Excess. That’s the dish of the day in Fast 7. The stunts are big, the exploitation is large and the cars are expensive. As all the Fast And The Furious films have wanted to be, Fast 7 is excessive.
Many people (myself included) believe that The Fast And The Furious 7 should never have been made after the tragic loss of Paul Walker last year. However, you can’t stop Hollywood and after what are reported to be major plot changes here is it, the 7th in The Fast And The Furious franchise. So I suppose the reel question is will this be more A Need for Speed or just a Burnout?
While I was never a fan of Walker’s work, I understand that the loss of any life wounds us all. No matter what else Fast 7 might be, it is a fitting and beautiful end to his career. This isn’t a spoiler to tell you that the last 10 minutes of the film are all a personal love letter to the memory of Paul Walker.
But Fast 7 has a lot of problems, starting with the ridiculous plot. It’s a direct follow on from Fast 6, which has the team being hunted down by a world class assassin, who really doesn’t seem that determined on killing them. Other people? Yes, but the core team? Not so much.
From the cars, to the girls, to the fights, to the stunts, it all drips with testosterone. The movie is not free from sexism and racism and the level of objectification of the women is on a par with a Michael Bay production.
I will say this for James Wan (the director), he knows how to direct a fight scene. When Fast 7 hits the gas, it’s unstoppable. What people are paying to see in the film, are cars, women and action. No one cares if the plot makes no sense and the dialogue is dire. That’s why the movie works and anything I can say against it won’t outweigh what people already think.
Mostly the cast are the same, apart from Statham who is one of the positives of the movie. Statham’s’ role is this: Arrive, cause chaos for the heroes. Leave. He’s really good at it. Every time Jason turns up, the film kicks it into a higher gear.
The story is painful and has many plot holes and problems, yet The Fast and The Furious 7 delivers what is says on the tin. It is both Fast and Furious.
3/5
by Robert Lucas
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