I didn’t become a fan of the Fast and Furious movie franchise until part 4 came out. The only thing I liked about the first one was the song that was playing when Johnny’s house was raided (Dope’s “Debonaire”). Part two brought in Ludacris, the bright spot in a movie that made me want to give up cars otherwise. Tokyo Drift had the primered-and-brutal Monte Carlo in the beginning of it and really, not much else. If you can find a bright spot anywhere else in those three, you’re better than I am. Yet, somehow the series not only lived, it thrived on. Four finally diversified the car mix and brought a cleaner, less CGI feel to the auto action…and for once, the storyline was something worth watching, even if it was just to prop up the car stunts. Five’s final chase with the safe was killer, and who the hell knew that The Rock could act that good…even when typecasted? Then you had six…you had a purpose-built Indycar-meets-SAS deal, individuals resurrected out of nowhere. The entire franchise was built up to be car-centric, it’s one (and to a lot of people, only) endearing charm. The storyline usually plays the second fiddle to the four-wheeled creations, something that doesn’t happen much in Hollywood.
Furious 7 is, for the most part, the same concept. Jason Statham can play British anger so well it’s downright scary and it pairs off nicely when Dom Toretto’s red mist descends. There is plenty of car play, some familiar (Dom’s Charger, Letty’s black ‘Cuda), some expected (the off-road cars from the plane stunt and Brian in a Skyline) and there’s some new stuff too (Statham’s Maserati and Aston Martin, and of all things, a Chevy Caprice that looks like you-know-who’s car found a paint booth and the steroids). And out of all of that, all I am probably going to remember of the film is about the last fifteen minutes. Once the action dies down, once the world has been saved, there comes the one moment that fans and critics of the film alike have been wondering: just how would the film deal with the loss of Paul Walker? Vin Diesel gets a lot of credit for carrying the movie, but Walker carried more of the films (only Tokyo Drift didn’t show either one). He suggested cars that should be added to the film (reportedly, the Imperial that appeared in part four was chosen because he liked the way it looked and he couldn’t think of another movie it had been in.) And from the start, Brian O’Connor was the focal point, the character that was really the center point. But with Walker’s death in 2013, just how would they do it?
They knocked it out of the fucking park. I will not give any of it away, but I’ll put it to you like this: whether you love or hate the franchise, this is one to see. If you paid money to see stuff like The Expendables or A Good Day to Die Hard, then you should have no problem dealing with the over-the-top action scenes…at least some of them aren’t CGI. I’ll admit to anyone that I got choked up watching the end of this film, which has to be the most fitting tribute to Walker’s memory possible. It might not be the Oscar-winning piece that Diesel claimed it to be, but there’s more emotion in those last fifteen minutes that I’ve seen in the last fifteen years of films, period. As I left the theatre with my wife and father-in-law, you could see it from damn near everybody: tears being wiped away, somber expressions, and the conversations. Ever since his passing, stories have flowed about Walker’s kindness, generosity, charity, and passion for his rides. The silver/blue Nissan Skyline in part 2 was his own, and he worked on them as much as he drove them. He was a legit car freak with an acting gig, who spent his spare time helping others however he could, though his Reach Out Worldwide charity and through his individual actions.
The last few days around BangShift Mid-West have been stormy, but this evening the temperature is nice, the skies cleared and at the beginning of a sunset, you saw the cars pulling out of the theatre: a Supra, a 3000GT, a Saleen S281, a late-’70s Camaro. For once, I turned off the stereo in the Chrysler, opened up all the windows and the sunroof, and drove. As I neared a roundabout, I came up on a late-model Charger and a different 3000GT. The Mitsubishi stopped, revved to redline, then took off one direction. The Charger took the hard right with tires boiling before rolling out and slowing down. Me, I made my way around to my exit, where I slapped the car to second and stood on it for a minute, pipes howling, before I continued to the office to knock out a few things. I’ll be taking the long way home tonight, lost in thought. And I make no promise that I won’t be loud about it, either. Go see the movie, put aside your judgement. You’ve paid more money for things worth less. Enjoy it for what it is, and trust me…stay until the end.
nah, I’ll pass. these films just make me angry.
Agreed . Though perhaps boredom might better explain my reactions to crap like this . Between …
…Wretched excess CGI ‘ stunts/action ‘ …. Mediocre on the best of days acting [ Vin Diesel is an idiot and a sham ] …. The same plot over and over again which is to say .. F&F 7 ? Same as F&F 1-6 …. Scripts that are barely at a pre-adolescent level … the barely plausible ‘ cars ‘ CGI’d for the film .. all the creativity of a poorly done cartoon ..
Hyped / Promoted and Marketed to an intended general audience [ who for the most part are ] barely capable of discerning reality …. never mind … quality . All while blatantly promoting stupid actions , #$&hat driving and less than civil behavior
F&F … the ‘ faster ‘ it all goes away …. the better off all society will be … trust me
PS; Apologies in advance Bryan …. but somebody had to say it … and as usual … it might as well be …. me .. yer still a 1000 miles ahead of the rest of the crowd .. but on this one …. well …. you know 😉
Oh and …. thanks for fixing … ‘ … and ” .. as well as the spambot issue .
Tell me CK what is you idea of a “good” car movie? Did you see F7? Don’t go passing judgment until you ACTUALLY see the film.
I must admit the 1st four F&F movies were very lame, but the last two were entertaining. Remember these are just movies to enjoy that’s all.
Damn…am I agreeing with “The Kid”….ugh.
Being a gearhead, and since this was marketed as a car movie, I saw the first. God awful for car guys. So they lost me. Caught parts of the second and third, but couldn’t hold my attention for more than a couple minutes. As soon as I see things that real car guys know can’t happen/aren’t true/isn’t right…it’s over for me. Yes, I know it’s a movie and not a documentary….but dayum. It’s insulting.
The girlfriend and I went to the movies Friday night (just so happened to be the premier of FF7), but definitely not to see that movie. She wondered why, as a car guy, I wouldn’t want to see FF7. I told her (before we even got close to the theater) that the cars in the parking lot would explain to her why I can’t stomach this series. Lo and behold, we got there and the parking lot was full of ricers, “stanced” cars, VW “race cars”, etc. I mean, plum full. Had they not tried to play this series off as a car guy movie from the beginning, it might have been watchable….at home…by myself. I just feel like another common d-bag buying a ticket to this movie.
And no, I haven’t seen FF7, and on Bryan’s recommendation only, because I respect his opinion, I’ll try to catch it maybe on payperview in a few months. That way, I can fast forward to the end if it’s a craptastrophe like the others.
So because the francise isn’t directed at the genre of cars you like, these aren’t car guy movies? Thats as ignorant as saying AC/DC isnt rock n roll because they dont sound like Elvis.
Im not a fan of the latest trends in the car scene either. The “stanced” stuff is ridiculous, but Ill give credit where its due. At least these guys are still into cars, be it a different scene than you and me. They still have the pride in their cars that only car guys know. Yes its non functional, but it gets attention and thats the point. The same point Mopar was trying to make with its off the wall color choices in the late 60s/early 70s.
If you want reality, stay home and watch Kim and Kayne on TV, movies are supposed to be about escaping reality, a made up story put on the silver screen, Yea there are those few that will go out and try to duplicate what they saw, then you hear about it on the news when it goes wrong. In the end its entertainment, that’s its sole purpose, entertain people and help them escape reality for a couple of hours
yeh I hear ya Charles, I mean who’d be stupid enough to do this crap on real streets in a real Porsche with their mate? I mean, you could crash and die and… oh, wait….
what a bunch of wet blankets!
i didn’t expect the end, sure it was off the wall… sure there were lame-ish imports parked outside the theater, but i think as far as action movies go, you could do a lot worse!
i thought about taking my clapped out slant six duster instead of my fairly clean 440 charger, in a sarcastic nod to the F&F premiere tradition… but in the end decided to double date in my wifes magnum RT (sigh)…
do yourselves a favor, watch furious 7, at least you’ll see some fresh takes on old ideas…
TROPHY TRUCK STYLE GENERAL LEE, ANYONE?
It aint a perfect movie but it was a lot of fun to watch. And the last fifteen minutes were definitely perfection. The franchise can be corny as all get out but the hearts in the right place. Anybody who can do better be my guest.
“and brought a cleaner, less CGI feel to the auto action…” Bryan- did you actually see part 4 of this franchise? The underground car chase scene was worse than Cage’s Mustang jump in the remake of gone in 60 seconds and then they have a Camaro pull a wheelie while at speed in the dirt? The final seasons of Knight Rider and DOH had scale models pulling off more realistic looking stunts than this movie.
This is also the only movie in the franchise that resorted to nudity. mind you I am not complaining however I do believe that if a car movie needs to do this just to keep people watching then they are doing something wrong. We have the internet for that now… A good story and good car action should be all they need. So many other good car movies out there, including other ones in this franchise, prove that.