Furious
7: Extended Edition (2015/Universal Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
A/B- Sound: A/B- Extras: B+ Film: C+
When
The
Fast and The Furious
first debuted in 2001, nobody would have ever expected that the
franchise would grow and become the huge box office phenomenon as it
has become today. Helping Universal kick off its most lucrative year
ever, Furious
7
isn't just all about the fast cars, over the top action, and hot
babes this time around but more focused on the characters and the
heartfelt bond that they have for one another... a friendship that
you can tell reaches past the big screen.
Reuniting
The Rock, Vin Diesel, Jordanna Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese
Gibson, Chris (Ludacris) Bridges and the sad last performance by Paul
Walker, Furious
7
also gives us Kurt Russell and Jason Statham as the villain. What
may be the most shocking factor is the film's director is James Wan,
who was also responsible for the Saw,
Conjuring
and Insidious
films, and does a surprisingly good job of directing here out of his
usual genres.
Seeing
that the behind the scenes drama of star Paul Walker's death during
production (which may have had something to do with the huge success
of this entry as opposed to others), the film also serves as a nice
dedication to him and his important role in the franchise. He was,
after all, in every Fast
and The Furious
film with the exception of the third entry Fast
and the Furious:
Tokyo
Drift.
The
sins of the past seem to be catch up with Dominic Toretto (Diesel),
Brian O'Conner (Walker) and his crew, when Deckard Shaw (Statham)
shows up to seek revenge for the travails of his younger brother
(played by Luke Evans in the previous film). When a young unknown
hacker who claims to have developed 'God's Eye' is also thrown into
the mix, things go haywire, and Toretto and his crew need to save the
hacker and also settle their scores with Shaw.
The
film isn't without it flaws - there are several cheesy elements and
moments where physiques are stretched to a degree that you wonder if
every character is secretly jacked into The
Matrix.
Some of the acting and dialogue is on the nose and the chemistry
between Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez is nearly non-existent as
is the subtext to their on screen relationship. Kurt Russell is
mainly there to push the plot forward and make plot points convenient
for the characters. But what is one to expect for such a high budget
seventh entry in an action series like this?
Furious
7 is
a true showpiece for a person with an updated and equipped high
definition home theater looking to show off. The Blu-ray is
presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of
2.40:1 and a flawless, lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track (a
mixdown from the theatrical Dolby Atmos 11.1 mix), Blu-ray quality
doesn't get much better than this. There are also Spanish and French
lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks on the disc and subtitles, lossy like
the sound on the passable, anamorphically enhanced DVD also included.
An Ultraviolet Copy of the film is also available for movie fans
that want to watch the film on their computer, tablet, or smart
phone.
Universal
doesn't shy on the extras here, aside from two different versions of
the film (Extended and Theatrical) there are Deleted
Scenes, Talking Fast, Back to the Starting Line, Flying Cars, Snatch
and Grab, Tower Jumps, Inside The Fight, The Cars of Furious 7, Race
Wars, Music Videos, and
a Making
Of
featurette.
Not being a die-hard
fan of the franchise, I still found a lot to enjoy in this high
octane popcorn muncher of a film. While some of the action is a bit
outlandish and your sense of realism needs checked at the door, the
acting is on point as are the effects which makes Furious
7 a
film must-see on Blu-ray disc.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
