Enjoyable, But Didn't Live Up To The Hype

Rating: 5/10 (10 April 2015)

We all know that this franchise has a faithful following that has been following this movie since the beginning. I am one of those people. Of course I thought the 4th installment would be the last one, so of course, I was a little annoyed when I heard about Fast Five. Then I was shocked to see the new direction this franchise was going. Fast 6 was no different. It was randomly good and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed. Justin Lin did a good job with the direction he took this franchise. Then, James Wan happened. I'm not saying he's a bad director, but I think he should stick to horror...at least, for now.
While, Furious 7 is huge in spectacle, it lacks in every other area. From beginning to end, the action was Big and Grand. I was on the edge of my seat, (sidenote: Tony Jaa is so amazing) but everything else was just a miss for me. I respect the director and cast for trying to add a layer of emotion to the film but it seemed so forced. The scenes where Michelle Rodriguez or Jordana Brewster had to be vulnerable and cry just made me cringe in my seat. Then that ending scene with Vin and Michelle made me laugh out loud at how cheesy it was. And unfortunately, the banter between Tyrese and Ludicrous was not funny at all to me. It's usually one of the things I look forward to but this time, it was a yawn fest. It's also obvious that the director is a fan of The Rock from the WWF days, which would explain all the terrible one liners Dwayne Johnson was expected to deliver. I'm surprised he didn't bust out laughing in every take. Lastly, Jason Statham was a very weak villain. I understand wanting to get revenge for the people who killed your brother, but his motive still felt empty.
Like I said earlier, the action was great. Hand to hand combat, great. Car scenes, etc. all great but in this day and age, you cant expect for audiences to be satisfied just because the spectacle is big. You need a solid script and actors who can deliver on those emotional scenes that add weight to the story and gets the audience more invested.
This film was definitely "For Paul". I hate to say it, but if it wasn't for Paul's untimely death, I don't think this film would be getting as much attention as it is.
Coming off the of high success of Fast Five and Six, this movie had the opportunity to keep the flame lit but that fire went out when the studio decided to trade in Justin Lin for James Wan. I know a lot of people won't agree with me, but this film just didn't live up to the hype and I wish I had waited to catch it on Redbox. Insurgent is a much better film than this and I hate Shailene Woodley.