Movie Review: Fast & Furious 7 2015 *The Last Ride*

Have you ever waited so long for something and finally get it and feel so satisfied and fulfilled? Well that is me right now. 

If you had asked me a couple of months back I would probably have said I wasn’t sure April 3rd 2015 was ever going to come. But it did and it was definitely worth the wait. 

I am not the only person who was looking forward to this movie which was originally supposed to be have been released sometime in June 2014. But almost got shut down after the unexpected demise of Paul Walker. It would suffice to say that this could probably be the most looked forward-to movie for this year considering that people all over the world interested in this franchise certainly wanted to see how this last ride was going to be.

Fast & Furious 7 follows the story of Fast and Furious 6 but details events that happen after The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift (the third installment in the franchise). I know this can get a bit confusing but anyone who is very familiar with the FNF franchise would certainly get it. 

This movie sees the big brother of Owen Shaw from the last movie coming for vengeance against Toretto and his family. 

Jason Statham (The Transporter) plays the big bad brother. I honestly think no one else… I mean no other actor that comes to mind… could have played this role much better. Jason is usually cast as a hero or good guy in most movies but this time he plays the most bad ass villain I have ever come across. Who ever made this casting decision needs to be given all of the props. Do you remember seeing any movie and actually started to like the bad guy? This is it!! You get to see the same very intense Jason Statham you are familiar with in this movie except this time around committed to killing anyone associated to his brother’s death. (Dude was just too bad ass to not to appreciate). 

You still get to see the familiar lead roles from the previous movie of course except Sung Kang and Gal Gaddot whose characters died off in the last movie. Kurt Russell and Djimon Hounsou both delivered in their roles. 

Obviously the most commendable thing about this movie would have to be how they managed to complete it without lead, Paul Walker. Apparently with the help of his brothers, stunt body doubles and CGI it is almost unnoticeable that he wasn't alive till the completion of the movie. Personally I paid very close attention hoping to spot a single scene in which I could clearly identify that Paul himself wasn't that character but I couldn't. Everything was spot on and it was almost as if he played out all his scenes before his tragic death. This clearly shows how much effort was put into this movie. They did turn the heat all the way up this time… double the action and the intensity of the last movie. Too many crazy and daring stunts not to leave anyone not impressed after seeing this movie. Yes, all the prerelease trailers, promos and featurettes intended to wet your appetites did under promise. This movie packs more action than all the others in the franchise combined if you ask me. And the fight scenes are just too epic. The camera angles make it all more appreciable. Even Christopher Bridges (Ludacris) has a fight scene that would shock you. 

I feel the producers were very much keen on living everyone shell shocked with the action sequences in this movie. I say this because some of the stunts to me seemed too over exaggerated and very impossible. Although not necessarily a bad thing I wasn’t quite fooled enough by some of the stunts. I have always found over exaggerated stunts not appealing….. they kind of offset the good vibe the movie might be giving for a moment or two. Well, a little exaggeration isn't bad as long as it leaves the viewer in awe… but when it goes too much over the top it starts to become questionable… and then not entertaining.. 

I also noticed some continuity flaws in how they tried to merge the last movie with the third installment which felt a bit off for me. (That too doesn't matter). Who cares anyway? 

You can’t miss the underlying themes of virtue of family, love and honor. All these make it almost impossible not to love every single bit of this movie. 

Fast & Furious 7 certainly is the Ultimate tribute to Paul Walker; some of the scenes just make you want to cry… not that they were depressingly sad. They just remind you of the beauty of life and the value of having good people around. I had my own ideas of how they would bid farewell to Paul but I was not only left surprised that none of my ideas were right but I was left very emotional. (I had my moments, i wont lie)

In all I would score this movie a perfect 8.5/10 any day. As much as I was kept at the edge of my seat all thorough the length of the movie I had my fair measure of laughter as well at some of the carefully placed humor dialogues. I won’t hesitate to watch this movie all over again multiple times and won’t make the mistake of not having it as part of my FNF box set. 

YES… this was a GOOD movie and everyone has to see it 

This is for Paul.

Dominic Toretto: This time it ain't just about being fast.

 [Click Here To Watch Trailer]