As Mindless As It Can Get But A Fun Romp Nonetheless

Rating: Null/10 (5 September 2015)

The seventh instalment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, Furious 7 packs in all the big- budget blockbuster ingredients to give its viewers an extravaganza worth the price of their ticket but in its aim to provide a larger-than-life entertainment, it ends up becoming so over- the-top, overdone & overlong that the whole experience of sitting through it doesn't amount to much in the end.
Taking place after the events that transpired in Tokyo Drift, Furious 7 finds Dominic Toretto & his family back in the United States after he & his team earned their amnesty by finishing the job they were assigned in the previous chapter. But their peaceful life is soon disrupted when Deckard Shaw begins seeking revenge for his comatose brother by eliminating Dom's crew one by one, thus forcing Dom to reassemble his team to stop him.
Directed by James Wan (best known for Saw, Insidious & The Conjuring), Furious 7 marks his first attempt at blockbuster filmmaking and while he does a good job when compared to the big-screen spectacles released these days, the very sense of fun which made previous two instalments such an enjoyable ride is sort of missing here. The main plot is compelling to an extent but it is unnecessarily contaminated with a needless subplot it could've done without.
The screenplay makes use of almost every clichÃ© one can find in a story like this plus all its attempts at humour fall flat most times or isn't as well timed as before. Set pieces do get an upgrade, cars include both old-school & modern beasts, Cinematography is a letdown for the camera is in motion even when it isn't required but its action sequences are wonderfully photographed. Editing isn't up to mark either as a number of scenes are just thrown in and don't play any role in the final outcome.
As far as visual effects go, Fast Five reverted to the old-school formula and made extensive use of practical effects. Fast & Furious 6 wasn't far behind but it nevertheless used CGI for a few ambitious/ridiculous sequences. Furious 7 however goes completely overboard when it comes to the use of CGI and actually revels in it as its action set pieces are too absurd to have any ground for believability. While the previous chapter toyed with the laws of physics, this one simply slaughters it with one ludicrous sequence after another.
Coming to the acting department, the cast brings back the team of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson & others, with new additions being Jason Statham, Kurt Russell & Djimon Hounsou. And the sum of all performances is passable at best. It's a shame that Johnson isn't given enough time on the screen, Diesel & Walker carry their roles like they have in the previous chapters, Hounsou's input is just pathetic, Statham is nothing special despite his strong intro, and the arc of every character here is disappointing to a considerable extent.
On an overall scale, Furious 7 isn't entirely devoid of fun and can be easily enjoyed if one is used to mindless blockbusters but after the resurrection of this franchise with Fast Five and the continuation of the same momentum in Fast & Furious 6, this vast drop in quality due to more emphasis on its CGI-laden action than its plot or characters wasn't expected, at least not this soon. Nevertheless, there are a few cool stuff to be found here and for the majority of its audience, it will be a much satisfying ride but for a few douchebags like me, Furious 7 is a lost opportunity.