Furious 7
Starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel
Directed by James Wan
It’s no surprise to anyone that the seventh installment in the billion dollar Fast and Furious franchise is already breaking box office records but just how does this latest escapade rank amongst its predecessors?
The blunt answer – pardon the pun – is middle of the road.
To his credit, director James Wan has assembled an Avengers-style collection of daring chases, elaborate gun battles, savage fisticuffs and, of course, really cool cars. In fact, there are a handful of sequences in Furious 7 more akin to a Bond film.
Given Paul Walker’s shocking death last year, when shooting was only half-finished, the plot’s conclusion takes a poignant turn and gives his character a tactful send-off. The production team assembled Walker’s remaining scenes with unused footage from previous films, his two brothers acting as stand-ins and the magic of Peter Jackson’s WETA digital effects studio; the results are seamless for the most part.
The glaring problems with the flick begin with its truly awful script that seems to hit every single emotional beat with a giant hammer. Dwayne Johnson, arguably the most charismatic member of the cast, is also criminally underused, resulting in Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez trying to stay compelling but not really succeeding.
Jason Statham is a welcome bright spot, playing a particularly nasty villain and even Kurt Russell hams it up for a few gleeful sections.
Furious 7 will no doubt satisfy the franchise’s rabid fan base but is rarely anything more than simply a fun ride at the movies.
