In the first twenty minutes of Furious 7, a hospital in London blows up, there’s a romantic kiss in a graveyard, and Iggy Azalea hops out of a helicopter and pressures Michelle Rodriguez’s character to punch someone in the face. The Fast and Furious franchise brings its most insane but emotional movie to date, and there is no shortage of entertainment. With cars flying out of planes, some kind of “Race Wars” where two drivers compete to see who can blow out their pistons first while women in bathing suits dance to trap music, and a scene where The Rock flexes and literally breaks a cast off of his arm, Furious 7 is another explosive blockbuster of our favorite multiracial characters getting into some kind of complicated ploy across the globe before they destroy everything by throwing cars everywhere. This time, the characters are being targeted by the brother of the main villain of the preceding movie, and his endless barrage of grenades and hefty cars place their lives at risk like never before. Director James Wan, known for Saw and The Conjuring, amps up the suspense and heightens the absurdity to forge a level of excitement I didn’t realize was attainable in the series.
In the process of preparing for some elaborate scheme, Vin Diesel’s character requests a “devil’s lovechild” car that’s a mixture between some slick, detailed racecar and a heavy, armored truck. Ludacris bursts in and warns Diesel that this demonic spawn won’t be as fast with all the weight of the armor loaded onto the car, before Diesel looks into the camera and slowly, somewhat incoherently declares, “It’s not about being fast anymore.” Furious 7, with the notable “fast” dropped from it’s title, isn’t about competing in the race or the adrenaline rush from pushing 9000 RPMs anymore, but about exiting the fast lane and settling down. Fast Five was really good because it actually focused on an intricate heist plot and had an awesome action sequence involving a giant, symbolic bank vault being used as a weapon- and Furious 7 does much of the same! It focuses on the importance of family and it strengthens the impressive notion that The Fast and Furious movies are superhero films, and also romances, and also fairy tales, and also buddy comedies. Despite the horrid concoction of genres, testosterone, and motor oil, the series has only been increasing its box office sales with every installment, and I expect Furious 7, with its promise of one last ride with the late Paul Walker, to be its most profitable yet. There's a dedication and heartbreaking montage to Walker at the end, and it feels like a proper finale, but it probably won't be. Furious 7 is as much of a popcorn movie as it’s predecessors; a short speech on some sentimental message about how the gang all really cares about each other, sandwiched between villains with no character development, bouncy asses in miniskirts, and improbable but fucking awesome action sequences involving cars flying out of planes.
Have I mentioned that there are cars flying out of planes? The authenticity of the car crashes and stunts in all the Fast and Furious movies still remains, and I watched Furious 7 in IMAX so the booms were especially booming. The Fast and Furious series began not quite sure what it wanted to be, with the first three movies having little to do with each other. Once the series established characters we wanted to return to, combined with flashy fast cars and hot Asian chicks, the series became massively better and entertaining. The series is a franchise now, with Fast and Furious 6 clocking in at almost $800 million at the box office. Furious 7, despite a final action sequence that drags a little and weirdly histrionic plot moments, is another improvement and a great installment for the series. It’s energetic and thrilling, and though I really thought Vin Diesel’s character should have died like 6 times in this movie, the utter delusion and fantasy of The Fast and Furious movies is exactly what I love about them. Furious 7 is good, weekend fun, and there’s not much else I can ask for from a summer action blockbuster.
Grade: B-
In the process of preparing for some elaborate scheme, Vin Diesel’s character requests a “devil’s lovechild” car that’s a mixture between some slick, detailed racecar and a heavy, armored truck. Ludacris bursts in and warns Diesel that this demonic spawn won’t be as fast with all the weight of the armor loaded onto the car, before Diesel looks into the camera and slowly, somewhat incoherently declares, “It’s not about being fast anymore.” Furious 7, with the notable “fast” dropped from it’s title, isn’t about competing in the race or the adrenaline rush from pushing 9000 RPMs anymore, but about exiting the fast lane and settling down. Fast Five was really good because it actually focused on an intricate heist plot and had an awesome action sequence involving a giant, symbolic bank vault being used as a weapon- and Furious 7 does much of the same! It focuses on the importance of family and it strengthens the impressive notion that The Fast and Furious movies are superhero films, and also romances, and also fairy tales, and also buddy comedies. Despite the horrid concoction of genres, testosterone, and motor oil, the series has only been increasing its box office sales with every installment, and I expect Furious 7, with its promise of one last ride with the late Paul Walker, to be its most profitable yet. There's a dedication and heartbreaking montage to Walker at the end, and it feels like a proper finale, but it probably won't be. Furious 7 is as much of a popcorn movie as it’s predecessors; a short speech on some sentimental message about how the gang all really cares about each other, sandwiched between villains with no character development, bouncy asses in miniskirts, and improbable but fucking awesome action sequences involving cars flying out of planes.
Have I mentioned that there are cars flying out of planes? The authenticity of the car crashes and stunts in all the Fast and Furious movies still remains, and I watched Furious 7 in IMAX so the booms were especially booming. The Fast and Furious series began not quite sure what it wanted to be, with the first three movies having little to do with each other. Once the series established characters we wanted to return to, combined with flashy fast cars and hot Asian chicks, the series became massively better and entertaining. The series is a franchise now, with Fast and Furious 6 clocking in at almost $800 million at the box office. Furious 7, despite a final action sequence that drags a little and weirdly histrionic plot moments, is another improvement and a great installment for the series. It’s energetic and thrilling, and though I really thought Vin Diesel’s character should have died like 6 times in this movie, the utter delusion and fantasy of The Fast and Furious movies is exactly what I love about them. Furious 7 is good, weekend fun, and there’s not much else I can ask for from a summer action blockbuster.
Grade: B-
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