Year : 2015
Genre: Action
Most of you will have seen this by now, but I only caught up with it last night on a trip to Dudley Showcase. For those that haven't seen it yet, here goes...
The Fast and the Furious movies are a strange breed. They started out on an epic high, then Vin Diesel left the franchise to work on his Riddick character and boycotted the sequel. They then got progressively worse, he gave up on Riddick, came back, and they gradually got better over time. I honestly can't think of a franchise that has behaved the same way at the box office. If you can think of something, post in the comments below.
"Fast 7" plays out in a very similar vein to the last three films of the franchise. The street racing theme that was central to the plot of the three movies is put on the back burner, and replaced with an "Ocean's Eleven" esque heist storyline that has far wider audience appeal. The plot (if you can call it that) focuses on Diesel's Dominic Toretto character and his crew being pursued around the globe by a very angry Jason Stathan out to avenge the death of his brother in "Fast 6". In conjunction, they are tasked with obtaining an object that allows public surveillance on a global scale by a unbelievably haggered looking Kurt Russel. Trust me, his jowls give Ian McKellen's a run for their money.
I'll be honest, the script and dialogue go off the naffness scale and then some. We're not in George Lucas territory here, or anywhere near as bad as the recent "Fifty Shades", but it's noticably worse than in previous films. Hollywood one liners rapildly become the rule rather than than the exception, and Vin Diesel should be made aware that it's not something he can pull off along the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Less of it, please.
It's not the script and, nor the quality of the acting that draws audiences to the Fast franchise though. The CGI and stuntwork are, as ever, breathtaking. The movies push the boundries further with every installment, and set the standard for what audiences come to expect from a moden day action movie. "Fast 7" also reminds the audience about it's roots, and without wanting to give away any spoilers, has an exceptional chase sequence very reminiscent of the first move. It does make you wonder however, how they can raise the bar should they make another one.
Aside from the poor script (which lets be honest, most of the target audience won't care about), Gal Gadot is sorely missed as eye candy for the males, and I felt the closing act in Los Angeles didn't have the same dramatic effect as the plane taking off set piece in "Fast 6". Many people will disagree though, no doubt.
Nit picking aside, "Fast 7" does what it says on the tin. It maintains the high standard of stuntwork set by the previous three movies, and gives the audience what they expect from the franchise. Roll on the next one in New York (spoiler alert)
A satisfying 4 stars.
