Furious 7

Joe Brody

Well-known member
[Oddly not finding a thread for the Fast and Furious franchise]

Slightly ridiculus, wholly unoriginal and fairly sloppy -- but the film is a perfect send-off for Paul Walker who joins that crew of forever young(ish) actors whose work becomes inexplicably forever altered by their passing.
 

Paul 27

New member
This is one of the first films in a long time that I've been to see twice at the cinema.

Not my favourite of the series (that's still part 5) but a very fun action movie. The car parachute jump has got to be one of the most exhilarating action sequences I've seen in ages. Actually felt like I was in one of the cars with them!

And yeah, a fitting send-off for Paul Walker. I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a tear, both times I watched it.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
The international marketplace continues to shine for Furious 7 and the overseas cume topped $1 billion this weekend. Only two other films have ever done this in movie history - Titanic in 1998 and Avatar in 2010. This weekend's international gross was hit hard by Ultron's launch in much of the world and came in at $69.7M from 67 markets. The highlight was China which surged to an amazing $323M in only 15 days breaking the record for the highest-grossing film of all-time there. Transformers: Age of Extinction held that record since last summer. China also surpassed North America as the film's top-grossing market in the world.

http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm

I've argued elsewhere that the Indiana Jones franchise should be more like the F&F franchise if Indy is ever to regain any relevance. This thread only had 51 views when I came in to make this post and one reply. Now read the quote above again. Globally, F&F7's performance is up there with Titanic and Avatar. I say again: Titanic and Avatar. F&F is the only franchise BASED ON ORIGINAL CONTENT to reach the heights it has in terms of number of installments and box office -- and that includes the good old Indiana Jones franchise (one of the few other blockbuster franchises based on original content).

For years, I thought the Indiana Jones franchise took its first mis-step with ToD -- but I now see that it was LC -- with the whole father angle -- that was the fatal mis-step. It was the Henry Sr. storyline which set the stage for all the embarrassingly (sp?) sappy family content in KotCS. The franchise would have been much better served if the Raiders and ToD template been followed and subsequent installments developed Indy's international network of accomplices (word choice with criminal implications intentional) -- less any pretentious (a professor's son?) origin story.

Instead, we got Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. An installment that inexplicably got older and whiter at a time when the global box office is younger and diverse. It's a tragedy. There is no other word for it. Massive missed opportunity.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
The Fast & Furious movies though have way more sappy family content, and that's precisely what's attracting a diverse audience, particularly Hispanics. Before Paul Walker died there was even speculation Kurt Russel would play his dad. Indy is quite well liked in Spain and Souh America, judging by that colossal Raiders/Skull Rio Carnival float a few years back. Furious 7 is a great series of set pieces strung together with very little plot. Should it be emulated? Here's more on that...
http://scriptshadow.net/movie-review-furious-7

What distinguishes the first 2 indy movies from the last 2 is shifting kidnappings from a secondary to primary motivation. Indy had earned an installment where "this time it's personal" but not another.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Joe Brody said:
For years, I thought the Indiana Jones franchise took its first mis-step with ToD -- but I now see that it was LC -- with the whole father angle -- that was the fatal mis-step. It was the Henry Sr. storyline which set the stage for all the embarrassingly (sp?) sappy family content in KotCS. ...

Are you only saying this because of the linear nature of the narrative? B follows A? From a trilogy and bookend, LC was perfect. Indeed it was a nail in the coffin, and rightfully so. All other canon should have been prior to LC, in whatever context they wanted (reboot, reimagined, retread, etc)

... It's a tragedy. There is no other word for it. Massive missed opportunity.

Absolutely. But not because of the content or storyline in LC, or even KotCS for that matter. Just in how perfunctory they approached the follow-up chance.

It makes me....Furious, I say. 7 times over.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
Moedred said:
The Fast & Furious movies though have way more sappy family content, and that's precisely what's attracting a diverse audience, particularly Hispanics.

We're talking totally different concepts of family. In F&F, it's figurative. In Indiana Jones it's literal. And as a father of three, I far and away prefer the life lessons taught by the F&F's notion of family compared to KotCS's rank sentimentalism.

Moedred said:
Furious 7 is a great series of set pieces strung together with very little plot. Should it be emulated? Here's more on that...
http://scriptshadow.net/movie-review-furious-7

All I can say is that I sympathize with anyone that has to interact with Mr. Pendegraft in real life. Rather than stereotypical characterizations of hispanics, I subscribe to A.O. Scott's view of the franchise:

"Furious 7 extends its predecessors’ inclusive, stereotype-resistant ethic. Compared to almost any other large-scale, big-studio enterprise, the Furious brand practices a slick, no-big-deal multiculturalism, and nods to both feminism and domestic traditionalism.

That's what I'm talking about and that's why the whole planet is buying tickets to see it. When we're talking about the biggest movie in China, this hispanic storyline is a subplot.

Moedred said:
What distinguishes the first 2 indy movies from the last 2 is shifting kidnappings from a secondary to primary motivation. Indy had earned an installment where "this time it's personal" but not another.

I never thought of the whole kidnapping angle. Never realized they went to the well in back-to-backs.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
$1.5 Billion and the fourth largest worldwide box office of all time -- which is where it should settle for the near term with Avengers 2 slipping into #3 and Furious 7 just inching out the first Avengers.
 

mrman7

New member
I started out as a Fast and the Furious hater but the series has grown on me. As stupid as these flicks are, I give them credit for knowing exactly what they want to be (big, dumb fun with a lot of heart) and delivering on that promise. Furious 7 was extremely entertaining. (y)
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
56e6626c8a65e250f818d9fd


Someone cranked out an entire script for fun. LOGLINE: The Fast and Furious Crew travel back in time to challenge Hitler in the most important race of their lives: THE MASTER RACE!
 
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