Furious 7...welp, they did it again! Another great film for the franchise. Packed full of great action. So much so, despite being extremely exhausted, I didn't doze off once!
We meet Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the "big, bad brother" looking for the team that crippled his brother. His weapon of choice...explosives. There are a lot of things blowing up! LOL. The other major bad guy, Jakande (Djimon Hounsou), teams up with Shaw after Dom (Vin Diesel) and crew take something he wants. Well, more specifically, they rescue hacker, Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) from Jakande and his crew. She was kidnapped, because she created a hacking system, "God's Eye," which can track anyone anywhere in the world by hacking into cameras, phones, and anything else that can be hacked into.
How did Dom and the others get pulled into rescuing Ramsey? After Shaw blows up Dom's home, nearly killing him, Mia (Jordana Brewster), Brian (Paul Walker), and their baby boy, Dom decides to go after Shaw (and he has Hobbs' (Dwayne Johnson) blessing to take down Shaw, as Hobbs is in the hospital after an "explosive" fight with Shaw in the beginning of the movie). In one of the first times I can recall a chicken competition ending without either driver turning at the last minute, Dom and Shaw find themselves face to face after a head on collision. Dom looks like he's ready for a fight, but Shaw has a gun pulled on Dom...asking him if he really thought this was going to be a street fight. But before he can pull the trigger, several shooters come out the wood works, and Shaw leaves. And in comes Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell). He claims to be a friend of Hobbs with a way for he and Dom to help each other. He tells Dom about "God's Eye" and the kidnapping of Ramsey. He proposes that Dom rescues Ramsey from Jakande, and then use "God's Eye" to find and take down Shaw. And thus Furious 7 gets on its way.
We eventually get that street fight between Shaw and Dom. We get a girl fight in a penthouse in Abu Dhabi. And despite Brian's proclamation to both his son and Dom that cars don't fly, there is plenty of car flying (including flying through three buildings in Abu Dhabi and cars flying out of a plane!). The film definitely lived up to the required increase in action for sequels (and of course this makes it a bit unrealistic at times, but what action film isn't?). A lot of edge of the seat predicaments, like Brian escaping a bus that's halfway over the edge of a cliff (and he has to escape by climbing out the door that is facing down over the cliff!). And of course, Tej (Ludacris) and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) are entertaining as always.
Hobbs is in the hospital for what feels like most of the film, but when the action comes back stateside he ends up flexing out of his arm cast (literally, lol), suiting up, and helping to save the day! But, while in the hospital, we get to meet his adorable daughter. Speaking of family life...we see Brian fighting to adjust to a more domestic lifestyle (had us thinking he was racing off somewhere in his first scene, and then the camera zooms out to show us he's in a minivan dropping his son off at school! LOL). But by the end of it, the film suggests he officially, and happily, retires from the fast and furious life to be a family man with his son and wife (who's expecting a baby girl!). Despite many tight predicaments, Brian escapes each one. However, film viewers will see a clear memorial to Paul Walker in the last scene. It was well done, and brought me and a few of my friends to tears. I'll let you watch it for yourself.
As for Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and Dom, early on in the movie Letty decides to leave Dom. She feels bad for being unable to reciprocate the feelings Dom has for her due to her lack of memory. But she comes back to help Dom and the others rescue Ramsey, and a moment in Abu Dhabi involving the cross and chain from their wedding day, brings all of the memories back to her. Though she doesn't reveal this until the end of the last major fight scene when it looks like Dom may be dying.
I must say, I've been very impressed with the last few films in the franchise, and Furious 7 is no exception!
And surprise, surprise, Vin Diesel made me out to be a liar! My grandmother, who is an avid action movie fan, loves the franchise. I told her for her birthday this year I'll have to buy her the complete collection. BUT...the collection is far from complete. Apparently Vin Diesel discussed a part 8, and possibly 9 and 10, on Jimmy Kimmel Live. I'm definitely here for that! Somehow, after 14 years and 7 films, they've managed to continue to get better!