Film Review: Relentlessly Action-Packed ‘Furious 7’ Actually Has a Story, Too

CHICAGO – I’ve never classified myself as a “Fast & Furious” franchise fan. Nor have I been a hater. I’ve fallen somewhere in between – willingly watching the popcorn flicks but then quickly going about my life as fast as the furious action ended. Until “Furious 7”…

And it’s not just because we’ve lost Paul Walker much too soon [24], which, while extremely unfortunate, also unfortunately has the burden of being a boon to this film.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Going into it, I was just as curious how he’d be handled as I was about anything else about it. Since he can’t be in the eighth film, would Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner – Dominic Toretto’s close buddy – be killed off? Would it insensitively happen in a car crash? Or would writer Chris Morgan and director James Wan (“Saw,” “Saw III,” “Insidious,” “Insidious: Chapter 2,” “The Conjuring”) surprise us with a tactful and touching send-off? Surprisingly, we got the latter. I was thoroughly impressed with the restraint, heart and thoughtfulness displayed.

I also had the false perception that there wouldn’t be much of a plot. Figuring it’d be mostly brawn and no brain, it’s easy to think that thing called a “story” was just an excuse to blow stuff up, drive fancy cars fast, flaunt T&A and pull off ridiculous stunts. While I’m not a diehard “Fast & Furious” fan who obsessively knows every nook and cranny about every character’s back story and evolution, I actually found myself – gulp! – getting a wee bit emotional with them. In other words, I got sucked into the story a bit and not just the visual splendor.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Furious 7”. [25]

Speaking of the eye candy, “Furious 7” – like the previous films are known for – grabs you by the balls and never lets go. There’s literally no downtime, which doesn’t work for some films because you need contrast. While it’s easily one of those films you can pick apart and question its ridiculous nature, here I don’t need to. The film genuinely is a fun-filled, action-packed entertainment ride with characters you actually give a frick about.

Sure, cars don’t usually fly (even with parachutes) onto mountains. Nor do $3.4 million, bulletproof super cars smash through windows in penthouses from tower to tower. And once you lose your memory from brain damage, it doesn’t usually magically come back at exactly the moment you’re trying to save someone’s life using love (and, of course, love brings back the almost dead instead of CPR). But I’m happy to overlook these flaws and view them not as shortcomings but as acceptable casualties of war wrapped in a film that truly knows how to entertain.

Continue for Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Furious 7”. [25]

Paul Walker in “Furious 7”.
Image credit: Scott Garfield, Universal Pictures

Continue for Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Furious 7”. [25]