There's a somber feeling attached to the seventh Fast & Furious flick following Paul Walker's death in the middle of filming. With help from his brothers and plenty of CGI, moviemakers managed to not only finish the movie, but honor their fallen comrade in the process. Here's what critics are saying:
- The flick involves an "unnecessarily complicated plot," but "it doesn't all have to make sense, or even conform to the laws of gravity; it's just 134 minutes of pure adrenaline," Elaine Teng writes at the New Republic. As far as stunts go, "in classic Furious spirit, just when you think it can't get more ridiculous, it does." There are impressive moments, but "what deserves even more applause is how the filmmakers dealt with Walker's death on screen."
- Furious 7 isn't perfect. But "when things get too complicated, it distracts us with something shiny," like "epic hand-to-hand combat between two women in full-length ball gowns, and a car that flies through the air," writes Molly Eichel at the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's all dumb, but it's wonderfully, comfortably dumb in just the right way," she says, adding, "Walker gets a farewell worthy of the series: overwrought, overly long, and exactly what we want."
- "Yes, the whole movie feels overstuffed and overlong, and the non-action scenes are often dragged down by stilted dialogue. But Furious 7 buzzes with a frenetic energy so contagious, there's no sense in resisting it," writes Jen Chaney at the Washington Post. "Longtime fans might find themselves getting misty," she adds. "But more often, it's their adrenaline, not their tears, that will be flowing." At the very least, the movie is "deserving of respect."
- Meanwhile, Peter Travers is full of positive remarks at Rolling Stone. "Furious 7 is the best F&F by far, two hours of pure pow fueled by dedication and passionate heart," he writes. "This one sticks with you. The usual flaws—plot bumps, muscle acting, tweet-length dialogue—fade in the face of the camaraderie on and off screen." He adds, "It's bittersweet seeing Walker in action again," but "he feels at home."
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