Furious 7 (Mini Review Series)

Initial release date: April 3, 2015

Studios: Universal/Original Films/Once Race Films/MRC

Tagline: Vengeance hits home

One last ride

Plot: After defeating international terrorist Owen Shaw, Dom Toretto and Brian O’Conner and the rest of the crew have separated to return to normal lives. However, Deckard Shaw, Owen’s older brother, is thirsty for revenge. A slick government agent offers to help Dom and company take care of Shaw in exchange for their help in rescuing a kidnapped hacker who has developed a powerful surveillance program.

Cast

Vin Diesel - Dom Toretto

Paul Walker - Brian O’Conner

Jason Statham - Deckard Shaw

Michelle Rodriguez - Letty

Jordana Brewster - Mia

Tyrese Gibson - Roman

Ludacris - Tej

Dwayne Johnson - Hobbs

Lucas Black - Sean Bowsell

Kurt Russell - Mr. Nobody

Nathalie Emmanuel - Ramsay

Elsa Pataky - Elena

Tony Jaa - Kiet

Djimon Hounsou - Jakanda

Noel Gugliemi - Hector

Ronda Rousey - Kara

Writer: Chris Morgan

Director: James Wan (Aquaman; The Conjuring 2)

Rated PG-13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language (137 minutes)

Continuing on with giving the ‘Fast’ franchise another look, tonight I am checking out ‘Furious 7,’ the last in the series to feature the late Paul Walker.

The seventh installment of the series really ups the ante with its action scenes. If you thought the other action-packed moments from the previous movies were adrenaline-pumping, then wait until you see all the action ‘Furious 7’ delivers!

All of the action here is insane and when they drive off the plane, that can REALLY get your adrenaline going! The opening scene that introduces Jason Statham’s character is really bad ass and an awesome way to introduce his Shaw character.

The entire third act, which is pretty everyone causing chaos on the streets of LA, is simply awesome.

The very end of the movie is an emotional yet incredible send off for the Brian O’ Conner character and for Paul Walker himself. And, honestly, they should have ended the franchise after they finished with this movie.

Here are some interesting tidbits about ‘Furious 7’:

• Body doubles, stunt doubles, and CGI were used to complete the film following Paul Walker’s death. Walker’s brothers, Caleb and Cody, were among the doubles, and also provided voice over work for his character.

• Production of the film halted on December 1, 2013. Although there was some consideration about scrapping the film altogether, the film eventually resumed production following rewrites to address Walker’s absence and give his character a proper send off.

• ‘Furious 7’ is the first film in the franchise to reach $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

• Second highest-grossing film released by Universal Pictures in the history of the studio.

• The song at the end, “See You Again,” is dedicated to Paul Walker. It received one BILLION views on YouTube in 2015, and in July 2017, went on to become the most viewed video on YouTube at almost 2.9 billion views, but has since been surpassed. As of June 2021, the video has more than 5.1 billion views.

• The first sequel in the series to take place (chronologically) after ‘Tokyo Drift.’

• ‘Furious 7’ grossed $353 million in the US and Canada and $1.163 billion worldwide.

https://youtu.be/RgKAFK5djSk