Action-packed and lots of property damage, the series is losing its touch.

Rating: 7/10 (26 April 2015)

Before I get too in-depth, I'd like to add that this series is my childhood, what made me a car guy, and what made me believe that life's too short to drive boring cars. With that through the hoop, I'll continue. Furious 7 is technically a continuation of Tokyo Drift, wherein Furious 6, we lost Gisele in order for Han to stay alive. Before, they (Han and Gisele) talk about moving to Tokyo, and after the scene with the plane, Han says (not verbatim) "I'm going to Japan, just something I gotta do." Then, in Tokyo Drift, Han is rammed by a Mercedes, his RX7 catches on fire, and he presumably dies. This is where we find out...
It was Shaw's brother Deckard. Onto all the fight scenes and endless action! Furious 7 was so action-packed that it seemed to lose its roots from the previous films. Tanks, planes, one-off cars, and a lot of wicked crazy stunts. The Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious were all about the cars, and less about the ass-kicking action, which is why 2 Fast 2 Furious is still my favorite movie out of the series. Furious 7 seems to tone down the street racing, the modified cars (for much newer, more expensive ones), and the lack of an urban environment to race said cars. Because this movie mainly takes place outside of the US and they're all about kicking ass and finding Deckard Shaw, I dropped a point in my review just for that.
The plot seemed really strung out. I understand that Paul wasn't there for some parts of the movie to finish filming, and some things were added to compensate (Race In Paradise, Paul Walker) for a main character, but I believe they could have changed some things up.
Realism. No, we don't really expect much realism with the amount of cars being crushed, low-flying helicopters, and guns. Was it a bit too much in Furious 7? Yeah, a little much. Jumping through 2 buildings and landing is like winning the lottery twice and getting struck by lightning in the same day, just not likely..at all.
Finally, the ending scene. Yes, the moment that hit us with a freight train of the feels. Someone behind me was cutting onions, I swear. The ending is what saved the movie from a 6/10 rating. It was a beautiful tribute, and for those who remember the first time that Dom and Brian raced side-by-side, this was a perfect way to send off the character, and Paul himself. Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" was the coal keeping the steam engine of the feels train at full speed.
TL;DR people: Less action, more racing street cars. More realism, less fantasy. Paul Walker send off was beautiful, I cry. The end.