Review: 'Furious 7' (2015)

Universal Pictures

It quickly becomes clear that Furious 7 is going to play more like a highlight reel rather than another story in the franchise. It doesn’t waste any time with a plot or even a whole lot of talk, almost as if director James Wan and screenwriter Chris Morgan realized that none of this is the reason that the franchise has only became stronger with each entry.  So where does its success come from. What the Fast and Furious franchise does best is explosive, large-scale action sequences. Furious 7 highlights this strength by amping the action up way beyond any level it has reached before, to the point that it completely takes over.

Furious 7 picks up where the Fast and Furious 6 credits scene left off with Owen Shaw’s brother Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) going after Dom, Brian and the rest of the crew that was responsible for the death of his brother. It is made very clear early and often that Deckard is even more ruthless than his brother. He successfully kills Han (Sung Kang) in Tokyo (the credit scene in Fast & Furious 6 but depicted here as well) but fails to kill Brian and his family after blowing up their house and only manages to put Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in the hospital after he somehow survives a massive jump from a building exploding at the hands of Deckard.

This prompts the crew to go into all out protection mode while attempting to get to Deckard before he gets to them. This catches the attention of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), an off the record type of government agent that is after a dangerous computer program called ‘Gods Eye’ before it gets into the hands of a terrorist by the name of Jakande (Djimon Hounsou). Seeing an opportunity to help each other get what they want, Mr. Nobody offers to help get Shaw for Dom if Dom and the others will get him ‘Gods Eye’. After agreeing, the crew, keeping up with the world traveling theme the previous films have done, find themselves in Dubai but end up back in Los Angeles for a massive showdown with Deckard.        

And what a showdown it is. You have the Rock, after surviving a ridicules fall, flexing out of a cast to break out of the hospital in order to help the crew by firing off countless rounds from a gun even bigger than him. While this is happening, Dom rolls his car a thousand times and just when you may think this is the one that did him in he pulls through like there is nothing to it. This all seems ordinary though given what takes place leading up to this Expendables-esque finale.

The action sequences have become more and more elaborate and over the top with every minute this series continues. But as these moments take over something has to take a back seat. So, going along with the fact that the backseats in the vehicles featured in these films are pointless, that thing doesn’t get put in the back seat, it gets moved to the trunk. That thing is a script. When it comes to Furious 7, saying that the script gets put in the trunk is rather generous. It is clear that one of the few things Furious 7 wants to accomplish is being the best mindless, outlandish action piece it can be. And that’s exactly what Furious 7 does, never allowing any details to get in the way, only breaking for brief phrases that are always dumber than the last but never take away from the several entertaining moments of the film. These moments include Dom and Brian driving through three sky scrapers, Brian barely grabbing on to a the spoiler of a car as he jumps from another vehicle as it is quickly going off a cliff and, in a moment that some this experience up nicely, Mr. Nobody winking at Dom right after he is shot. Immediately after this, my first thought was I hope he survives this because I want him in the next one. My second thought was that it is clear that everyone involved in making this movie understands how outlandish it is so I guess I’ll fully get on board with it. 

Of course though there is some kind of theme here, and as you are probably already well aware, that theme is family. I have been calling this group a crew but Dom makes it clear early and often that it is a family. It uses this theme nicely, not weighing the film down but managing to give a proper farewell to Paul Walker. Furious 7 is able to honor the life of Walker in a thoughtful way that also blends well into this notion of family.

            

            With the action first approach that Furious 7 takes it becomes clear that the Fast and Furious franchise is one that is able to adapt. You’re not watching The Fast and the Furious for the seventh time, which is rare when it comes to these long lasting franchises. This franchise though has been able to successfully change the formula slightly from entry to entry all while remembering that the most important aspect is its sequences of big time action. Furious 7 is no exception, making clear that this is a franchise, even after fourteen years, is still on the rise as it shows no signs of slowing down.     

Grade: B