Wild, Touching, and Ridiculously Fun

Rating: 8/10 (3 April 2015)

Ridiculous, absurd, and over-the-top. Yes, all of these terms can be used to describe the newest film in the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise. Of course, that's the case with all of the films, but it's especially true with this one. But just because it's absurd and a little dumb does not make it a bad film. In fact, it's pretty damn good, and a hell of a lot of fun.
The film begins kind of bland, giving us the introductory information on the new villain, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). Shaw is the highly-skilled assassin whose younger brother was severely injured by the Fast family in the sixth film. He is out for vengeance against Dom (Vin Diesel) and his crew, and he won't slow down until he takes care of business. In comes the hot-shot director of a secret agency, played excellently by Kurt Russell, who informs Dom of a surveillance device called "God's Eye" that can find anyone and would be used for injustice if in the wrong hands. By telling Dom he can use the device to find Shaw, he convinces the alpha and his team to obtain "God's Eye," leading to a series of car chases, fight scenes, and the usual fair from these films.
There are moments in the film that serve as near-high-points of the series. For example, the airplane/parachute scene that appeared in all the trailers is fantastic. And I know we all think they gave it away in the marketing, but we didn't see the half of it. There are a couple more scenes like this of course, like when Dom drives a car through not two, but three, multi-story buildings, but the parachuting scene is the best for sure.
Despite the greatness of the action sequences, the film has its faults. Many claim that the dumb thing about these films are the sequences that go against anything that is humanly possible, but to that I have one question: Is it not the same in the Marvel films everyone loves? The reason they aren't criticized for this is because we know the Marvel films exist in their own universe. But why can't the FAST films? While this crew may not have super- strength like Captain America or special suits like Iron Man, they pretty much are superheroes. The dumbest thing about this film is actually the corny and mediocre dialogue. There's one part where Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) tells Shaw that he is going to "break his finger in six places and stick it where the sun doesn't shine." Funny? Maybe. Unnecessary? Definitely. My biggest complaint, however, is that I didn't feel as close to the characters as I have in past films. I still care deeply about them, but the few intimate moments weren't nearly as touching as in the other FAST films. Roman (Tyrese Gibson) is more annoying than funny, Hobbs is way too over-the-top, and I wanted much more from most of the scenes between Dom, Brian (Paul Walker), and Mia (Jordan Brewster). There are some pretty good new characters in the film, including two very good villains: Shaw and a warlord played by Djimon Hounsou, a hacker played by Nathalie Emmanuel, and even some cameos from Lucas Black, Ronda Rousey, and Iggy Azalea (yes, seriously). The best addition to this franchise is Kurt Russell, by far. He is very convincing in his role and fits his way into the "crew" easily.
Overall, director James Wan follows the same formula as the last film, which is fine because it works, and finds certain ways to make it his own. This is a rare film where I noticed the audience was clapping throughout (usually after outstanding car chases) and left the theater in tears, courtesy of a brilliant tribute to the late Paul Walker and his lovable character Brian O'Connor. The film has its flaws, but they are largely overweighed by the entertainment value. This is a damn fun film, and audiences will eat it up. Most of all, this is a great place to end the series, even though they probably won't. Its not because the films are getting worse. This one isn't nearly as good as FAST 5 and FAST 6, but it is very close, just like how Brian was always so close to beating Dom in a race. The reason it would be best to end it here is that loose ends were mostly tied up and I just can't see the series going on without Dom's right-hand man. Plus, the last scene is so beautiful and flawless that it could stick with us for a long, long time. The circumstances behind the scene sucks, but it's the perfect way to end this wild, heart-racing, entertaining ride.