(MENAFN- Arab Times) Fast-moving fight scenes outrageous auto antics and a sprinkling of ridiculous one-liners make 'Furious 7' a campy crowd-pleasing escape. Never mind that the film repeatedly presents the impossible a muscle car attacks an airborne helicopter fans of the franchise know to suspend disbelief at the door. With nonstop action from start to finish it's easy if a bit exhausting to go along for the high-speed ride.
Reality intrudes at the end: The film is dedicated to Paul Walker who died in a car crash in 2013 and concludes with a montage of images of the actor from his five previous 'Fast and Furious' appearances. Walker's brothers acted as stand-ins and special effects were used to maintain his presence throughout his final film which was still in production when he died. There are a couple of creepy allusions to his death in the film that could briefly jar viewers. At one point Roman (Tyrese Gibson) asks Brian (Walker) to promise their team won't face any more funerals. When Brian replies 'Just one more' he's referring to that of the film's villain (Jason Statham) but one can't help but think of the actor's own accidental death. Another scene shows Brian telling wife Mia (Jordana Brewster) that if she doesn't hear from him after the crew's latest mission she should 'move on.' It almost feels like a message to his co-stars. Like its predecessors the seventh installment of the hit franchise features a multicultural cast international settings and a dazzling array of cars. While this critic is partial to American muscle cars the $3.5 million Lykan Hypersport from Dubai-based W Motors is incredible to see. Only seven such vehicles exist. (No Lykan Hypersports were harmed during the making of the film.) The story is just a framework for car chases and fight scenes. Dom (Vin Diesel) and his crew are acclimating to life on the right side of the law when they're attacked by Shaw (Statham) bent on avenging the death of his brother who was killed in 'Fast & Furious 6.' Shaw is elusive and the crew needs help. They're approached by secret operative Mr. Nobody (a smiling and smarmy Kurt Russell) who promises to aid in taking out Shaw if Dom's crew can secure a breakthrough tracking device for the US government. Meanwhile a group of mercenaries led by an underused Djimon Honsou is also willing to kill for the tracking device which can locate anyone on the globe by hacking into myriad digital networks. Directed by James Wan ('Saw' 'Insidious') 'Furious 7' scores with unprecedented car stunts. A cargo plane drops various parachute-equipped cars onto a curving road in the Caucasus Mountains. Amazingly all the cars land upright where they are supposed to. Hilariously Dom and the others are shown 'steering' the vehicles as they fly through the air. Awesome Another awesome sequence shows a sports car crashing through glass windows as it jumps from skyscraper to skyscraper in Abu Dhabi. When the characters aren't in their cars they're fist-fighting and Wan's shooting style makes those scenes appear illuminated by strobe light. Even Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) the lone female driver on the crew throws blows in a gown and heels battling an all-woman security team led by MMA fighter Ronda Rousey. Though Letty is depicted as an equal among the boys there is a sexist undertone to the film. Attractive women are set dressing and Roman and Tej (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges) play rock paper scissors for 'dibs' on a woman. While that may be comic for some most of the funny comes from security agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) with lines like 'Daddy's got to go to work' after which he busts his arm out of a plaster cast Hulk-style just by flexing. It all adds up to an over-the-top escapist romp which is exactly what 'Fast & Furious' fans expect. 'Furious 7' a Universal Pictures release is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for 'prolonged frenetic sequences of violence action and mayhem suggestive content and brief strong language.' Running time: 140 minutes. Three stars out of four. If an action movie has a generous shooting schedule the second-unit/stunt team is allotted 35 days; 50 days is a big deal. Universal's 'Furious 7' directed by James Wan had a whopping 80 days of second-unit shooting roughly the same number as first-unit filming. The movie which bows wide on April 3 includes a 22-minute action sequence that starts with cars dropping by parachute out of a plane landing on the ground and then immediately setting off on a Pike's Peak car chase. The heart-pounding scene culminates with Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker's character) atop the roof of a bus that's teetering on a cliff. And it was all done 'real' i.e. it wasn't CGI. The scene: Ten cars parachute out of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane: Two Chargers two Subarus two Challengers two Jeeps and two Camaros. All had parachutes attached; the second-unit group experimented by dropping car shells (without the engine and transmission) but found that complete cars drop better. Capturing the action: Three skydivers with cameras; three cameras inside the aircraft; two or three Go-Pros on each car; a helicopter; one ground camera. Altitude shifts: The cars needed to 'jump' from the plane at two different altitudes. First they had to drop at 12000 feet so the skydivers' cameras could stay with the freefall. They had to drop again at 8000 feet so the chopper could get closer shots. But the lower altitude provided a shorter window since the parachutes opened at 5000 feet. Second-unit stunt coordinator Andy Gill says they were able to do two complete car drops in one day. The setting: The parachute sequence was shot near Mesa Ariz. Colorado's Pike's Peak and Monarch Mountain were used for the chase scene. And the bus started going off the edge of a cliff in Colorado but slid into a quarry near Atlanta. The challenges: Too numerous to mention. Aside from the obvious considerations there were unexpected factors like the wind catching a parachute and dragging a car from its landing site. Second-unit director-stunt coordinator Spiro Razatos says 'Everything had to be so planned out; there couldn't be last-minute adjustments. The most important thing of course was to do it all safely.' The schedule: The scene was scheduled for three days but the team was able to wrap it after 212 despite the challenges. Why 'real' vs. CGI? As Razatos told Variety 'Some filmmakers think the audience wants things manipulated with a lot of fake stuff in your face. And it's easy for filmmakers to say 'We'll fix it later.' But 'later' is fake. That isn't what the audience wants. We said 'Let's do it real; that's the only way it will feel right.' The producers and Universal were great; they trusted us. It's high-end action but it's real. Even the bus going off a cliff with a guy running on it that was done real. He had to time his running and he had one shot to do it right. But it turned out great.' 'Furious 7' is on pace to cross the finish line with $115 million this weekend making franchise history and setting a new record for an April opening. The massive domestic debut is a testament to Paul Walker the star of the action series who died in a 2013 car crash at the age of 40. The film was originally scheduled to premiere last year but production was put on hold while the filmmakers figured out how to finish shooting without the actor. Interest Much as the death of Heath Ledger increased interest in and coverage of 'The Dark Knight' 'Furious 7' is enabling fans of the series to honor the star by seeing one of his last screen roles. Posters and promotional art for the Universal Pictures release have been tastefully shot in black-and-white with the tagline 'one last ride' serving as a memorial of sorts to Walker. 'This is Paul Walker's last film and it was marketed as such to evoke some emotion' said Eric Handler an analyst with MKM Partners. 'It's trying to tug on the heartstrings and that's a good recipe for success.' That element may be what's driving the latest 'Fast and Furious' movie to what looks to be unprecedented grosses but the franchise's endurance is remarkable. It has made $2.4 billion over six installments but unlike other series that grow more fatigued with each new chapter these films have gained traction as they have gone along. Starting with a franchise reboot of sorts with the fourth film which brought back Vin Diesel after a two-picture hiatus each subsequent part has built on the success of the one that came before it. Achieved It has achieved those results by highlighting one of the most ethnically diverse casts of any blockbuster release a group that includes Diesel Dwayne Johnson Michelle Rodriguez Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris. That's helped the series attract Hispanic and African-American audiences. Interestingly tracking for 'Furious 7' indicates that Caucasian interest in this film is higher than for recent installments. 'If you want to reach a broad audience it helps to have multiple demographics in your film' said Jeff Bock an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. 'This cast has everyone in the mix so no one is excluded.' Universal and the filmmakers have broadened the scope of the series. They have continued to move beyond the drag race scene incorporating heist elements and boasting action sequences of gravity-defying cars and drivers that cry out for the bigscreen. All that spectacle comes at a cost. 'Furious 7' carries a sizable $190 million pricetag but most analysts predict that the film will be the highest-grossing one in the series and will play well with foreign audiences. 'These actors resonate overseas and action films play well abroad' said Handler. The film bows in 4003 North American theaters including Imax screens. There's also a muscular international rollout across 63 foreign territories and approximately 10500 locations where it could do $250 million worth of business. That's particularly impressive because it doesn't include a number of key markets like China Japan and Russia where 'Furious 7' will debut later in April. Pre-sales for the film have been sizzling with MovieTickets.com reporting that 'Furious 7' is 34% ahead of the sixth film at the same point in the sales cycle and Fandango announcing that 'Furious 7' is on track to be the biggest pre-seller for any April release in its history. If 'Furious 7' does pass $100 million it will overtake 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' whose $95 million debut is the biggest April opening of all time. It will also top 'Fast and Furious 6's' $97.4 million bow to become the franchise's leading debut. Studios wisely held off on launching another major release on the same weekend as 'Furious 7.' Among holdover titles last weekend's champion 'Home' should fare best because there's not a lot of competition for the family audience. Look for the animated title to do roughly $30 million. Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart's 'Get Hard' will have more trouble attracting its core male audience with 'Furious 7' in the marketplace. The R-rated prison comedy should fall roughly 50% from its opening weekend numbers to finish with $17 million. (Agencies) By Sandy Cohen
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