Good action packed sequel even without the PW tribute.

Rating: 7/10 (23 June 2015)

Paul Walker tribute aside, I felt like this was a pretty good movie that took everything that was good in six and brought it up a notch. I wouldn't be disappointed if they stopped at seven because it would be a strong send-off. Aside from that, I don't think they would really be able to top the stunts in Furious 7 without blatantly exceeding reality. As it was, I only *just* bought that the car stunts were possible. To top that off, the separate families are now safe and happy and free of all charges, so making a FAF 8 would kind of ruin that. Of course they could bring back Han and Giselle since we didn't get full confirmation of their deaths.
The plot was a bit more cohesive than six's, and even though there was just as much action as six, it felt less action driven. The action sequences had a little more weight and purpose to them. That said, it still could have been better. Mr. Nobody's character could have been written better. We had no idea what he wanted to do with the God's Eye and giving him a more tangible motive would definitely have improved the plot. On a slight side note, I have a theory that the God's Eye is a actually the same thing that Owen Shaw was after in FAF 6. Hobbs says in 6 that security will be nonexistent or something like that if Owen Shaw achieved his end, and the God's Eye pretty much fits that description. One major plot engine is the terrorist group that the Shaw's both work with. The turns and such aren't exactly jaw dropping, but considering the genre, it's not a terrible plot especially since you have the emotional story lines of Brian trying to cope with his restlessness and Dom and Letty handling Letty's memory loss. Letty's flashbacks are decently presented and pretty well timed, though I didn't feel like it was entirely necessary for her to leave Dom since they're only apart for like ten minutes of screen time. The two emotional endings were pretty well done and, well, emotional for the audience. The external line ending could have been better since we don't really know what happens to the God's eye. I think it got blown up on the helicopter, but there still could have been some kind of reflection on that.
The characters are a pretty big element again, as in six. I'll start with the three newcomers. Mr. Nobody was pretty well scripted for his type of character, even if he wasn't written as well as he could have been. Ramsey was basically the main plot engine, but she had a pretty strong personality and depth. Deckard Shaw's introduction was awesome and establishes him as a very formidable villain and he delivers on it the rest of the movie. Dom is pretty much the central figure again, though he's not quite as deep as in 6. Brian is given a lot of depth since he has the whole thing with his family, which is really where all of Mia's character comes from since she's not exactly front and center. Letty has a lot of depth with her memory loss subplot, but her personality might be a bit of a detractor since it might not be on par with her former performances (though I haven't seen the first five apart from trailers so I can't really say). Hobbs ins't quite as prominent as in five and six, but he has some screen time and comes in as the semi- deus ex machina at the end. Tej and Roman both have smaller roles with lots of screen time and provide a lot of the comic relief. I loved seeing Tej get his two second action sequence, and I'm probably not the only one. Roman is all talk with almost nothing to back it up, again. The characters overall get about a B+, taking scripting and personality into account.
The action was, of course, a very prominent factor, and it definitely delivered (maybe even a little too much). All of the action sequences are very long, probably averaging out at around fifteen minutes. The entire parachute drop sequence is about twenty minutes, rather than the one minute trailer sequence. It's very explosive, even when explosions aren't involved. There are lots of cars involved, but there's also some good hand to hand like the Dom/Deckard street fight. There's a fair amount of high tech stuff involved with the God's Eye and everything. It's a sure-fire adrenaline rush, but there is the possible detracting factor of realism. There are a few things that might make you go "there's no way that could happen", and there is a little bit of invincibility mode. The only street racing comes in the, we'll call it obligatory, race wars scene.
Even if the action has some potential problems, the comic relief is almost unbeatable for a non-comedy. Roman and Tej are an awesome comedy duo. Tej pulling out the MC Hammer with his bulletproof van and Roman's happy birthday diversion were great and even got a little applause in my theater.
The execution was good, especially in the visual areas. The acting was alright, though nothing Oscar worthy. The script was a big step up from 6, but it's still an action movie so don't expect anything spectacular.
If you're a fan of the series, definitely see this, and maybe even consider buying straight away. If you're just seeking action, watch at least six and maybe the other ones too beforehand. It's not a bad group movie, and should be a crowd pleaser if you're not seeking an amazing story. As a final recommendation, I will agree that a 7.6 is a little high, but without the Walker tribute at the end, it would still probably be a 7.4. Overall Rating: 8.5/10