It is something
of a cinematic miracle that such a successful action franchise was built from
the mildly amusing racing film from 2001. What began as a blatant Point Break rip-off could have easily
died with its awful sequel, and it nearly did when major cast members started
removing themselves from the franchise. Vin Diesel excused himself from the
first sequel, replaced by a nonsensical backstory to provide Paul Walker’s
character with a new sidekick (Tyrese Gibson), and then the entire cast was
scrapped along with the undercover cop narrative in favor of a more direct
racing film in Tokyo
As the cast grew
larger and the action stunts more unbelievable, Furious 7 was thrown a curveball when lead actor Paul Walker
tragically died in the middle of production. Although this is not the first
time a film has had to recover from the loss of a cast member, it may be the
first case in which the most cutting edge effects were meant to go unnoticed.
When Heath Ledger died before finishing the filming of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, he was replaced by other
actors with the help of the fantasy storyline and some creative editing, but Furious 7 was finished while attempting
to disguise the difficulty of a missing cast member. This was done with the
help of Walker
Some of these
tricks are more noticeable than others; scenes with heavy CGI tend to be hidden
within darker cinematography, Walker Walker
The film itself
likely would have come and gone without nearly the same amount of attention if
it weren’t for Walker’s passing, but that doesn’t mean it fails to live up to
the expectations of the franchise. For one thing, Jason Statham finally makes
his debut into the series as the ultimate bad guy. Since his turn as the deadly
driver from the Transporter
franchise, Statham has been nearly as synonymous with overblown car stunts as
the members of the Fast and Furious
crew. Deckard Shaw (Statham) is the brother of the Fast 6 villain (played by Luke Evans), but he is only one of the
obstacles faced by the crew. Also joining the cast of bad guys is
Oscar-nominated Djimon Hounsou, wrestler Ronda Rousey, and Tony Jaa in his
first English-speaking role. Kurt Russell also joined the cast as another ally
to the gang, along with the return of Dwayne Johnson’s character.
With each
addition to the series, the cast gets larger and the stunts more unbelievable,
and more films in the franchise are currently in the works. These aren’t action
movies for the thinking man, but instead seem to have filled the void of silly
action that was left when James Bond started taking himself seriously. These
films are fun and full of spectacle, and Furious 7 is no exception. What is
most surprising about this latest installment is the level of sentimentality it
carries with it, fittingly dedicated to a cast member that will be missed in
the future releases.
The Blu-ray
release comes with a number of exclusive extras, including an extended edition
of the film that adds two minutes to the 138-minute running-time. Also
exclusive to the Blu-ray are a handful of deleted scenes, five featurettes and
a music video. The featurettes primarily cover the major action sequences in
the movie, as well as one about the impressive cast of automobiles used. Also in
the extras are two additional features, and a making-of the Fast & Furious
ride recently opened at Universal Studios. The two disc package also has a DVD
and Digital HD copy of the movie.
Entertainment Value:
9/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
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