Sunday, April 12, 2015

Film Review: Furious 7

Year: 2015
Director: James Wan

Writer: Chris Morgan & Cary Scott Thompson (Characters)

Cinematographer: Marc Spicer & Stephen F. Windon

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Dwayne Johnson, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel

Country of Origin: USA/Japan

Rating: PG-13

Time: 137 min.

James Wan takes over Justin Lin as director of the Fast & the Furious franchise and with Furious 7, he does the series some serious justice. There may have been skepticism for Wan as he makes a huge transition from Horror to Action films but he utilized what he learned from Death Sentence and basic rules of storytelling to bring Furious 7 another level of emotional weight that haven't been seen in the previous films. With Wan's taste for theatrics, the emotions, the stunts, and camera movement are bigger and badder than ever before! And with very little CGI, it's incredible see these stunts come alive, really shoved in yo face! 

As you know Paul Walker passed away during the production and I'm so glad that Wan decided to turn Furious 7 into a heart-felt tribute instead of killing him off like how most vicious Hollywood heads would've done. It was done in a very tasteful and poignant way that preserves Walkers legacy in the franchise. I couldn't help but bawl at the very end when Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth's song "See You Again" came on which didn't leave a dry eye in the audience! It kind of sucks to know that they won't leave the Fast franchise  as is considering how much money they made and probably will consider creating a spin-off of sorts. And as much as I'm part of the problem, I am forever dedicated to the series so bring it!