Furious 7 (2015)
4:11 PM
Vengeance Hits Home
Furious 7 is the latest instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise. The film is directed by James Wan (The Conjuring, Insidious) and stars Vin Diesel (Riddick, Guardians of the Galaxy), Paul Walker (Brick Mansions, Eight Below), Jason Statham (Wild Card, Parker), Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar, Machete Kills), Jordana Brewster (Dallas, American Heist), Tyrese Gibson (Transformers, Black Nativity), Ludacris (New Year's Eve, The Hangover), Dwayne Johnson (Hercules, G.I. Joe) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones, Hollyoaks). 'Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for his comatose brother'. Will this franchise continue to produce films that are bigger, better and more thrilling than the previous one?
YES THEY DO! Furious 7 is one of my favourite films of the year so far - it definitely didn't disappoint! This is the best Fast and Furious yet (even if I have only watched 5 & 6). The first thing I'd like to speak about is the direction. James Wan has done an absolutely fantastic job. He has proven he can do a 'Taylor Swift' and work in two different genres very successfully and still be able to produce high quality entertainment (Swift did country and pop, Wan has done horror and action). I feel that he has done a much better job with this franchise than Justin Lin did. Wan clearly decided to take the franchise in a new direction and introduced a lot of character development - this worked really well and was really nice to see. Some of the camera work was really unique and impressive too - the camera tumbles with the characters at particular moments which helps to increase tension and excitement for the audience - it also makes you feel like you are there with and feeling the same as the characters on screen .
The story was also very good - I liked how there were two parallel stories going on at the same time and then they came together for the big finale. Both stories were very exciting. The one to do with Shaw (Statham) was what I thought the whole story was going to be about from the marketing campaign but their is a whole other story that adds to the action. Furious 7 also includes a lot of cheesy dialogue but I think this is one of the only franchises that can get away with it so well.
The action sequences were spectacular - they are great both on road and on foot. My favourites include scenes you've seen in the trailer like the parachuting cars, O'Conner running off the bus and the cars diving through the buildings. However, I also thoroughly enjoyed the finale sequence as well as the whole scene that took place in Abu Dhabi (including the girl on girl fight). There is never a dull moment in Furious 7 - it is thrilling, exciting and just simply a fantastic film. What people have to accept about this franchise is that it is over the top - the films themselves don't take themselves too seriously and audiences shouldn't either.
Now, the acting is what will put non-Fast and Furious fans off of these films - it isn't Oscar worthy but what I put it down to is that these actors and actresses aren't known for many other projects so this is basically their life and they are basically playing themselves - it makes the film feel very natural and pure. Statham is a brilliant addition to the franchise and turns out to be a very good villain - I've said in previous Box Office Reports that he can't sell a movie, even though he isn't the selling factor of this film, he really gets involved in the silliness and excitement of the film which is nice to see. Diesel, Rodriguez, Brewster, Gibson, Ludacris and Johnson are excellent too.
Don't worry, I haven't left the talent of Paul Walker out - I wanted to leave a section of this review for him. I thought he was up to the standards of all the previous films. I thought he had a really nice send off from the franchise and Wan did it in the most respectful and best way possible. Walker will be sadly missed in Fast 8 but I really believe that the montage at the end was iconic and showed why he was such a treasure to the franchise. The song 'See You Again' which plays during the tribute also helped to bring a tear to my eye. Speaking of the music choices, the soundtrack is fantastic for this film - like always.
Furious 7 is an excellent film and sets standards very high for Fast 8. The cast are as likeable as ever and the stunts are bigger and better than ever before. The soundtrack is really fitting and the film digs into territories that the franchise hasn't ever visited before (Character development, emotional moments) thanks to Wan's new direction choices. Full of cheesy dialogue and over the top action, Furious 7 defines why the world likes this franchise so much - it is spectacular!
5 STARS
#ForPaul
Have you seen FURIOUS 7? Which Fast and Furious movie is your favourite? What is your favourite film of the year so far? - COMMENT BELOW
Furious 7 is part of our 2015 Summer Movie campaign.
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