Furious 7 Review – Another Furiously Awesome Entry

I think the blockbuster season officially kicks off with this one. It’s on my most anticipated movie list. Not surprising since I’m a long time fan of the franchise. Also, I’m loyal and there was no way I would miss Paul Walker’s final film.

After taking down a formidable foe, Owen Shaw, Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (played by the late Paul Walker) and their comrades strike a deal to return to the U.S. and recapture their former lives. But they appear to have messed with the wrong guy. Owen’s older brother, Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham), is determined to exact revenge for his brother creating a whole new set of dangers for everyone. On the heels of Han’s death, the crew wants to find Shaw and bring him to justice for killing one of their own, not just for revenge, but also for their survival.

What I liked:
The IMAX introduction was custom made for the film, which I thought it was pretty neat. It was the first time I’d seen that for a film actually. And can I say I am grateful that they haven’t jumped on the 3D bandwagon! It’s much more enjoyable in 2D.

It gives you everything you want and expect from a Fast and Furious franchise: cars, over the top action, great cast chemistry, and beautiful locations from all over the world (Abu Dhabi was my personal fave). At this point the franchise knows itself and knows its audience. I love that it’s able to enjoy this much success 7 movies in. It’s very rare for that to happen. And the late films are legitimately the best ones.

Brian (Paul) gets some really awesome scenes. He had a lot of hand-to-hand combat fighting with Tony Jaa and held his own. He even gets his very own Nathan Drake (from the Uncharted video game series) moment as he climbs up a bus precariously hanging off a cliff!

I love Dom and Letty. They are my Fast & Furious OTP. And though he got her back in 6, she’s still dealing with the effects of her memory loss. They get their fair share of angst but fans definitely don’t want to miss the resolution.

Statham was a solid bad guy. I actually think we could have gotten more of him but the cast is fairly crowded as is.

What I didn’t like:
I definitely wish there was more of The Rock in this one. I understand he had commitments to film Hercules at the time, but he is one of the reasons new life was breathed into the franchise and he fits it like a glove now. I definitely hope to see him more in 8. The void will be felt more than ever there.

They finally catch up with Tokyo Drift (the third film) in the franchise timeline, so they used scenes from that film (which came out in 2006) and then spliced in scenes they filmed recently. I have to say being nearly 10 years later it was a bit obvious that Lucas Black (who played protagonist Sean Boswell at the time) has aged. I’m just saying in this film where CGI was all over the place, they could have given him the Benjamin Button treatment a little.

Overall:
6 was my favorite before this one. I’m not sure which one I like more right now as there are certain things I enjoy about both.

Emotionally I was okay throughout the film watching Paul, but the tribute to him at the end is where I lost it. I was there 14 years ago where it all began so the montage really got to me. It was absolutely perfect and a touching send off to the character and the actor. You can tell they really put their heart in it and I almost want to tear up again just thinking about it. So I guess you should bring some tissues with you. If not for yourself, then do it for the person sitting beside you.

If you love this franchise this film cannot be missed. If this is a first for you then you should enjoy it but the back story might be over your head. They do want the films to build on one another, which I like because it makes each one important.

I think Paul would have been really proud of this. He will be thoroughly missed and the franchise will never be the same again. Thanks for the memories, Paul!

Rating: 4.5/5

*This review is a guest review for my friends over at The Grand Shuckett.

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