Dominique Barrett
Fast 7 was undoubtedly the Fast & Furious franchise’s most successful sequel, but I can’t help but wonder if this movie would have been as popular without the tragedy of Paul Walker’s death.
Walker, who played the role of Brian O’Conner, passed away tragically after a car accident in 2014. He was in the passenger seat when Roger Rodas, crashed Rodas’ 2005 Porsche Carrera GT into a concrete lamppost, then the car burst into flames. Both men were killed in the accident.
After the news of Walker’s death, most doubted producers would finish the movie, but two years later, the movie was released on April 3 and has continued to be a huge success. Not only did they finish the movie with the footage they already filmed, but they added a touching tribute at the end.
Overall, the movie was alright. It seemed like just another Fast & Furious to me. Hot girls,, super cars, some sort of mission, and destroying those beautiful cars. Every time I witnessed a million dollar car get blown up or driven off a bridge, I felt the pain in the depths of my soul. That was hard to watch, no matter how cool it looked.
It’s hard not to question the Fast & Furious empire, though. I’m not totally sure when this group of street racers became an elite, almost super hero group. And why do the writers of these movies like to kill off characters just to bring them back in the next movie? Fast & Furious is confusing because even if you watch all seven movies in order, the chronology will be messed up.
With a simplistic plot and adequate acting, most of the focus was
definitely on the cars and the action, which was all typical Fast & Furious standard. The only thing that really made this sequel standout amongst the others was the tribute. So if the movie was #ForPaul, as many of the cast have tweeted and instagrammed then I guess it was good enough.
You have to watch the movies several times to truly catch everything and not be terribly confused. Nonetheless, if you are a Fast & Furious fan and were deeply moved by Walker’s death, you probably will enjoy the movie;despite the numbers, it certainly is not the best Fast & Furious.
