Furious 7 Review
RYAN: I can’t believe I’m saying this but this movie is fantastic! If only all of the films in this series had the intensity, originality and innovation in their action sequences that this one has, I would have been a fan of them all along. But this movie finally achieves what they all should have. They finally brought on an interesting director – James Wan – known for horror movies The Conjuring and Insidious, and turned it into brilliant filmmaking. I didn’t like the first six.
KIM: I need to catch my breath. Not only am I so excited to hear you say that, since we’ve seen some of the others together and I’ve enjoyed them while you have not; but this movie kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
RYAN: I was so on edge that at one point I actually thought I was gonna throw up! The action is suspenseful.
KIM: And jumping to the end a bit, it’s dedicated to Paul Walker. It was a very heartfelt moment that brought tears to my eyes. Were you tearing up too?
RYAN: I couldn’t help it. It was beautifully done. I actually speculated whether they went back to change the ending to a more poignant way since he passed away. I believe they did since Paul died before the film was completed and they had to shoot some of his character’s scene using his brothers as stand-in and CGI. The ending is very fitting. Whether you’re a fan of his or not, it’s so sad but well done. Bittersweet.
KIM: I agree. The action in this franchise grew as the series went on but this is by far my favorite.
RYAN: What I like best in action films is when the action scenes are innovative, showing things you’ve never seen before. And the best cases are, like, James Bond and Mission Impossible movies. This one, now, is great – although some of the dialogue is cray-cheesy.
KIM: Yes but I think that’s within the spirit of The Fast & the Furious. That’s what makes these movies.
RYAN: Gal Gadot’s character died in number 6 and now that she’s gonna be Wonder Woman, I wish she hadn’t. Dwayne Johnson is great. I would have liked more of him in it. But let the record show, this is not Oscar fare, the way Vin Diesel has proclaimed it to be – Best Picture.
KIM: No! I hope he was kidding.
RYAN: It’s so not that kind of movie but I’ll settle for it finally being a good one.
KIM: I like Jordana Brewster. And as for Michelle Rodriguez, she has another great girl fight scene in this one. I love that they make her powerful too.
RYAN: And the locations, between Abu Dhabi and Tokyo… they get around. And Jason Statham as a villain is terrific.
KIM: He’s so cool.
RYAN: Great fights. The cinematography is phenom. Some of the camera work and angles and the unexpected shots and the circling, wide shots, everything was awesome. The effects were so real. You couldn’t help but feel it. I had to talk to you sometimes and just react, like, “That was awesome!” So exciting.
KIM: The effects all looked so real and you know they didn’t do these things for real. This cast gels so cohesively and I love them. I like the random injection of humor. This one is so good, it makes me wanna go back and watch the whole series again.
RYAN: I can’t say that since I didn’t like the others but I could easily see this one again. It’s great.
