As cookie cutter as the “Fast and the Furious” movies are, “Furious 7” certainly didn’t have an easy ride to the big screen. Losing star Paul Walker to a fatal car crash mid-filming slowed the momentum of production, with behind the scenes players scrambling to figure out how to finish the feature without one of its biggest draws involved. I’m happy to report that Walker’s send off is tasteful, downright sentimental for this steely saga, but the rest of “Furious 7” doesn’t share the same inspiration. Automobiles speed, glass shatters, muscles flex, and monologues are mumbled, leaving the latest chapter of the popular street racing saga looking much like the other ones. It turns out 2011’s “Fast Five” wasn’t a turning point for the series, just a wildly entertaining fluke.
Looking forward to a peaceful life in Los Angeles with sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and recently domesticated pal Brian (Paul Walker), Dominic (Vin Diesel) is stunned to find a new enemy knocking on his door. Looking for revenge after his brother was paralyzed by Dominic’s team, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), a master black ops assassin, sets out to kill the gang one by one, starting with Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who’s hospital bound after their first encounter. Ready for a brawl, Dominic is aided by Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), a secret government agent who needs the racers to retrieve the God’s Eye program -- a powerful global spy system in the possession of hacker Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). Off to Eastern Europe and Abu Dhabi to complete the mission, the unit, including Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), and Tej (Ludacris), is met at every turn by Shaw, who’s teamed up with terrorist Jakande (Djimon Hounsou) to claim God’s Eye for villainous purposes.
After directing the last four installments of the series (though any attempt to decode the actual timeline of the adventures will result in immediate unconsciousness), Justin Lin has passed the baton to James Wan, the helmer of “Saw” and “Insidious.” New blood behind the camera means a more manic visual design, with Wan attempting to shake up the “Fast and the Furious” world with a heavier dose of mano a mano violence to go with expected servings of car racing action and explosions. Helping to spice up the aggression is Tony Jaa, famed Thai martial artist and star of several interesting actioners in his homeland, brought to America to play an enforcer working for the baddies, mostly teamed with Walker as Brian and his silent opponent trade punches during two charged sequences of the movie. Portraying the head of royal security in Abu Dhabi is MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, who’s introduced for a brief tangle with Letty. These are beguiling additions, promising a harder “Furious 7” than what’s ultimately delivered, finding Wan burying the action in edits and swirling camerawork, a little too afraid to allow audiences to see natural skill on display, which, if you’re a fan of Jaa or Rousey, seems to defeat the point of their casting.
Disappointment extends to the villains of the piece. Shaw is established as the main concern for Dominic, introduced as a man capable of taking down an entire hospital to visit his brother, growling threats toward the heroes as fists fly and grenades are tossed. And why shouldn’t Statham be the feature’s sole villain? He’s capable in the role, carries himself threateningly, and creates a plausible scenario where Shaw could kill Hobbs and Dominic without missing a beat. Unfortunately, Chris Morgan’s screenplay doesn’t just the simplicity of revenge, ordering up a secondary headache in the form of Jakande, a loosely defined madman who joins the fight to murder the racers. It’s the “Spider-Man 3” scenario, trusting in numbers instead of depth, watching Shaw and Jakande become wallpaper as “Furious 7” sticks to the core crew as much as possible. The God’s Eye addition is gobbledygook, just invented tech to make computer screens spin and give Tej, the Hawkeye of these Avengers, something to do. Missing is sheer fury from a substantial antagonist, leaving authentic threat lacking in the new film. Shaw is simply employed to apply pressure when needed. The audience learns practically nothing about him.
Perhaps the downplaying of villainy is intentional, as most of “Furious 7” is devoted to the main cast and their famous grunted interactions, finding Diesel dominant in terms of screentime, working a subplot that has Dominic waiting patiently for Letty’s memory to return. Walker’s participation is obviously manipulated (digital doubles are relatively easy to spot), but Brian’s evolution into a family man fits the tone of the sequel, though I question the former fed’s blasé attitude around bombs detonating in front of his five-year-old boy. The rest of the crew is merely here to deliver panicked looks and share atrocious dialogue, with Gibson once again destroying scenes with mangled improvisation. At this point, there has to be enough money in the budget to hire an actual comedian to come in and sell the one-liners.
Cars zoom around, crash through Abu Dhabi high rises, and are transformed into tanks. The characters breathlessly dodge bullets, challenge the laws of physics, and jingle-jangle around the frame as though they’re in a western. Wan serves up smashed steel, squinty close-ups, and extended shots of jiggling female anatomy. All the pieces are there, served up with a deafening sound design and a permissive run time. Sadly, “Furious 7” doesn’t break new ground or offer any surprises. It’s a programmed blockbuster standing in the shadow of “Fast Five,” which successfully refreshed the goals and tone of the series. Apparently, the producers don’t have the energy to keep trying, with latest installment (far from the last one too) walking and talking just like the other ones.
Director: James Wan
Writer: Chris Morgan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson