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Movie Review
Fast & Furious 7
By Greg Ward Published April 26, 2015
US Release: April 3, 2015
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel , Paul Walker , Dwayne Johnson , Kurt Russell
PG-13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language
Running Time: 137 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $350,828,000
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel , Paul Walker , Dwayne Johnson , Kurt Russell
PG-13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language
Running Time: 137 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $350,828,000
B-
You go to these movies for the action, and this film delivers the goods.
Visit Greg's blog on his web-site, The Magic of Movies
When you walk into a "Fast and Furious" movie, you always expect to see sleek vehicles, death-defying stunts, gorgeous women, and eye-popping, over-the-top action sequences that you know must have taken quite some time to perfect and film. One might think that audiences would tire of this formula, but this is truly not the case. Usually, when you get to the 7th film in a franchise, people are like, "Come on, enough already!" They don't want to pay money for the same tired concept. With the "Fast and Furious" films, the movies make more money as the series progresses. It's quite impressive.
You can count on these films to be thin on plot, or at least lack a cohesive plot, and "Furious 7" is no exception. I will preface by saying that I missed a few of the sequels in between (I know I have seen the first, and the only other one I saw was either the 4th, 5th, or both). Basically, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and the rest of the crew defeated a terrorist named Owen Shaw, and now his brother is out for revenge, At the same time, another terrorist is competing with "Mr. Nobody" (Kurt Russell, appearing quite tired) to steal a computer program that can turn any device into a weapon.
That's all I can say about the plot. To be honest, I had to look up the exact details, even though I just saw the film recently, because let's be honest, you don't go to these movies for plot. There were often points during the film where I was just anticipating the car chases and explosions and didn't pay attention to what was going on. I don't feel ashamed to admit this. You go to these movies for the action, and this film delivers the goods. The scene where the cars drop from the sky out of the airplane with parachutes attached is amazing. The action does tend to become rather silly at times. How many times can cars fly over cliffs without anyone being hurt? It can be redundant. But who cares? I had fun.
The dialogue in the film is quite atrocious. A sample:
Shaw: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Toretto: I don't have friends. I got family.
Shaw: Well, I've got lots of friends.
There were often times when I found myself laughing at the words uttered by each of the characters. It was often too preposterous even for this kind of movie. At the same time, that's the film's charm, and in many ways, it ironically made the characters more endearing.
One thing to note is the fitting tribute to Paul Walker. Without spoiling anything, there is an extremely touching sequence at the end that is a truly fitting send-off not only to the character he played, but also to Walker himself. In real life, Diesel and Walker were good friends, and it is quite apparent in these final moments. I never expected to become teary in a "Furious" film.
"Furious 7" is the kind of movie you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride (no pun intended) without having to think too hard. It is not a great film by any means, but it is a lot of fun. The viewing experience can certainly be enhanced with a big crowd and possibly even on the IMAX screen.
When you walk into a "Fast and Furious" movie, you always expect to see sleek vehicles, death-defying stunts, gorgeous women, and eye-popping, over-the-top action sequences that you know must have taken quite some time to perfect and film. One might think that audiences would tire of this formula, but this is truly not the case. Usually, when you get to the 7th film in a franchise, people are like, "Come on, enough already!" They don't want to pay money for the same tired concept. With the "Fast and Furious" films, the movies make more money as the series progresses. It's quite impressive.
You can count on these films to be thin on plot, or at least lack a cohesive plot, and "Furious 7" is no exception. I will preface by saying that I missed a few of the sequels in between (I know I have seen the first, and the only other one I saw was either the 4th, 5th, or both). Basically, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and the rest of the crew defeated a terrorist named Owen Shaw, and now his brother is out for revenge, At the same time, another terrorist is competing with "Mr. Nobody" (Kurt Russell, appearing quite tired) to steal a computer program that can turn any device into a weapon.
That's all I can say about the plot. To be honest, I had to look up the exact details, even though I just saw the film recently, because let's be honest, you don't go to these movies for plot. There were often points during the film where I was just anticipating the car chases and explosions and didn't pay attention to what was going on. I don't feel ashamed to admit this. You go to these movies for the action, and this film delivers the goods. The scene where the cars drop from the sky out of the airplane with parachutes attached is amazing. The action does tend to become rather silly at times. How many times can cars fly over cliffs without anyone being hurt? It can be redundant. But who cares? I had fun.
The dialogue in the film is quite atrocious. A sample:
Shaw: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Toretto: I don't have friends. I got family.
Shaw: Well, I've got lots of friends.
There were often times when I found myself laughing at the words uttered by each of the characters. It was often too preposterous even for this kind of movie. At the same time, that's the film's charm, and in many ways, it ironically made the characters more endearing.
One thing to note is the fitting tribute to Paul Walker. Without spoiling anything, there is an extremely touching sequence at the end that is a truly fitting send-off not only to the character he played, but also to Walker himself. In real life, Diesel and Walker were good friends, and it is quite apparent in these final moments. I never expected to become teary in a "Furious" film.
"Furious 7" is the kind of movie you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride (no pun intended) without having to think too hard. It is not a great film by any means, but it is a lot of fun. The viewing experience can certainly be enhanced with a big crowd and possibly even on the IMAX screen.
Greg's Grade: B-
Greg's Overall Grading: 25 graded movies
| A | 36.0% | |
| B | 36.0% | |
| C | 20.0% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
