Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Fast & Furious 7 3D movie review"


It is named as Fast & Furious 7 in Singapore. Its opening box office taking was massive and it is not hard to see why. It is Paul Walker's last film to hit the big screen. Apart from the notable touching tribute of Paul in the end of the movie, it is clear that the seventh entry in the popular franchise is losing its steam. There is almost no fresh take on the tired story however James Wan, who is famous for his horror movies like Saw, injects energy to its big action set pieces.

The story: It continues from where the franchise last stopped. As a direct sequel, it chose the 'cut-to-the-chase' route by setting up a few exciting action scenes. James packs explosions, crazy stunts, humour and more explosions. In fact, it is so action-packed that at times, it is almost exhausting to watch. And the runtime of 2 hours and 17 minutes didn't help (the longest in the franchise). But James knows how to boost the energy in the action. The most exciting action scene is unfortunately the first big action scene where Toretto and his gang drop from a plane in their cars and eventually saving a hacker, Ramsey, from a mercenary. It is also the first scene that features Tony Jaa. The remaining two big action scenes are exciting as well but when it reaches its full-blown climax, it becomes exhausting. There are three main action scenes however, the rest of the runtime is littered with smaller action scenes including a beginning fight with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Acting wise is alright, it has not changed much over the years. Music by Brian Tyler is alright, disappointingly his fast and furious theme could only be heard in the last third of the movie.

3D: It does not have much effect in bringing me into their world. With its fast paced editing and action, it is clear that it is not shot with 3D in mind. With its little depth especially during the action scenes, I think it is fine to give the 3D version a miss.

Overall: It is a fine movie packed with crazier stunts and action. However, with Paul's passing and the increasingly tired storyline, I do hope this is the final movie. How could they possibly replace Paul's great character? What kind of other story are they going to tell? With all these questions, it is clear that there has to be an end to it. But with the astounding box office, Universal Pictures would disagree.