Stunning film. Masterclass in film making

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2015)

I thoroughly enjoyed Furious 7. I knew this would probably be quite good as it seemed to continue on from 6 quite well and there were already some favorable reviews before I went to the cinema to see it.
Sure the action scenes are ridiculous, over the top and often impossible and there are countless of clichés here and cheesy one liners. However that is exactly what I want, but these need to be delivered convincingly and with a good heart to be worth my time.
You can expect amazing action sequences that have a very realistic look and feel I think (even if these are actually impossible). It is very obvious most of the stunts and action sequences are actually real and that digital effects have been used to enhance these rather than generate them from scratch. The latter just never works well I think or gets boring to watch as a translation of the exact physical world seems to get lost (things like Transformers, it just doesn't matter what the hell happens sometimes in those films or compare Man of Steel to the Dark Knight trilogy for example, real is just better).
I've seen people write Furious 7 gives driving films a bad name etc and that things are just unbelievable. I don't go to the cinema expecting a two hour realistic Formula 1 race (which BTW is quite boring to watch I think - coming from a once F1 fan). Other people love complete fantasy such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I don't. I like it when films force you to have some suspension of belief but are at the same time based on some logic and physics. In there sure Furious 7 stretches the boundaries but to me it never got boring or unbearable to watch or anything. I wanted to know how it all played out and was quite overwhelmed with the amount of set pieces included in the film and often the climaxes making this film seem like a trilogy of events in its own right.
To me there was a perfect blend of action, story and new ideas to keep me longing for even more F&F in the future. On top of this the chemistry between the actors works so well making them indeed seem like a family. I just hope they give each subsequent films as much thought and they don't start to give it to complacent film directors. James Wan has done a stellar job here and so has the rest of the crew and cast. Loved the fight scenes camera spinning. A great touch.
The Paul Walker tribute was perfect and the whole thing seemed so well handled. During the film I kept thinking any minute now Paul is leaving or something (I had heard they wouldn't kill him off) but I was pleasantly surprised to see him during the entire film. I know a lot of his scenes were completed by using stand ins and effects, never obvious to me to be honest.
Some people say this shouldn't have been released because of Paul's death etc but I seriously doubt that's what Paul would have wanted himself. Also it would have been crazy to have hist last work sit somewhere on a shelf and not be seen. He was an actor, an entertainer and in the entertainment that the entire cast and crew of Furious 7 created there is, I think, tremendous beauty. A good heart and exactly that is what is lacking in Michael Bay films post Armageddon in my opinion. It is that good heart that together with great actors and great stunts / effects (non digital generated but rather digitally enhanced) can together create a great piece of entertainment and feel good fun. You have to look back at Star Wars / Terminator 2 / Titanic / Armageddon to see movies on this epic level I reckon. Furious 7 is I think Hollywood at its best. A complete masterclass in movie making. To me it's the best thing since F&F 6 and the epic Disney trilogy that were Frozen / Maleficent and Guardians of The Galaxy.
I saw Furious 7 in 4DX and the seat honestly hardly stopped moving during the entire film. It really made you feel more involved in the action and even simple driving scenes when you can feel the car engine slightly. Perfect integration and I'd recommend it if you have the chance to see it in 4DX.
$800 million worldwide within 2 weeks. I can understand why. A thrill that is thrilling to be seen.