Just when Dom and his crew thought they were leaving “the life” behind, the past comes barreling up behind them. Furious 7 opens with Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock) and Elena, finishing up on some late night work. Elena leaves the building and as she is getting in her car, Hobbs comes running to give her a “well-deserved” job recommendation, though I’m not really sure what it was for. He goes back into his office and notices an intruder using the computer at his desk. The intruder is Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). Moments later, the two are tangling in the office and Deckard sets off a bomb that lands Hobbs in the hospital. Enter, Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel) … Hobbs calls Dom to his hospital bedside to let him know that Shaw is after members of Dom’s family as retaliation for his brother being in a coma (Furious 6 storyline). As if that isn’t enough of a story, a Somalian terrorist, and a questionable government official, Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) both want to steal, God’s Eye, a computer terrorism program that can locate anyone, anywhere on earth with pinpoint precision. Furious 7 brings it all back.

Great movie moments:

If you are into action movies (albeit one with a semi-confusing story line), Furious 7 is definitely the movie for you. Spectacular car chases (cars leaping through three buildings), sensational stunts and cars driven out of airplanes make this the ultimate action movie.

Do you like a lot of testosterone in your movies? The scenes with Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson will leave you breathless just by their hulking size on the same movie screen.

Do you like fighting scenes? You definitely need to check out the fighting scenes between Dom, the street fighter and Shaw’s martial arts moves.

Like a little comedy in your movies? Roman (Tyrese) and Tej (Ludacris) had me rolling on the floor laughing.

What about romance? Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is back in town, but unfortunately she doesn’t remember her past life with Dom. There is a huge surprise near the end of the movie (No spoilers here).

This review wouldn’t be complete, however, without mentioning the late, Paul Walker. Not always the best actor, in my book, but he always played his roles with such heart that it didn’t matter. While I spent a lot of the movie, trying to determine which scenes where his vs. those played by his brothers Cody and Caleb Walker, it was so masterfully done, it was impossible to tell. There was also a beautiful tribute to Paul at the end of the movie.

Furious 7 brought back glimpses of the past Fast and Furious movies. Remember Tokyo Drift, the odd “man” out in the franchise? Remember the scene with Dom at the end of the movie? The scene is explained as Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), makes a brief appearance in Furious 7.

Not-so-great movie moments:

The storyline was a little bit confusing, but the action was so phenomenal, it more than made up for the weak story line.

A not-so-great issue for me, (more me, than a commentary about the movie, was knowing Paul Walker died before they finished shooting, a lot of the lines in the movie seemed ominous. For example, at Hun’s funeral Roman kept repeating, “I don’t want to go to any more funerals.” In addition, they spoke a lot about family and not wanting to say goodbye. I’m not sure if it was just my reading into the story or if the lines were added later.

Why was Iggy Azalea in the movie? She only had a line or two, but I’m not sure why her scene didn’t end up on the cutting room floor.

Some may find the script full of corny, contrite lines (especially from Hobbs), but it’s all in good fun.

There is so much to say about Furious 7, but only so much space. I give the movie a 4.5 out of 5 stars for the action and the tribute to Paul Walker.

Rating: PG-13 – I was absolutely amazed by the number of kids in the movie theater. No blood, but a ton of fighting, guns and sprinkled with some language.

Director: James Wan

Run time:137 minutes

Don't remember Fast and Furious 6? Find it on Amazon:


I paid for this movie with my own funds. I have not been compensated for this review.