Like any good sequel, Furious 7, takes the strength of its predecessors and raises them to the next level. In the case of Furious 7. raising things to the next level means making the action sequences even more jaw-dropping and over-the-top than they were before. With stunts that range from dropping cars out of an airplane to jumping speeding cars from skyscraper to skyscraper, it's safe to say the filmmakers succeeded. This series has long left behind the concept of realism and honestly, it's much better for it. The cartoonish action sequences have made the Fast and Furious franchise a unique grand-scale spectacle and elevated the series to heights of exhilaration that the earlier films couldn't even dream of matching.
Director James Wan picks up right where previous director Justin Lin left off by brilliantly capturing all of the film's mind-boggling mayhem. Lin had done such a great job directing the previous four installments of this series that I was skeptical that anyone could duplicate his success, but Wan proved to be more than up to the task. Wan, a veteran horror director responsible for recent hits Insidious and The Conjuring, had never directed a major action film prior to this, but you'd never know that with the veteran-like proficiency he shows in directing the constant combats scenes here.
The chemistry and general likability of the cast are just as essential to Furious 7's success as the action sequences. The rapport Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Tyrese Gibson have built up over the years of making these films is truly remarkable. Diesel's character Dom Torretto regularly preaches about how his team is his family and as a viewer, you can tell that closeness amongst the group continues well after the camera is turned off. Series newbies Jason Statham and Kurt Russell as the film's primary antagonist and a nameless FBI agent that hires Toretto's crew to retrieve a priceless piece of advanced new technology respectively both prove to be natural fits within the cast and add even more to the camaraderie surrounding Furious 7. Most long-running film franchises have well-matched casts, but the genuine, family-like bond of this entire ensemble of actors is unlike anything I've ever seen in modern Hollywood.
Above all, Furious 7 is a love letter to Walker, who tragically died in a car accident on November 30th, 2013. While a majority of the film had already been shot prior to his death, the narrative was clearly re-framed following his untimely passing. The way the filmmakers chose to handle Walker's character's future in the franchise was perfect, with the final scene in particular serving as a genuinely moving tribute to his life and the legacy he left behind. Walker's success as an actor was largely defined by this franchise, so its only fitting that his last on-screen appearance was in a Fast and Furious film. Furious 7 may be a flat-out ridiculous film with no shortage of plotholes and unnecessary melodrama, but it's also a near-perfect action film that made for one of the funnest viewing experiences I've ever had in a movie theater.
4.5/5 Stars
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