role but it is not nearly as big as his role in the previous two films. To put it simply, his entire dialogue is a series of one-liners to show how big of a badass he is if for some reason you can't already tell. It is amusing still, but it gets slightly irritating after a while. Once he takes out a few helicopters single handedly, you forget those lines and just laugh and love the enormous action taking place. The trailer also clearly shows Jason Stathom who plays Deckard Shaw in this installment as the main villain, but he really is only sprinkled throughout the plot. He never really gets the same screen time Luke Evans, who played Owen Shaw, in the previous installment got. Nevertheless, in the screen time he gets, he acts like the ultimate badass that he is and we can't ask for anything more.

The action and car scenes speak for themselves. In some of the tallest buildings in the world, we see Vin Diesel and Paul Walker practically fly a car straight through three of them and you can't ask for more than that. Sure, it might be outlandishly crazy but everyone should know walking into this movie that it is a hardcore action-car film, not an art film. The fight scenes are also pretty well done. Seeing Vin Diesel and Jason Statham going in a slow-mo glorifying fight to the end shot is incredibly funny and widely entertaining at the same time.

The acting is what we have come to expect from each cast member. They all own their roles. They are their characters at this point. Sure, some may not consider it "real" acting but the actors did their part for the movie and you can't ask for anything more. Also, as I said earlier, Paul Walker's send off really was tremendous and many of the audience members might actually find themselves tearing up towards the end as we all listen to the song "See You Again," which I think might be nominated for an Oscar for best original song.

If you just want pure-thrilling entertainment with some laughs thrown in here and there, you should definitely see Furious 7. Since this is a movie where it is a hundred times better on the big screen, I recommend you see Furious 7 in theaters. I'm not gonna lie! I love this franchise. Aside from the third movie, I enjoy each one of them. You can't ask for much more when it comes to action movies. This series has always been a box office attraction, but the real story is Paul Walker's tragic death. I remember being really saddened when I read about his untimely death. He had come such a long way as an actor. He was getting better and better, and the sky was the limit for him. I was so pumped to go see this movie! My expectations were pretty high. I'm happy to say that it not only met my expectations, but transcended them as well. If you're looking for a great story, look elsewhere! This movie isn't about that. It has plenty of emotion and a decent enough story for this type of thing, but this puppy is all about action. I thought after the 6th one, they had nowhere to go after it. What else could they possibly do, how could they top themselves? Well, they did it! In convincing fashion. This is like 5 action movies in one. If you think you've seen it all, you haven't! There are action scenes in this movie that I didn't think were possible. They are incredibly unbelievable and WAY OTT, but undeniably exhilarating. I thought some of the situations they got out of in the 5th and 6th movies were ridiculous, this one takes the cake. It rarely gives you a chance to breathe! Just when you settle down, along comes another action scene to amaze you. As an adrenaline junkie, I loved every second of it. I'm not gonna list all of them, but I'll mention a couple. One involves Brian and a huge truck at the edge of a cliff. It's completely implausible, but I was on the edge of my seat! Another involves Dom and his destruction of vehicles. I won't spoil them, but they are memorable. The acting is solid! Vin won't ever be known as a great actor, but he has a lot of presence and charisma. He is always reliable in these movies. Paul Walker is really good as Brian. I was really happy with the tribute they did for him at the end. It was very moving and touching. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) Is a hoot as Hobbs. It sucks that he didn't have as much screen time, but his crazy antics were a blast to watch! Great lines as well. Michelle Rodriguez isn't the Letty we know. She's damaged and vulnerable. I'm so used to seeing Michelle playing bad-ass roles, so it was cool. Jason Statham is a fun villain. You know what to expect when it comes from him. Kicking ass and taking names. Jordana Brewster doesn't have much to do, but she was good. As a huge Kurt Russell fan, it was a treat to see him again. He was hilarious and a lot of fun to watch. Ludicrous and Tyrese Gibson do well in their roles. Special mention to Tony Jaa and Ronda Rousey! Tony Jaa actually gets a chance to showcase his phenomenal skill set. His fight scenes with Paul Walker will get your adrenaline going.

I hate sitting in a theater for over two hours, but it was completely worth it. You don't have time to get fidgety in your seat. There is so much going on that you'll be glued to the screen. I'm not sure if they should do an 8th movie or not. If they make one, I'll be more than happy to see it! But I think this was the perfect ending to this franchise. Whether it's the end or not, thank you for some great entertainment. When Justin Lin announced he would be stepping down as the director for Furious 7 following Universal's decision to fast track the sequel before the release of Furious 6, a lot of fans like myself were wondering who could possibly replace him!? The franchise wouldn't be what we've come to know without Justin, he has been around since the Tokyo Drift (which is way too under-rated) and saved the dying franchise from being released direct to video.

Fast & Furious is never just about street racing but family & heist. Before you hate me, watch the first movie and Fast Five again then compare it yourself. You see the evolution of the characters and from robbing trucks with DVD players to heisting 100million.

Now back to Furious 7.. When they announced James Wan will be taking over the franchise, a lot of us were worried as he was most well-known for his work in horror genre, particularly SAW & Insidious. Nevertheless James has proved he is perfectly capable of big budget action movies, just look at the air drop or the Abu Dhabi sequence!

Spoilers ahead..

The film started off with Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) talking to the coma-tonic Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), promising to avenge him. Just pause and think how he could have survived the fall from the plane!? If that's the case I think Gisele & Han can too.. I mean they did bring Letty back right?

With all the hyped built up from the post credit scene of Furious 6, I was genuinely interested to see how Deckard Shaw hunt down the team and continue where Tokyo Drift left off. Instead we were introduced another villain, Mose Jakande, played by Djimon Hounsou (which is unnecessary and dull), Shaw was pretty much cast aside as a secondary character. We never get to see the team from the hunted to the hunter as Shaw kept showing up from time to time. Other than the impressive action sequence, it didn't really add much to the overall story. Sean Boswell played by Lucas Black showed up for 1 minute or 2 talking to Dom and you would at least think he might want to avenge Han right? But no we don't see him for the rest of the film.. I guess we just have to wait for the sequel. Shaw brothers might be teaming up, you never know!

Furious 7 was originally intended to be the first of a new trilogy but plans were scrapped due to Paul Walker's untimely death and instead the filmmaker decided it was all about making this movie for Paul. A lot of moviegoers like myself were very emotional by the credit rolled. It felt like the end of the journey with these characters you come to love and it was the perfect send off to Walker's character, more importantly farewell to Paul himself. The crossroad scene is definitely the highlight of the film and the reason I am giving this an 8 out of 10.

Part of me wishes they end the franchise here but with the highly impressive box office number, a sequel is nothing but guarantee. . I am very curious to see where the franchise.