Furious 7

Theatrical Release Date: 2015 04 03 (USA - 3D) / 2015 04 03 (USA)

UPC: 025192211690

Studio: Universal Studios

Summary: Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his tight-knit gang of street racers must battle the brother of a defeated nemesis and rescue a software genius from terrorists. The film is dedicated to series regular Paul Walker, who died halfway through production. ~ Violet LeVoit, Rovi

Category: Action

Furious 7

Format: Blu-ray

Item not yet released. Pre-order this item now. Expected to ship on 09/15/2015

Daniel Gelb

Dom, Brian, Letty, Tej, Roman, and Hobbs are back once again. The Fast and the Furious franchise relies on a tried-and-true formula, and Furious 7 will delight its fans with almost two and a half hours of pulse-pounding action, death-defying stunts, and schmaltzy one-liners. Since debuting in 2001 with a cast full of then relatively unknown actors, the series has steadily grown into an international sensation and a cash cow for Universal.

Moviegoers are quickly introduced to a newcomer to the saga -- albeit one who's no stranger to the action circuit -- as Jason Statham enters the fray as the seemingly indestructible Deckard Shaw. Shaw's younger brother Owen was defeated and disfigured by Dom and his crew in Fast & Furious 6, and now he's out for revenge. He's a highly trained assassin, and will remind viewers more of the Terminator than anything flesh and blood. As he begins to hunt down the Furious gang one by one, Dom (Vin Diesel) receives a proposal from a mysterious government agent known as Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell). Mr. Nobody offers the gang a chance to bring the fight to Shaw, but only if they retrieve a highly advanced piece of espionage technology, as well as rescue the hacker (Nathalie Emmanuel) who knows how to use it. What ensues is an over-the-top international manhunt full of cars being dropped from airplanes, gunfights, terrorists, and eye-popping chases. While the plot is far-fetched, to say the least, the action is the real draw. The story could have been written by an 11-year-old and the theaters would still be packed.

It's a franchise of winking ridiculousness, in which the characters take themselves far too seriously while giving you hints that they are in on the gag. Near the climax of the film, Dwayne Johnson's ultra-masculine character Hobbs is stalking through the streets of Los Angeles with a six-barreled machine gun, trying to shoot down a helicopter, while a drone armed with missiles hunts the Furious gang in their trademark muscle cars. When Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) asks if he has brought reinforcements to the fight, Hobbs barks, "Woman, I AM the cavalry." It's a moment of laugh-out-loud absurdity, and there are plenty of others throughout the wild ride of Furious 7.

It should be noted that the film had to drastically change its tone after the tragic passing of Paul Walker during principal photography. His brothers were brought on as acting doubles, and director James Wan has carefully crafted tasteful CGI representations of the gone-too-soon star. This results in the most emotional moment in the entire series: a final goodbye between on- and offscreen pals Walker and Diesel. After the rollercoaster ride that is Furious 7, the only emotion left untapped is sorrow, and Wan wades into that one deftly with a stirring tribute to Walker in the film's last moments. There is much more substance to this movie due to these tragic circumstances, and Wan and screenwriter Chris Morgan were able to use this fact to deliver a moving farewell.

While the tagline for Furious 7 is "One Last Ride," viewers can probably expect this juggernaut to keep churning out sequels. The cast of mainstays have built a strong rapport with audiences, and the quirky roles played by Diesel, Johnson, Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges will be able to carry things going forward. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Michael Fottrell  Producer 
Vin Diesel  Producer 
Neal H. Moritz  Producer 
Brian Tyler  Composer (Music Score) 
Chris Morgan  Executive Producer 
Chris Morgan  Screenwriter 
James Wan  Director 
Thomas Tull  Executive Producer 
Samantha Vincent  Executive Producer 
Vin Diesel  Actor 
Paul Walker  Actor 
Tony Jaa  Actor 
Jason Statham  Actor 
Dwayne Johnson  Actor 
Michelle Rodriguez  Actor 
Kurt Russell  Actor 
Djimon Hounsou  Actor 
Ronda Rousey  Actor 
Nathalie Emmanuel  Actor 
Elsa Pataky  Actor 
Tyrese Gibson  Actor 
Ludacris  Actor 
Jordana Brewster  Actor 
Iggy Azalea  Actor 
Anna Colwell  Actor 
Stephanie Jones  Actor 
John Brotherton  Actor 
Tara Macken  Actor 
Elena Diaz  Actor 

Country: USA