Awesome Film...and a Fitting Tribute To a Wonderful Character and Person (R.I.P. Paul Walker)

Rating: 10/10 (7 April 2015)

I walked into the theater knowing that this film would be Paul Walker's last...and also knew ahead of time that there would be a tribute to the him at the end credits, while also having his two brothers act as stand-ins to complete the film. My expectations were completely blown away. The addition of Statham as the villain (otherwise known as Deckard Shaw, who is out for revenge against Toretto's crew for the death of his brother Owen in Fast 6) was excellent, and really showed off his acting ability well here...not to mention his fine martial arts skills. The early battle between Dwayne Johnson and Statham were great too, with "The Rock" himself delivering his famous finishing move, otherwise known as "The Rock Bottom" to Statham through a glass table. Not only does Statham do battle with Dwayne, but with Vin Diesel as well, with the largest fight occurring toward the end of the film. Surprisingly, however, Dwayne's role is more limited here, as he spends a majority of the time recovering in the hospital after being thrown out of a building from a mine that Deckard detonated within Hobbs' (Dwayne Johnson) police headquarters. It really wasn't that big of a deal, though, as Dwayne kicks back into action once realizing through local news reports that trouble is brewing right outside his window.
As mentioned however, this film marks a somber note, and final goodbye, to one of the Fast & Furious franchises' most beloved character and actor, Paul Walker. Walker, who died at only 40 yrs. old in a horrific car crash on November 30, 2013, was featured prominently in the film, with his character, Brian O'Connor now getting used to the family life. Toward the beginning of the film, he is now driving a minivan and has one child with Mia. However, once Dom's house explodes thanks to a "package" that Deckard Shaw had sent to his residence, they all soon find themselves back into the "game" for "one last ride." Were there a few semi-impossible stunts and a decent amount of CGI used in this film? Yes, but we must remember that this is a movie and movies generally do tend to go this route sometimes. That's why they call it entertainment. Let's also remember that some CGI also had to be devoted to Paul Walker, too, who only completed around 60% of this film before his death, while his two brothers graciously stepped in to fill the void. If it weren't for them, this film might not have happened at all. In any case, this film had everything in it that I ever expected...and more. An emotional tribute to a great character and actor that will make even the most unemotional person cry. During the beach scene at the very end, you could tell that the actors themselves were no longer acting. Like many fans, they all looked very shook up over Walker's death, and from that scene on, you could tell that it was all real life from there on out. The movie closed out with Vin and Paul driving on a two lane highway, and then splitting down separate roads. The screen then faded to white and simply said..."For Paul." If he were alive today, I'm sure Paul Walker would be very proud of this film. Even though I had no involvement in it whatsoever, I know I was. I'm sure his family would be, too.