Fast and Furious 7 Movie Review

(Original article on CultNoise: http://www.cultnoise.com/fast-and-furious-7-a-rip-roaring-good-time/)

For over ten years now the Fast and Furious series has delivered the best and most entertaining flavour of modern car chases and yet despite outlasting every other racing franchise out there, it’s still been able to consistently entertain and thrill. With Fast and Furious 7, the franchise has reached its highest peak yet, delivering high octane thrills that somehow keep getting better with each new release.

Picking up where Fast 6 left off, the seventh entry in the series sees Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his band of brothers dealing with new villain Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) who is seeking revenge for the beating they gave to his little brother in the previous film. After Shaw makes his presence felt by killing Han (Sung Kang) in Tokyo, Dom’s team sets out once more to track down Deckard and keep their friends and family safe. They aren’t alone however as they’re backed up by government forces led by Kurt Russel’s Frank Petty who makes his debut in the series alongside returning favourites. The franchise’s break-neck pace is all full effect here, only slowing down to allow the characters to get some simple yet strong drama across. It’s a formula that has worked wonders for the past few films in the series and it’s working even better here; you really do believe in the bonds that bind the characters together, especially if you’ve been following the series up to now. Furious 7 crosses over several locations across its run-time from the streets of Los Angeles to the deserts of Abu Dhabi, adding a far greater variety than its predecessors. The final aspect of the film is a farewell to Paul Walker (who died in a car crash in 2013 during production); a montage of shots across the series which serve a fitting and heartfelt conclusion to the actor’s career and best known role. Fast and Furious 7 has plenty to offer for the action enthusiast, but it also takes plenty of time to balance it out with the more intimate moments.

Fast and Furious 7 continues the series trend of producing characters with magnetic personalities and the main cast is once again seamless in fitting into their archetypes. Dominic and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) receive an increased amount of focus this time around, allowing their chemistry to shine through more than ever. The comedy from Tyrese Gibson and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges is still wildly entertaining, providing a neat reprieve from the action. Kurt Russel brings a fair bit of laidback charisma to Frank Petty, which slots in fairly well alongside the main cast, even if he has little development throughout the film. Finally, there’s Jason Statham’s debut as Deckard Shaw; which ends up being a performance of two halves; while his physicality and stunt work continues to impress, it’s a shame that he isn’t doing very much to set Deckard apart from the numerous other action roles he’s played other the years. While the villains aren’t exactly that memorable in terms of acting prowess, the likeable characters who we’ve been following for over ten years now go far to carry the film.

It’s always a risky move when a franchise moves to a new director, but in this case James Wan, a filmmaker better known for horror films Saw and The Conjuring has done a great job of filling the boots of Justin Lin. The action sequences of Fast and Furious 7 are just as awe-inspiring and entertaining as they’ve ever been; it’s as if the filmmakers inject a different dose of inventiveness and creativity into each film. You’ve likely already seen a glimpse of the chase through the Caucasus mountain range but that’s only the tip of the iceberg; we have car duels, we have air-to-ground combat and a vast majority of these have all been accomplished using real stunt-work and choreography, making the sequences all the more engaging. Though it occasionally delves into a fair bit of camera-shaking here and there, the action itself is mostly well-framed and viewable, ensuring that the sequences don’t lose their impact. The sound design is also firing on all cylinders like it always has in the series; although the seemingly endless use of rap music is definitely wearing out its welcome at this point. Ultimately, the presentation of Fast and Furious does have a few flaws here and there, but it proves that there is still no other series quite like it when it comes to high speed action.

Fast and Furious 7 was a pleasant surprise for me in many ways; the well put together tribute to Paul Walker and likeable characters are strong starting points, but the film goes far beyond that. It’s quite astounding that the franchise’s action and stunts continue to push the envelope despite utilising the same, fairly basic premise seven films in. There’s sure to be more road rage on the way, but for now, Fast and Furious 7 can stake a claim as the best in the long-running series.

Rating: 4/5 Stars