After seeing the first Fast and Furious movie fourteen years ago, I don’t thing anyone would have thought we’d be sitting here talking about the seventh entry in the franchise. Watching each of those movies, it’s immediately apparent how much the series has evolved. What was once an action movie about street racing in souped up cars is now an action movie that happens to make use of a lot of sweet cars.
The Story
That’s not necessarily a bad thing; the other five films between the first and the most recent have eased us into the type of stories we see now. Also I like this whole thing ties back into Tokyo Drift. The events of this movie make that one tie back into the rest of the series a lot more neatly. I doubt the film makers had this or anything like this in mind when they first made that movie, but it works.
The catalyst for most of this action was Deckard Shaw (Stathem); the brother of the villain of the previous film. From the opening sequence to the very end of the movie, the character was a force of nature and his sole motivation was avenging his brother.
I also have to mention that they did a fantastic job of sending Paul Walker’s character off the right way. This series and the world will sorely miss Walker after his untimely death halfway through this movie’s production.
The Action
So Furious 7 was pretty much all action with a few breathers to let us know why its all happening. My main gripe with the movie was that it got to the point where it was all a little too unrealistic. Characters fell off of cliffs in their cars, their cars took a missile hits and whole buildings crumbled around them. For the most part, everyone walked out of their incidence without a scratch on them. Another thing I dislike is that they seem to be getting away from practical stunts. The FF movies have always been over-the-top, but I’ve never questioned whether so much of it was CG or not.
With that said, anyone going to see a Fast and Furious movie is wanting to be entertained and Furious 7 did exactly that. Along with the previously mentioned stunts, we see a car drive out the window of one skyscraper into another one, then out of that one into yet another building. All you could say was wow!
The Verdict
If you’re a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise I think you’ll enjoy Furious 7. All of your favorite characters are back for more high-octane action. We get to see series regulars Walker and Diesel team one last time and there’s a great send off for walkers character. Go see it!
