CALEB RAVES REVIEWS "FAST AND FURIOUS 7"

DIRECTOR-James Wan LAST LOOKS- Racing back into theaters is Furious 7. It's incredible how one of the longest action movie sequences has been able to stay so popular over the past decade plus. It's interesting to see where the theme is going to go now as Fast and Furious seemingly made the transition from being an underground racing flick to an international heist thriller. But somehow with good story lines, fresh faces and lots of riveting entertainment the Fast Franchise looks to be back better then ever. I was really saddened to hear of the death of leading man Paul Walker as I think he was a good actor and obviously an instrumental role in the Fast and Furious movies seeing he has been involved since the very first one. He will greatly be missed. The show must go on however as I think Walker would have wanted it too. Much respect for the entire Fast and Furious crew to come together and still complete the project after such devastating news. From a storyline aspect the Fast Franchise left off in a scene from Tokyo Drift where Han died in a racing accident or so was it?? We learned at the end of Fast 6 that he was actually killed by a new character Deckard Shaw the big brother of Ethan Shaw. Wow just when you thought this anthology couldn't possibly go on any longer they always have some sort of twist that keeps us as viewers interested. That is extremely important in movies that have multiple successors not to be completely redundant. Great job by the Fast and Furious team by coming up with fresh exciting plots and character development that engages interest. Strap in! BREAKDOWN- The Fast and Furious crew are being hunted by Deckard Shaw(Jason Statham) who is out for revenge for his baby brother Owen. Toretto(Vin Diesel) and O'Conner(Paul Walker)  is then introduced to Petty (Kurt Russell) a special ops leader who offers to help the fast team obtain Deckard in exchange for helping him retrieve a female computer hacker named Ramsey. She is the creator of a device called Gods Eye, a program that can track a person using any digital device in an area who was abducted by a gang of thieves.  NOSE CANDY  "I put a hurt on him so bad his momma woulda wished she kept her legs closed"-Hobbs "Wanna know how to kill a shadow shed a little light on it"-Petty "2 things that keep a group together fear and loyalty and I don't sense a drip of fear from any of you"-Ramsey "Would you believe I knocked him out of my charm?"-Letty  "If we're going to be in a war we are going to fight it on the streets we know best" -Torreto "Thought you could leave without saying goodbye?"-Brian O'Conner STYLE POINTS-Mr. Wan thank you for figuring out why the camera was invented as the abundance of ass shots of beautiful women were well on display in this movie. No but for real I think it was great that this Fast film went back to the essence of what this film was predicated on which was underground street racing, fast cars even faster women and felt Wan did a great job of recapturing that initial look at race wars. Even though there was the only street race in the film Wan made it very spectacular. The fight scenes were excellent. I love girl fights as Rhonda Rousey and Michelle Rodriguez squared off for an epic encounter. Rousey is on her way to superstardom as I feel she has the talent that can transcend MMA. The dream fight sequence between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham was also done real well as The Rock delivered a sick rock bottom that was Wrestlemania worthy. The ending fight between Diesel and Statham was awesome with the music and usage of big sticks. Unreal. Of course the free falling out of the airplane with cars was awesome as well as the car going through the two towers was cool too. As unrealistic as a lot of the scenes that happen in this film are they are shot masterfully and are intriguing to watch.  The shot where Walker was on the bus leaning off a cliff was well done as it made the whole theater shift no exaggeration. The party in Abu Dhabi was great with the upscale attire and the girls spray painted gold. Sometimes you close your eyes and can Invision a great set and in this case I dont think the result couldn't have come out any better than they imagined it. Some other cool shots included the traumatized shot of O'Conner in the mini van. The Parkour from one of the thieves in the cellar as I feel Wan did that intentionally to win me over. Watch out for a nice zoom out shot on Paul Walker as there is a close up on his face and the camera pulls out to reveal this rugged staircase. COLD JAMS- The music during the final fight between Toretto and Shaw was something you would hear during an epic gladiator battle. Everything always sounds better with a little opera. Also "When I See You Again" was well done by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. I can predict this being the "pour out some liquor for my fallen homie" anthem for the foreseeable future. ROLE PLAY-Vin Diesel(Dominic Toretto)Always looks good in these mega action movies also I thought he was set up real good for his epic one liners. Paul Walker (Brian O'Conner) I dont know if this franchise will be the same without Walker. He always added a level headed cool swag to these films and will greatly be missed. Also good use of camera angles for Paul Walker's brothers in this film too as it must have been difficult to pull off but did an amazing job in their brothers absence. Great call by the Fast staff to allow Walker's brothers to work those scenes in his memory. Dwayne Johnson (Luke Hobbs) Even though he was injured for majority of the film the "muscle" of the group never dissapoints when he goes attitude era Rock with how bad he is going to beat your ass quotes. Michelle Rodriguez (Letty Ortiz) very believable as far as being the bad ass tough girl but also has the ability to be vulnerable and really sweet as well. The scene where she regained her memory and professed she remembered that her and Dominic were married was incredible work. Jordana Brewster(Mia Toretto)-I think its a shame she did not get to kick some ass in this film but I liked her sentimental side as she was believable in her attempt to lure Brian away from the Fast lifestyle. Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pierce)-always adds a humerus aspect to these films as he always holds his own in huge blockbusters. Chris (Ludacris) Bridges- A multi talented guy. Bridges is not just "the token rapper" in movies. I think he has long proved he is a good actor and takes the craft very seriously. Luuudddddaaaa! Kurt Russell(Agent Petty)-Adding a veteran to a franchise like this was a good move. Russell added that voice of reason to the gang and also some wise humor. Jason Statham(Deckard Shaw) An ass kicking machine like he is in all of his movies. He came off very creepy and remorseless. We get to see Statham in movies like "The Expendables" where he holds his own very well amongst his peer. this movie is no different as Statham was perfect for the antagonist role. Money Shot- With all of the fast cars, big explosions and epic fight scenes, I'm going with the Paul Walker tribute at the end. I think that in action movies you try to steer away from scenes that are too sentimental but in this instance given the circumstances it was only fitting. The heartfelt words by Vin Diesel really hit home as he and Paul Walker recreate the ending scene from the original Fast and Furious movie as both of their cars ride off into the sunset going in separate paths. Touching.  Final Score -Whoo that was a lot of fun to watch. This is probably the best time I will have at a movie theater this year. James Wan's hands were all over this film. I thought Wan as a director did a great job of honoring the essence of the previous fast films as well as having the vision to turn it into his own. I don't care about the plot holes, entertainment wins over logic any day in my book. I don't know where the Fast Franchise could possibly go from here but the series did leave the door open as Deckard Shaw didn't die and is incarcerated. I also appreciate the fact that the Brian O'Conner character was not killed and was masterfully wrote off as he wanted to retire from the fast life and spend his time as a family man. If you're looking for pure excitement that's going to leave you on the edge of your seat you wont be disappointed. Furious 7 takes off real quick and for 2 hours never let's up!