not as good as the previous 2 movies, but good enough

Rating: 7/10 (8 April 2015)

This is the first post Justin Lin Fast & Furious film, and I think it shows. Now obviously no one goes to these things for a great story or character development, but Lin's previous flicks (especially Fast 6, which I'd probably give an 8 or 9 score) were great examples of how to make super entertaining Hollywood blockbusters. The action scenes in those films were amazingly well crafted, very complex and creative. There were long intricate sequences involving modified F1 cars flipping other cars, cars driving through planes, driving off a moving train, cars battling tanks, etc... Unfortunately, the action in Fast 7 doesn't live up to these lofty standards. There's a particularly great scene with Paul Walker and Tony Jaa in a flipped bus, but otherwise the rest of the film is a bit inconsistent. There are even a few car chases that just end with two cars crashing head-on, anti-climactic and uninspired compared to the stuff we've seen before.
This isn't to say Fast 7 is a bad movie. It's entertaining enough and works well as a tribute to Paul Walker, but I think it suffers from having big shoes to fill, and some questionable writing. Much of the story revolves around the characters trying to retrieve a machine that allows you to monitor all electronic communications in an area and locate any target (like the machine in The Dark Knight). I have nothing against this concept per se (especially since it's relevant in today's privacy-centric/NSA spying world), but it's easy to see how such devices can lead to lazy writing in movies: "hey, we need to find this guy." "There are no leads..." "oh wait we have magic machine that can pinpoint the location of anyone in the area!!"
Some other thoughts: - Jason Statham makes for a formidable enemy, but I can't help thinking that his character is more one dimensional and boring than his own brother and the baddie from fast 5. - I find Tyrese's character to be funny maybe only half the time, and he has a bigger presence in this movie. But humor's subjective. - Can't really tell when Paul Walker's brother is filling in for him (good job special effects crew!) - The Rock steals nearly every scene he's in. Seriously! He has some of the best one-liners and parts in this movie. He almost reminds me of a young Schwarzenegger here.
Anyways, go see this movie. It's Paul Walker's last, and it's a fine addition to the franchise.