[REVIEW] Furious 7 (2015) Is The Vin Diesel Show, Part 7
Runtime: 137 Mins
Rated: PG-13
What To Expect: A narratively redundant Vin Diesel tome, nailed to a series of shark jumping set pieces
I reckon Walter Hill put it best, when he said that action sequences must be at least somewhat realistic, in order for them to be effective as entertainment. When a movie like Furious 7 flagrantly doesn’t bother with any sort of plot, we’re at the mercy of its action sequences to entertain us. And the action sequences in Furious 7 for the most part, are just at a toe-curling level of shittiness. Which is a pity, because this movie looks good. It sounds even better. And it has a great cast – even if overcrowded. Wasted though, with the whole affair being kind of a mediocre drag.
I thought I was getting a revenge movie here, with Jason Statham no less as the aggrieved man. That was supposed to be cool, the unstoppable martial artist kicking all kinds of ass in a moody revenge thriller. Instead we get a Mission: Impossible rip off with team Diesel sent the world over to take down hackers and terrorists. Further explanation on the story is not needed beyond that, because the movie doesn’t really bother. Just like the last one, outrageous action set pieces were thought up first and a thin story tacked on later to tie them together. It’s like the storyboards came first, then a screenwriter was hired, quickly, to put it all together. With orders to rip off Mission Impossible.
I do dig certain parts of this movie. My favourite scenes involve Paul Walker, Statham, The Rock and Tony Jaa (who looks like such a fucking badass in this film). At the start, there’s a great throw down between The Rock and Statham, a nice fight sequence with no shaking cameras. Later, Jaa and Walker develop a rivalry and fight each other, more than once. Those fights are great, the highlight of the movie to me. Walker also has a touching send off at the end, the only time the movie doesn’t patronise its audience. I also mentioned the the film is shot well, the budget shows up on screen and the sound in particular is in a class of its own – I wanna be able to hear what these cars sound like, what ever gear climb has to say, and there is a lot of car booty in there. That helped get me through and raise its profile a little.
However, the problems of the last film return. Firstly, as well as the plot being non existent, there are too many people in this movie. Too many faces. Ten, maybe more. Which means that the significance of their characters are reduced to almost nothing. This includes the villains, Jason Statham and Djimon Hounsou, whose combined screentime amounts to less than a third of the movie. Maybe even a quarter or less – Statham seems to pop up throughout the movie, showing his face here and there like where’s Waldo. What does this say about the story? Ask Vin Diesel, because Jesus Christ, this is literally the Vin Diesel show. The man is in damned near every frame, with his trademark Toretto thousand yard stare. It’s beyond gratuitous and there probably would’ve been big hissy fits if the screenplay wasn’t deliberately tooled in this way.
They don’t even kill anyone off. I won’t say who, but they avoid putting definitive endings in this movie, at the cost of its story, simply because they know the next movie will make even more money by jamming every possible cast member, bad or otherwise, into that story too. After Vin Diesel, of course. I feel ripped off, I don’t like being milked.
Mainline DnB
April 4, 2015 at 6:45 pm
Says a lot about the cram-packed nature of the film that after countless trailers, featurettes and teasers… All of which i’ve seen… It’s only from reading your review that i find out Djimon Hounsou is in this film. That must be some seriously small screen time, along with Kurt Russell’s. Still going to watch the film, mostly for Statham and also because i’m interested to see what a predominantly horror-themed filmmaker (Wan) has managed to do with a massive action franchise.
Mucho Macho
April 4, 2015 at 7:55 pm
Bro did u ever watch Wan’s “Death Sentence”?
I fuckin love that lil seen, unheard,underrated vigilante movie.
i ask people about it & so many times the answer is always either no &/or never heard of it.
The Night Rider
April 4, 2015 at 8:08 pm
His best movie after SAW. Close second. Mind you I didn’t like The Conjuring, the pace was too rapid, like a COD game. Good horror is slow with depth and morbidity IMO. He was probably just doing what they were telling him though. Few directors now get away with doing their own thing. Cameron and Miller are two exceptions who get away with it, McTiernan an exception who doesn’t get away with it.
Mucho Macho
April 4, 2015 at 8:18 pm
I like The Conjuring..the spinoff Annabelle wasn’t as good.
to me it depends on what kind of horror bud.
For instance “Silence of the Lambs” is different from “Friday the 13th” which is different from “The Exorcist” etc. Depends on the type of genre & objective for me.
but i get what u are sayin.
Saw was great & Death Sentence. Shame that the worst Saw was the last 1. I felt the great series deserved a better last chapter,specially after the very good Saw 6 IMO
The Night Rider
April 4, 2015 at 8:24 pm
Danny Glover kicked ass in Saw 1!
Mucho Macho
April 4, 2015 at 8:44 pm
Lol..yeah he did!
4 sure.
He was also in another horror movie called “Night Train”.
I know u really like him..i do as well. Very talented. He is working non stop. At this point in his career/life is just doing mainstream,lowbudget whatever. I think now is more about working than career strategy.
but like i wrote in your story on him..his radical ways ala Sean Penn has hurted him. Denzel knows that if he goes on crazy rants & political, racial tirades, he will lose the huge mass appeal he has. A movie like Training Day did not become a hit for example just cause black movie goers went.
Denzel has been smart where Glover has failed. Too bad cause i agree with you about him regarding his talent. Come on, he’s Murtaugh after all..lol
123
April 4, 2015 at 9:38 pm
He does in badass 2 and 3 ha
Mucho Macho
April 4, 2015 at 10:55 pm
I need to watch #3
Saw 1 & 2
123
April 4, 2015 at 11:01 pm
3rd a little worse then the second but not to bad the bad guy from die hard 2s in it (the black guy) set up for badass 4 with the 3 of them ha be cool if it gets made.
Mucho Macho
April 5, 2015 at 12:38 am
Need to see it
123
April 4, 2015 at 9:38 pm
The conjuring is awesome film the building of tension wan uses is really good. His best film well the one I enjoyed the most was death sentence really good revenge thriller. Saw 1 was great I actually preferred number 2 but thats just me ha.
Mucho Macho
April 4, 2015 at 11:01 pm
O remember being very skeptical about it..like oh here we go. But i loved it! Then 3 & so on.
i love all the Saw movies!! Even #5 which lots of people didnt like. I like that theres continuity..i like that actors pop up in smaller roles im earlier films.
when u think about how “in”or “cool” …how popular “cinematic Universes” are today & how everyone gives credit to marvel..i think “Saw” & its sequels should get props for doing similar things b4 it was hip. I just wish Saw 7 was better..its the weakest
123
April 4, 2015 at 11:13 pm
Yeah the continually was the cool thing about the saw franchise. Yeah I agree all the saw films were decent and I thought the last one was the weakest entry in the series the blood looked really fake proper bugged me I dunno if it was because of the 3d elements. Yeah the ending was soso with the doctor showing up having not been seen since the first.
Mucho Macho
April 5, 2015 at 12:37 am
Loved Saw.
but studios rushed the movie in the end..& it showed. Studios get soo greedy they step all over themselves & ruin their franchises
jim
April 4, 2015 at 9:35 pm
I saw Death Sentence.What I remember most about it was how good John Goodman was as the gun dealer.Supposedly based on the same novel as Death Wish.
Mucho Macho
April 4, 2015 at 10:53 pm
Yes it was.
Goodman was really good. He is mostly known for comedy but he is a very wonderful actor all around.
underrated movie
Mainline DnB
April 4, 2015 at 10:05 pm
Was literally talking about Death Sentence last night! One of my favourite films of the last decade, criminally overlooked by the masses (but not surprising, considering the subject matter & incredibly dark tone). Thoroughly satisfying, definitely Wan’s second best film after Saw, and vastly superior to all the (heavily “Poltergeist”-themed) horrors he’s been making since then.
Guest
April 4, 2015 at 10:12 pm
…I do have a fondness for Dead Silence though, from the same year as Death Sentence. I was really hoping for more films of that type from him. The Insidious / Conjuring style of horror doesn’t do anything for me, but i do respect the effective & efficient manner in which they’re constructed.
Mucho Macho
April 4, 2015 at 10:51 pm
Kevin Bacon was awesome!!
The unrated extended is version is superior to the theatrical cut.
really good movie.
great vigilante tale.
i am reminded of the saying.
“It’s not what the movie is about, but how you go about it”
This is a tale we might have seen b4 but in this case it was very well executed.
kick$ ass!!
POWERS BOOTHE
April 4, 2015 at 11:59 pm
amazing movie! The double barrell shot gun was pure porn
Mucho Macho
April 5, 2015 at 12:22 am
Lol
yes sir mr. Boothe.
it really was cool shotgun.
Death Sentence = Criminally lil seen underrated movie
jim
April 4, 2015 at 7:04 pm
Of course it’s shit.It was always going to be shit.There was never any chance that it could be anything other than shit.
CyrusTheVirus85
April 4, 2015 at 7:58 pm
It was okay but I don’t think they’ll get away with going this route again eas easily.
autopsy_12
April 4, 2015 at 8:20 pm
How was Kurt Russell?
The Night Rider
April 4, 2015 at 8:23 pm
Cameo job, for all intents and purposes.
123
April 4, 2015 at 9:27 pm
Hes got a decent role, not loads of screen time but enough for what his role is more like a adviser who sets the mission up similar to mr church in expendables 2.
Mucho Macho
April 4, 2015 at 8:21 pm
The lines to get into this movie were something else. So i couldn’t watch it on friday.
This puppy is in line to make $150 million here in the states alone.First 1 came out 14 years ago. 1 of the things is that now u have a generation that have grown with this movie franchise. Walker’s death no 2 ways about it has fueled the curiosity & mass support for this movie.
Met up with friends at the cinema..it was so packed they left. So my gf took me to watch a movie that wasn’t ..let’s just say manly. Fucking thing made me lose HGH, Testosterone & muscle mass at the same time.
Came home..she felt asleep..no pussy 4 me..my night sucked!
Oh well..at least the Nachos were good😤
123
April 4, 2015 at 9:25 pm
Hey muchooo just been to see furious 7 I rate it a little higher then the score here as I’m a fan of the series and was expecting the over the top action sequence which the series is a custom too. The opening act with Statham in the hospital was pretty cool just see the aftermath left by his character and that someone is still alive barely. There s nods to previous entry’s threw out the race wars and a returning Lucas black ” he had aged”. Plus s some cool action sequence s the bus scene tony jaas 2 fights with Paul walker were cool showing his skills. Kurt Russell gets in the action too hes got a role similar to churches in the 2nd expendables movie sets the mission to get the eye “satellite which can track anyone”.statham shows up like the winter solider in captain america 2 a unstoppable machine he could of had a little more screen time though. My biggest disappointment was the rocks screen time probably 15mins total. There was a little shaky cam every now and then also not too bad were you cant see what going on but its there. Nice send off for Paul though the words “for Paul” at the end nice classy touch. Verdict if your a fan of 5 and 6 you LL enjoy this one more of the same 8 out of 10.
Mucho Macho
April 5, 2015 at 12:31 am
People forget this movie was pushed foward to the summer of ’14. Rock was gonna do Hercules & there was even doubts he could be in the movie at all.
thats why he got bedridden..so he’ll not be in the movie that much.
Justin Lin is to me the unsung hero of
This franchise. He took an almost dying franchise & made it something bigger..sonething else. Wether or not u like it the direction of the series. Universal was planning a string of DTV movies. Lowbudget, no name actors , to hit the rental,VOD,Purchase market..
1 of the main reasons if not the main 1 was the studios insistance in having another Fast movie ASAP.
i havent watch the movie. Couldnt finish all u wrote..spoilers kid..spoilers.
We will discuss it in more detail when i watch it.
123
April 5, 2015 at 12:53 am
I forgot about that muchooo the rock been in Hercules and the delay of the film because of Paul walkers death will have had a knock off effect on actors availability good point. Yeahhh I heard the series was heading that route I’m glad Justin lin and desiel rescued it. Sorry bwt spoilers muchoo there kind of mild ones though, you’ll have to let me know what you thought of it once you’ve seen it.
Mucho Macho
April 5, 2015 at 2:09 am
I think i might go on monday.
Can’t tonight & tomorrow i have shit to do as well.
123
April 5, 2015 at 9:31 am
Okay bud just leave me a comment when you’ve seen it.
Dino Bambino
April 4, 2015 at 9:58 pm
Deckard Shaw’s motivation was much too weak. “You crippled my brother”. SHOW, DON’T TELL. All it took was one little scene with Statham looking at/talking to his brother all F-ed up somewhere. Instead, the main villain is reduced to almost a background threat.
Djimon and Jaa (I love their movies) should not have been a separate threat from Shaw. The “God’s Eye” should’ve been taken by Shaw and used as a plot point where he tries to eliminate the crew, The Rock, as well as having some other nefarious reason to use it. Two enemy spotlights pushed both into the background.
Diesel probably had contractual leverage on this one (a certain # of screentime), as well as Russell (same), The Rock (contracted action seq and not losing a fight), and Staham (not losing a fight, not dying on-screen).
POWERS BOOTHE
April 4, 2015 at 11:58 pm
i knew this would be the only site to give this movie its proper score
123
April 5, 2015 at 11:48 pm
Its proper score would be higher at least a 7 the reviewer said reboot the series lol not exactly a fair review lol
CyrusTheVirus85
April 6, 2015 at 3:24 pm
Wahh wahh, some guy didn’t jerk off to a movie I love. Therefore it’s not fair.
123
April 7, 2015 at 12:49 pm
Haha its got the same score you give raid 2 which is a action master piece so not all bad cirus the virus. Btw virus you need to get some consistency’s with your reviews there becoming laughable a dtv level Travolta film getting a 7, raid 2 getting a 6, salvation dtv getting a 8, we know this site is for fun but you could put a some effort in with your ratings.