Fast and Furious 7 is the longest movie in the series so far but it’s so well shot and fun that you won’t realize just how long it was till you check the time while leaving the cinema hall. Over the last 14 years, Fast and Furious has come a long way from Los Angeles street car racing to global espionage, and this latest installment is basically a string of action pieces and death defying stunts involving heists and car chases.
The story begins with the villain Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) vowing to avenge his brother. From there, the action flits between Tokyo, London, Abu Dhabi, and Los Angeles, as the car mavericks' gang headed by Dominic Toretto aka Dom (Vin Diesel) gets embroiled in a race to get their hands on a spy device called the God's Eye. There's a mysterious Mr Nobody (Kurt Russell) and a Nigerian terrorist who bring some twist to an apology of a plot.
The movie, despite the implausibility of almost everything that is shown, charms its way into your heart because of its subtle humor and humane characters. Though everything is larger than life and surreal, especially the impossible action sequences that show a blatant disregard for the laws of physics and would put all scientists to shame, the movie doesn't seem ridiculous because the actors play their part as action heroes so well. They are superheroes sans fancy costumes. Halfway through the movie, you start believing that Dominic really has it in him to lift a car all by himself and that flying cars have already been invented.
Between the suspense sequences and thrilling action, Roman (Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) provide some comic relief and give you time to breathe before being taken on a rollercoaster ride once again. Then, there are personal narratives that add a touch of emotional drama to the film. There is that raw tension as Letty (Rodriguez) and Dom try to deal with their issues and then there is Paul Walker.
Walker's death during the middle of filming had thrown the movie into a tailspin. There were rewrites and while continuing without one of their major stars seemed impossible, the solution they came up with was to use as much as
Walker's footage possible while incorporating footage from Walker's brothers, Caleb and Cody. The result is flawless and Walker's presence is felt throughout. The movie feels like a nice send off to Walker that is bittersweet.
The only problems with the film were the unconvincing villains and the fact that Johnson or "The Rock" remains confined to a hospital bed for a large chunk of the movie. Had these elements been taken care of, as nicely and neatly as the rest of the segments, the movie would have given you no grounds for complain.
Vin Diesel had once said that Fast and Furious 7 might just win the Oscars and after watching the movie, though the idea still seems a bit too far-fetched, you'll have to agree that it's one heck of a film and deserves a chance. And I heard that the 3D
version of the movie is even better.
Screening at QFX Cinemas
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