Review: Furious 7

Directed by: James Wan

Written by: Chris Morgan

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson

Rating: [3.5/5]

The common saying of every movie being a minor miracle rings true when hearing about all of the moving pieces needing to work in order to craft a single feature film. The deaths of members of the production team during filming emphasize this idea more than ever, which tragically struck Furious 7, but the way it all comes together demonstrates a miracle in itself. While a story about villainous revenge, it serves as a beautiful tribute to one of their fallen stars in an impeccable manner. 

Following the events in London, a rogue special forces assassin Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) vows to get revenge for what Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew did to his brother, Owen. Going on a rampage against them, Toretto gets approached by Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), who offers an opportunity to help against Shaw but they must first help retrieve an important software called God’s Eye. 

Much of the buzz following this film prior to its release centered around the death of Paul Walker, who portrayed Brian O’Conner since the first film back in 2001. Walker’s involvement stretched to even his own adventures in 2 Fast 2 Furious. He undoubtedly played a major part in the success of these films and his tragic passing felt like a gauntlet to carry seeing as he died while Furious 7 was still in production. The manner in which this film still comes together deserves plenty of recognition and it still carries some incredible sequences to appreciate. 

The more films created with the title Fast or Furious within it, the more ridiculous the stunts and scenarios get and this seventh installment is no different. Boasting the sequence of the flying car comedically foreshadowed earlier in the film, the scene in Abu Dhabi remains one of the film’s highlights. Literally crashing a vehicle through three of the tallest buildings in the world is something you would probably jokingly throw out there as an idea for how ridiculous of a set piece you can make. Well, never count out this franchise by taking these ridiculous ideas and making them a reality for our entertainment’s sake. It genuinely explains why having these characters out in space cannot be easily disregarded. 

The central conflict comes from Deckard Shaw’s plot for revenge against Toretto for having injured his brother in the previous film and Statham steps into the role and wreaks havoc. He becomes quite the foe who decommissions Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) for most of the film and pushes Toretto to the edge of what he can handle. It becomes a bit ridiculous when he can seamlessly track everyone to be in the exact right moments at the perfect time to disrupt things for the team but all of this becomes personal for all parties involved. Toretto nearly killed Owen and then Deckard murdered Han in Tokyo, which means having these two individuals running towards each other in full steam will cause some fireworks. Furious 7 finds the right balance of having Shaw be the boogeymen following them while they also seek the God’s eye software that becomes coveted. It allows for the team to battle something while Toretto tries to fend off the big bad guy coming after them. 

So many moments in the film will leave you shaking your head in disbelief, but it all comes down to the way they handle Paul Walker. So much credit must go to James Wan, who stepped away from his horror roots to take on this large project and handled everything gracefully. Jumping wildly into the action genre, he has a strong grasp of what these stories entail and how serious to take them. The way he and the rest of the contributors handle Walker’s passing deserves its praise for its beauty. It will certainly bring tears to the eyes of the fans but it could also do some emotional damage to the casual watcher because of the love and adoration shown to the actor through Brian’s departure as a character. Using the now-iconic song “See You Again” really adds the perfect punctuation to what this character meant to the franchise. 

Over the top action has become the name of the game and Furious 7 delivers on that front with no issues. It adds just enough intrigue and drama leading up to the ultimate showdown between Toretto and Shaw, which becomes a laughable fight but one wrought with emotion. I mean, when you have Toretto saying the streets always win when in a street fight gets right at the level of ridiculousness I have come to love with this series of films. It deftly handles the passing of one of its stars and tells a moving story in-between loaded with flashy action.