Furious 7

It’s always a little emotional to see an actor in their final role on the screen. Furious 7 faced the dilemma of whether it would be appropriate or insulting to push on with the juggernaut box office franchise given the untimely and ultimately ironic death of a beloved actor and cornerstone of the series. Hollywood is no stranger to posthumous praise, and although there will be no Oscars in Paul Walker’s future, the pre-credits memorial is one of the most touching I’ve ever seen in film.

The Fast and Furious franchise has found itself reaping a massive global success with a gross in excess of $2.4 billion for the first six installments. The seventh is set to rake in an estimated $130-140 million in the opening weekend alone, which sends a signal through the industry that people just can’t seem to get enough of high octane car chases, poorly thought-out stories, and wooden characters.

Right off the bat, you know what you’re getting with these films, and that’s the beauty of the experience. The film begins straight out of an MTV Spring Break music video mixed with a Mountain Dew commercial. Race Wars, the illegal street racing venue that started the whole F&F craze back in 2001 showcases women in bikinis, tricked out cars, and a gearhead brotherhood that fills the void of a desert. The Godfather of street racing, Dominic Torreto (Vin Diesel) leads an unlikely group of genius/fearless/combustion-engine-savvy individuals who favor themselves family over friends. Maybe that’s the intended appeal; inclusion, loyalty, bravery. The family includes Brian (Paul Walker) as the converted FBI agent/husband to Torretto’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), Roman (Tyrese Gibson) as the intended comic relief, Tej (Ludacris) as the computer hacker, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) as Torretto’s wife, and Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) as the newest addition, the DEA agent with a soft spot for family. The wild card is new addition, the dubious Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), who never really tips his hand, and the bad guy, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) who is the pissed off brother of the bad guy from Furious 6. Oh, and a random appearance by Djimon Honsou as an African mercenary. Not sure where he came from or why.

Still with me? Furious 7 takes us from a hospital takeover to a mountainside car chase, to the streets of Tokyo, the skyscraping towers of Abu Dubai, and back to the familiar landscape of Los Angeles. Torretto and his family are trying to snag a piece of computer software called “God’s Eye” to help them find Shaw and settle the score. It’s a smorgasbord of locations, and each action sequence is more adrenalized than the last. The preposterousness builds to a crescendo as Dwayne Johnson shoots a helicopter out of the sky with a Gatlin gun, and a Predator drone blows up a parking garage in downtown LA with a missile. Yep, it’s that kind of movie. And it works.

Director James Wan has a resume steeped in horror (Saw, Insidious, the Conjuring) but takes on Furious 7 as if he were Michael Bay’s little brother. Burning rubber, twisted metal, and improbable sequences of cars parachuting out of planes, jumping from building to building, and outrunning crumbling garages just might become his hallmark. The action is absurd, and I loved it.

Let’s be clear about something. Vin Diesel can’t act his way out of a paper bag. He may as well have been repeating “I am Groot” over and over, and this film would have been none worse for it. The story was terrible, and the acting was pedestrian at best. This review has more flair than the script.

So why did I enjoy this film? Simple. Action. Light-hearted, old-fashioned, 1980’s style action. Weak story, dull characters, but pretty sweet cars and lots of squealing tires and explosions. The summer blockbuster season has begun. 8/10.