Fast and Furious 7

It's difficult to review Fast and Furious 7 without discussing the tragedy which defined its production and how many people will view the final product, so let's look at that first.

On November 30th, 2013, one of the franchise's stars Paul Walker died in a car crash. This was a tragic loss which also meant that difficult decisions had to be made for Furious 7, as Walker hadn't finished all of his scenes before his death. When the decision was made to complete the film, serious re-working was needed on the part of the film-makers. The remainder of the scenes including Walker's character were completed through the use of CGI, body doubles and the contributions of his brothers Caleb and Cody Walker. So does this method work, and does the film serve as a fitting tribute and grace note to Paul Walker's work?

Following the defeat of villain Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) from the prior film, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew, including his friend Brian O'Connor (Walker), his sister and Brian's partner Mia (Jordana Brewster) and his amnesiac long-lost love Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), are trying to lead normal lives in their old stomping ground of Los Angeles. But their plans are put in danger by Owen Shaw's vengeance-seeking brother Deckard (Jason Statham), who is coming after the team with grim intentions. Realising that Deckard poses a very real threat to his family and friends, Dom assembles his team for "one last ride"...

Taking over the directing duties after Justin Lin (who helmed every Furious film from 2006's Tokyo Drift to last year's Fast and Furious 6) got beamed aboard the Starship Enterprise, horror film-maker James Wan (best known for 2004's Saw, 2011's Insidious and 2013's The Conjuring and Insidious: Chapter 2) does a brilliant job of stepping into the lunacy which is Fast and Furious. As the series has continued, the action has got progressively more outrageous and hilariously awesome to watch. This is the most bonkers out of all the films, and it knows it. Through incredible stunt-work and solid visual effects, Wan and his team have concocted, to quote my friend, a 'gloriously stupid' thrill-ride. The action in this film is stupid and utterly mad, but it is also a lot of fun to watch it unfold. A sequence involving a vehicular battle on a cliff-side in Azerbaijan (and a certain stunt to get to this point) is a perfect example; the real joy is in watching just how far the film-makers will go, and the spectacular silliness is mind-bogglingly entertaining to behold. That's just one of the action sequences; I haven't even mentioned the fight 'n' flight scene in Abu Dhabi or the final battle sequence which leaves an entire city strewn in rubble. Before the film, I didn't know how the conclusion here would top the mad spectacle of the finales in the previous two films. Oh, how they topped it. This is Grand Theft Auto on steroids. If I had an issue with the action, it would have to be that while the hand-to-hand combat sequences are still really enjoyable, they are marred somewhat by quick cutting. I could keep up for the most part, but I wanted to savour these fights and not feel like I was being challenged to keep track.

The visual effects, while not stellar, are still strong enough to deliver on the action sequences, but the CGI used to graft Paul Walker's face on his brothers and body doubles are more hit-and-miss. While some of these moments work effectively, other moments were obviously CGI for me. Now I was willing to let this go given the tragic circumstances which led to this method being used, but then I thought of the same technique being used for 2000's Gladiator when actor Oliver Reed died before completing all of his scenes. Even knowing one of the scenes this method was used for, I can never spot the seams while watching that film. 15 years later in technical advances, that's not the case here, with Walker's face having tell-tale elasticity and wrinkles which give the game away. That being said, the knowledge of the tragic situation does soften this problem. And, in terms of capturing Walker's vocals, the film-makers did a seamless job.

The cast here are now more than comfortable in their roles, and they deliver very good work here. Most people will be coming to see this film because of Paul Walker, and he delivers a genuinely likeable and sincere turn here. Walker's talents were mostly underrated (see 2006's Running Scared if you see further proof), and he is effortlessly watchable here in giving this character unexpected layers. While Walker's death will make him the one many people are coming to see the film for, this shouldn't keep the work of the other cast members from being noticed. Diesel is terrific as Dominic Toretto, emanating his usual strength as well as a fierce determination as his character fights to stop Shaw from shattering his family. Diesel has a way of making even the cheesiest lines work here (which is fortunate since writer Chris Morgan gives him a few), and the emotional undercurrent he brings to his role makes Dom even more fleshed out. Michelle Rodriguez delivers her best work of the series thus far as Letty, capturing the emotional turmoil of a character forced back into a life she remembers little about. An early scene between her and Diesel in a graveyard is especially well-acted. As Agent Luke Hobbs, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has a lot of fun as usual with this over-the-top macho character, but fans of his may be disappointed to hear that this is his smallest role in the series. He still gets bad-ass moments and some hilariously cheesy dialogue which, much like Diesel, he pulls off well through his on-screen presence, but just try not to be too disappointed when you don't get as much of him in this one as you did the previous two instalments. Once again doing a lot with comparatively little in her role as Mia, Jordana Brewster is wonderful, making every moment of screen-time count and bringing a real emotional weight to scenes like a phone conversation between herself and Walker's Brian. As the comedic relief character Tej and Roman, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges and Tyrese Gibson both bag plenty of laughs, whether through their bickering or through Roman being his usual loud-mouth self. As hacker Ramsey, Nathalie Emmanuel (who has proven that she's a talented actress on the TV series Game of Thrones) is sadly little more than window-dressing. You could make the argument that Gal Gadot's character Giselle is another example of this from the main cast of the series, but at least she had some bad-ass moments and funny lines. Emmanuel, try as she might, doesn't get enough to make an impression.

At the beginning, Statham looks like he will be a terrific villain. From the opening scene to his encounters with some of the main cast (fighting them with both his fists and his car), Statham's Deckard is a truly menacing and nasty foe who looks set to be a merciless threat for our heroes. However, when the characters of 'Mr. Nobody' (Kurt Russell) and Mose Jakande (Djimon Hounsou) enters the fold with their own plot, it can't help but feel that Statham takes a back seat to proceedings. Even though he does pop up and try to take out our heroes (even when they're in different locations around the world), this seems like an afterthought simply there to remind us that Statham is in the film. Statham does craft a strong antagonist here, but Deckard could have been a better villain still. Also, while Deckard's final showdown with Dom is a macho adrenaline rush, the end to the fight and the resolution to his character leave something to be desired. Now, while I think his plotline does detract from Deckard's presence as a villain, I don't dislike the character of 'Mr. Nobody'. In fact, through Kurt Russell's cool charisma, he might have been my favourite supporting character in the film. As soon as Russell enters the film, he steals scene after scene. He's so at ease here that you can't help but like him. No matter whether he's simply talking with Diesel's Dom or engaging in a firefight, Russell makes everything look so bad-ass. He is pure class. Djimon Hounsou's Jakande, on the other hand, is under-used to the point where his importance in the film's plot doesn't feel earned. Hounsou's performance isn't exactly his best either, with the actor hysterically screaming the majority of his lines. On a side-note, what is it with Hounsou playing bad guys recently? How to Train Your Dragon 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, Seventh Son and now Furious 7... Is he only being offered bad-guy roles nowadays? If so, Hollywood really needs to start remembering just what a talented and versatile actor Hounsou is. Martial artist Tony Jaa and Mixed Martial Arts fighter Ronda Rousey both have roles as villainous henchmen which allow them to flex their literal muscles in fight scenes (even though Jaa is hindered by the quick cuts on occasion). Finally, other actors/characters from the series do make brief appearances here, although there is one odd choice which bothered me (check out my spoiler comments post-review for more details). These appearances are just some of the references to the franchise's history, showing the long and unexpected journey which this series has been on.                  
Brian Tyler, who's having a blockbuster year between composing both this and The Avengers: Age of Ultron, brings his usual propulsive musical style to the proceedings; there's very little memorable about his score here, but it works well for what happens in the film, giving the action and character scenes a comfortable base. Tyler's score even shows some self-awareness when it comes to the gloriously overblown scale of the film; listen out for the use of a choir during a key face-off. The soundtrack itself is full of the usual songbook for this series (rap songs and the ilk), which add to the Fast and Furious vibe. For me, there is only one stand-out song, and thankfully it's the perfect song used at the perfect moment. The cinematography by Marc Spicer and Stephen F. Windon ensures that this is yet another stylish entry in the series, with the Abu Dhabi scenes in particular basked in gorgeous sunlight.

While the film may have issues in areas, the film's final few minutes are genuinely beautiful. Bolstered by the brilliant song See You Again from Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, this is a emotionally resonant conclusion which gives the theme of 'family', which has been established several times throughout the series, a soulful power which it has never had before. The very last shot of the film is arguably the most moving of any film thus far this year. This is a pitch-perfect final tribute to a fallen comrade, and the skill and care with which the tragedy of Walker's death is handled is something which I truly applaud, both as a fan of film and as a human being.

Final Verdict

Fast and Furious 7 had a lot of weight on its shoulders because of Paul Walker's tragic passing, but director James Wan, his crew and cast ensure that this is a worthy send-off. There are a slew of issues; Statham's antagonist, while strong enough, is somewhat diminished after his terrific opening scenes (and has an unsatisfying resolution to boot) while Hounsou's antagonist feels insignificant to the point where his role in the narrative doesn't feel earned. Also, while some instances of the CGI used to capture Walker's likeness in certain scenes is effective, there are other instances where the elasticity and wrinkles present on Walker's face give away the use of the technology. With that being said, the film is still a fantastically absurd thrill-ride which almost matches Kingsman: The Secret Service as the most entertaining popcorn film of the year thus far. The action is just what you expect from the franchise except even grander and sillier, delivering plenty of popcorn fun (although the way in which the hand-to-hand fights are edited is too choppy at points), and Wan handles the madness with a skill one might not expect given his horror-centric filmography. Meanwhile, the cast do mostly strong work (with some like Walker, Diesel and Rodriguez even given further character layers which they explore admirably), while the technical credits are solid for the most part. Are there some cheesy lines? Yes. Are there some stupid moments? You bet. But the film-makers know what film they're making and revel in it, to the point where I couldn't help but enjoy it myself. Where everyone involved is to be commended is in never losing sight of their characters and their likeability, along with the important task of honouring a friend and colleague. The final five minutes of Fast and Furious 7 are the perfect farewell, and give the theme of family throughout this series a wonderful and moving power which it has never had before. Don't be surprised if you get emotional during the film's conclusion. Instead, be grateful that all involved handle the tragedy with a graceful and beautiful elegance, ending on such a beautifully poignant final shot. This is not just terrific film-making, but pure love shining through on screen. For that alone, Furious 7 should be celebrated. Rest In Peace, Paul Walker. You legacy won't be forgotten.
   
Rating: 4 out of 5

SPOILER COMMENTS (STEER CLEAR UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN THE FILM)

With regards to the returning characters, I found the insertion of Tokyo Drift's Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) to be oddly handled. When we first see the character, it's in a clip from Tokyo Drift. I find this a strange choice because the very next scene was done for this film. That means that, while the character is about the same age, Black is almost a decade older. For me, this was a strange choice. Wouldn't it have made more sense to re-shoot that scene from Tokyo Drift or to simply leave it out all together?  

As I said in the main review, the final fight between Deckard and Dom is an entertaining one, but the decision to have Jakande be the one to ultimately end the fight was one I didn't particularly like. Deckard is the main villain of the film, so to have him taken out so quickly and to be replaced by Jakande as the main antagonist, especially since neither the character of Jakande or Djimon Hounsou's performance are especially compelling, was a bad call as far as I'm concerned. Also, to have Deckard alive by the end of the film feels unresolved given how nearly everything else is wrapped up nicely. 

On a positive note, that final shot of Dom and Brian parting at the fork in the road before the camera follows Brian's car as it drives into the distance is just... That is such a beautiful and symbolic moment.