'Til I See You Again -- Bravo, Mr. Wan, bravo...

Rating: 9/10 (17 April 2015)

"Furious 7" delivers what I've come to expect from this series: style, fast cars, sex appeal, humor, and enough cheesy dialogue to make a delicious fondue. However, what sets this movie apart from the rest is the truly genuine heart of it all; the "seasoned" characters all display raw emotion that I can't help but think was fueled at least in part by the tragic circumstances surrounding the creation of the film. The ongoing theme of "family" envelopes these characters, and indeed it should considering these actors have been portraying these characters together for the better part of 14 years. I saw the film as a joyous celebration of the franchise and the people who've been involved with it for so long; because of this, I am more than happy for forgive some of the film's truly over-the-top silliness...regardless, I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time.
Let's get this out of the way first: in my humble opinion, Dwayne Johnson and Kurt Russell damn near steal the show in this film. They portray their characters with such gleeful fervor and an overt self-awareness that I was simply left wanting more from them. Tony Jaa deserves a mention as well...his athleticism is truly a sight to behold.
Now, as I said before, the cast we've come to know all play their parts very well. I would have loved to see a bit more, I don't know, RANGE from Vin Diesel (his deep monotone utterances started to wear on me after a bit), but alas such is the character of Dominic Toretto. Michelle Rodriguez truly surprised me in this film...one scene early on between her and Vin Diesel shows a very mature and skilled actress, an unexpected departure from her usual "tough girl" persona. Tyrese Gibson, in my opinion, continues to improve as an actor, and his character has been toned down quite a bit, but in a good way -- he still provides a lot of the movie's much-needed comic relief but his awkward and forced "street lingo" has been replaced with much more natural sounding dialogue. Jordana Brewster does well with what she's given, and you can still sense a deep chemistry between her and the film's most important character:
Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor.
It's honestly hard to tell which Paul we see on screen is the actual person and not his CGI face on another person's body...but there are a few scenes that prove truly how much the actor had improved since his first "Fast" outing. There's so much to say about the man, most of which has already been said...I was confident that director James Wan was going to handle the sendoff of Paul's character with grace, and I can honestly say my expectations were greatly surpassed. No spoilers here; all I will say is that I could not have imagined a more heartfelt, respectful, and beautiful tribute. You will not leave the theater with dry eyes.