Although many film franchises go stale, repeating the same formula over and over, the Fast and Furious series sped to the top of the action game by refusing to stand still. “Furious 7” aims for full-on modern warfare and hits the mark with gleeful excess.
The Fast and Furious franchise has traveled a long road from the first film back in 2001. At this point, “Furious 7” shares more with the Mission: Impossible series than with the street-racing action of the early movies.
Big stars, and even bigger action, have become staples of the franchise, along with globe-spanning, world-in-peril spy-jinks. The head-to-head racing that was a staple of the early films hardly gets more than a shout out in the later ones, yet the franchise doesn’t miss it in the slightest.
In its place are action pieces that get bigger and bigger with each installment. While many action franchises reach a critical mass when the stunts stop being fun and exciting (here’s to looking at you, “Die Hard”), the Fast and Furious films have managed to keep that bubble from bursting.
A big reason for that was the work of Justin Lin, who directed the last four in the series, but who opted out of “Furious 7.” Stepping into his place was James Wan (“Saw,” “Insidious”), whose background in horror films made him an unusual choice, but he mostly pays off.
Borrowing a few filming techniques from the “Crank” films (along with its star, Jason Statham), Wan brings something fresh to the action scenes. What isn’t fresh is the use of quick-cutting throughout the film’s fights, which makes some scenes more jarring than exciting.
That could be a result of the new director, or it could be because of a need to hide the size difference between his actors. Dwayne Johnson in particular looks like the Hulk compared to anyone else he shares the screen with.
The addition of Jason Statham to the cast is well matched with the returning stars. However, his introduction into the movie introduces a level of menace that the rest of the film is unable to match. Still, much like Johnson, Statham possesses a charisma that original Fast and Furious stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker have always lacked.
Predictably, the plot makes little sense, with the leader of a black ops unit (Kurt Russell) engaging Vin Diesel’s team to retrieve a magical technology mcguffin that has the potential to change the world.
Despite the film’s best efforts to focus on the fun and frivolity, limiting the more sentimental moments to a quick 30 seconds, real-life events cast a shadow over “Furious 7.” The death of Paul Walker near the end of filming makes him the inevitable focus of the movie. Yet the joy that the cast seems to be having with him keeps that shadow from being a complete eclipse.
“Furious 7” has easily out-paced the competition in over-the-top action. With a potential eighth and ninth installments on the horizon, the chronicle shows no signs of slowing down.
Rating: 4 out of 5
MPAA Rating: PG13
Director: James Wan
Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell