One of the most anticipated films of the year, 'Furious 7' is a swashbuckling entertainer all the way till the end. 'Furious 7' is primarily the sequel to the 2013 film 'Fast & Furious 6' and the seventh installment in the 'Fast & Furious' film series.
The Plot:
'Furious 7' starts off where the previous film 'Fast & Furious 6' left off. If viewers had watched the after-credits scene in the previous film, they will remember how Jason Statham's character (Deckard Shaw), brother of Luke Evans (Owen Shaw) makes a stellar cameo killing Sung Kang (Han Lue). That scene gets shown once again 'Furious 7' and forms the overall plot-line for the film - a brother seeking revenge.
In his quest, Statham begins by taking down Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on his turf sending an immediate response to the entire team that this reaction is basically the "Sin(s) of London" (from 'Fast &Furious 6'). Right about then, an added plot-line gets thrown into the narrative. The makers have done commendably well integrating another plot-line to the overall structure of the narrative. The Government sends in (Frank Petty) Kurt Russell as he gets in touch with Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto) and team to get hold of "God's Eye" - a computer program that serves the user to hack into any device connected to any network. The program's creator Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) is being held captive by a Jakande (Djimon Hounsou), a militant.
From this point on, it's a high-adrenaline chase for Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and the team as well as Shaw. The team gets going on a mission to free Ramsey from Jakande by dropping out of an airplane. The team eventually manage to free her as well learn the whereabouts of the program. They then travel to Abu Dhabi to get hold of the program.This scene is perhaps one of the most-cheered scenes in any film in recent times.
The team then decides to go after Shaw who's in Los Angeles at this point and just when you think all is going well for the team, Jakande and his team of militants launch a surprise attack and in turn obtain "God's Eye; whilst injuring Petty. From this point on, Dom and Brian decide to go after Shaw and hatch a ploy by using Ramsey to hack into "God's Eye" whilst keeping their vehicles mobile.
This leads to a massive action feast climax where there's guns, bombs, a drone, high-octane car chases, a missile-launching drone, street fights, some kick-boxing and karate sequences.
The Positives:
In a film that screams action from all corners, having action superstars is major boon. Add to that a screenplay that gives you non-stop action, you've got gold in your hands. Precisely what the filmmakers have managed to take advantage of.
The performances by the entire cast is neat. You will feel the screenplay is going beyond realism, but you'll take satisfaction in the fact that the filmmakers have done justice to it cinematically. The film has a more 80s-90's feel to it with all the action. Mind you, the entire second-half is one big climax with business getting dealt on the streets of Los Angeles. The movie has numerous one-liners; reminiscent of any Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone flick. Added to that, there's a particular Arnold sequence where you'll see Dwayne Johnson go full-throttle with the gun. This sequence will remind fans of Arnold in 'Commando'.
Overall, the film has been spoken among the public and the people of Hollywood as a tribute ti Paul Walker - and, a neat tribute it is. There's no dramatics involved in his performances or his story-line in the film. The final shot along with Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" song soaring in the movie is testimony to that.
The Negatives:
it is sometimes important for filmmakers to keep note of what's happening in their screenplay. The revision is important in terms of story-line. The action in this movie although great could have perhaps been reduced a wee-bit; especially the climax action sequence. It tends to border on overkill.
The 3D conversion in the film is perhaps the biggest negative aspect. In a film that's supposed to be fast, it isn't really necessary that 3D or 3D conversion is necessary. As already known, 3D distorts the imagery and that aspect is plenty in 'Furious 7'. The film appears too dark even during daytime sequences.
Verdict:
'One Last Ride' may be the tagline, but it's more a peaceful sendoff for Paul Walker's character. Walking out of the theatre, you'll agree with what Tyrese Gibson's character Roman Pearce says in the movie about Paul Walker, "Things are gonna change". And, so right he is.
Rating : 3.25/5
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