Let’s throw physics and logic aside for this one. Avid fans of “The Fast and The Furious” franchise don’t watch these because they want to analyze the film. No. They go to watch a fun, silly and action-packed film that gets more and more ridiculous with each installment. I mean, come on. They jumped a car between three skyscrapers in Dubai. But because I didn’t go into it expecting a masterpiece like “The Shawshank Redemption” or “Se7en,” I actually enjoyed it. However, this film franchise isn’t meant to break ground. It was meant solely to entertain (and earn about $150 million at the box office its opening weekend) which is why I was able to enjoy it.
For those who love the series, you will be pleased because it wraps the franchise together very well. Obviously, if you’ve seen the post credit series of Furious 6 you know that Tokyo Drift takes place in between the events of 6 and 7. A character from Dom’s (Vin Diesel) team is killed in Tokyo Drift by the antagonist’s brother, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) who is seeking revenge. Shaw is the quiet, yet vengeful bad guy who I would never mess with. The entire franchise culminates to this final, action-packed film where the team is hunted and yes, more laws of physics are broken to make the stunts just that much more epic.
Those who can’t get enough of the fast cars, car crashes and crazy stunts will not be disappointed. For the car buffs, this movie includes numerous vehicles that would be on anyone’s list. There are predator drones, cars driving out of planes, and did I mention the jumping between skyscrapers?
The main focus for me was around Paul Walker, who was killed in a car crash in November 2013. He had only finished half of his scenes in the film at this time. The whole movie I was questioning if they were doing a good job and giving him a proper send off. It really didn’t feel like it until the last 10 minutes. So, even though this might not be the last installment in the series for “one last ride” we get to see Dom, Brian and the rest of the crew all together. Fans will get to see the action and preposterous scenes while still remembering Paul. This was his finish line and I was happy with the outcome.
