Furious 7

Plot: Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the brother of a comatose guy injured in a previous installment, comes to get revenge on his attackers, namely Dominic (Vin Diesel) and the gang. The government funds his private effort to catch Shaw in return for finding and returning a computer device and hostage Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel.) They have road races, fistfights and gun battles in the desert, the Caucasus mountains, the Arab Emirates, and Los Angeles. 

[imdb]    [photos]

Review:  Furious 7 is highly-produced noisy, crowd-pleasing, feel-good entertainment.

Furious 7 is a fantasy movie -- a magic reality where ordinary folks can have James Bond adventures, where violence is bloodless, drivers drive off cliffs and walk away unhurt including flashy parties and bikini girls. Fantasy violence is bloodless and doesn't break bones. 

The fist fights were stylized to make the movie kid-friendly: I'm not sure I liked it, but realistic action would have been too gruesome for the breezy mood. 

There is dialog about family among the drivers. This helps provide motivation for all the not-particularly sensible action. It isn't so much about loving each other as it is a strong sense of loyalty and belonging. We care about the characters because the characters care about each other. 

Paul Walker died during the filming, so there was a tribute to him in the context of the movie, and it was tastefully done.

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson

Directed by: James Wan

The Music: A pretty good selection of pop tracks: mostly hip-hop. I may buy one or two.

The Visuals: I liked the driving best. The fights, not so much.

Rating: 2.0 stars: Just eat your popcorn. I am glad I saw it even though it was so light weight.

More: There is a scene of skydiving in cars. Not sure how they shot that. 

Even More: This is one of the first action movies to feature a killer drone. Many more coming I am sure. 

.