FAST & FURIOUS 7 : Not a Fab-watch but a Fan-watch! [3/5]

There is hardly anything that has some sorts of ‘ground-connect’ in James Wan’s FAST & FURIOUS 7, neither cars nor the plot! Still, this time it ain’t just about being fast. Following the frenzy trends of the franchise; you don’t actually need to demand inventive ideas of thrilling action, high-octane sequences of car chase, thumping explosions that could wreck the whole city down including the most beautiful skyscrapers or even the glam-dolls clad in their barely-there shorts. It’s all there by design but what gives this ride an evocative momentum is the emotionally charged-up underlying melancholy coming from the fact that one of the members in the gang, Paul Walker is not there with us anymore. And James Wan brilliantly treats and tweaks it with the help of his brothers to make it a worth ‘bid adieu’ for the star; and for the fans too.  

Deckard Shaw [Jason Statham] enters as the big bad brother of Owen Shaw [of and from the sixth installment of the franchise] seeking vengeance from the gang responsible for putting his kid-brother on death-table. The gang is busy getting their lives on track when the terror knocks their doors. Before they could even smell it, Han is killed in Tokyo and Hobbs [Dwayne Johnson] is sent to ICU. Toretto [Vin Diesel] with Brian [Paul Walker], Letty [Michelle Rodriguez] and others has to join hands with Mr. Nobody [Kurt Russell] to take down this almost ‘impossible to track’ baddie. Their hope lies in a hacker named Ramsey [Nathalie Emmanuel] with a ‘track it all’ software. Now, fill this unhygienic and regular storyline with as much earth-shattering explosions as you could, head-on-head car collisions and hard-to-digest gravity-defying stunts [in one, Diesel slams his car into three high-rise buildings of Abu Dhabi, piercing one after the other and making it the most incredible stunt in the skies].

FAST & FURIOUS 7 stays true to its genre. Luring men with the glamorous speed-machines and sensational beauties in bikinis! The plentiful of thrillride scarcely gives you enough time to think over the logical explanation lacking largely in the plot. The villain here is often described as untraceable but then, he is there in every frame without actually having any cover to his existence. The gang can perform free fall car-stunts from any given altitude and can escape safely without having a noticeable scar. Meanwhile, the world’s most celebrated cities are being turned into trashbins after grave blasts and there is no sign of alarmed populace. Anyways, who would notice and why if the adrenaline rush required and promised is there intact?

Film surprisingly gets into emotional mode several times, breaking its successful modus operandi for past six offerings; mostly when Paul Walker gets himself into a death-defying stunt [The actor lost his life in a speeding car-accident similar to the movies in this franchise]. And then, this ‘one last ride’ ends in the highly touching sequence where Paul Walker’s character gets recreated with computer-graphics and his two of brothers of similar inherited looks. Beautifully conceived tribute to the star! Watch it for being exciting, exhilarating and emotionally more involved. If not a fab watch, it is sure a fan watch! [3/5]

P.S. : Indian actor Ali Fazal of 3 IDIOTS fame can also be seen in an evident cameo. It feels great to see him sharing screen space with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Humorously heart-warming Superhero Film! MARVEL-ous! [4/5]

Confidence is the outfit superheroes sport full of grace. Superheroes act smart and in a much designed manner. Superheroes don’t really have a plan B because they don’t really need. Superheroes master in channelizing their angst against the rival forces. Superheroes have it in them and it shows. But the people we are talking about here, them ain’t superheroes. Not even close. They are just a bunch of losers. The definition can be wisely lightened to ‘the ones who have lost something or the other in life’; in case you really want to make them feel less humiliated. Still, they are the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY…and as a film; this is no less than any superhero movie at any level.

In a deserted planet; named Morag if you are really bothered, Peter Quill [played by Chris Pratt] is a space outlaw with a self-proclaimed arty name StarLord. In order to make his name in the business, he gets into the theft of a mysterious orb from evil forces, a serious threat to the existence of the galaxy. Proceedings in the plot lead him to a prison where he bonds with an alien-girl Gamora [Zoe Saldana], the huge-heartless and mechanical Drax the Destroyer, an ill-mouthed aggressively violent but hilarious raccoon Rocket [Bradley Cooper lends his voice] and my personal favorite, a walking tree who talks only as much as ‘I am Groot’ [the heavy gritty voice of Vin Diesel]. Now, together they need to emerge as the guardians of the galaxy but looking at each one’s flaws, aren’t we asking for too much?

Based on Marvel Comics’s lesser known characters, James Gunn’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is a pleasant surprise disguised as a superhero film. The similarity and likeness in the settings and visuals don’t go out of sight but the soul and the inner spirit of the film take a sharp turn at being not just a heart-thumping, nerve-wrecking and extensively jam-packed with heavy visual effects but a humorously heartwarming film that constantly & effortlessly lets you stretch your facial muscles.

Quill’s fascination with 80’s pop songs on his Sony walkman fills a hypnotic background score in the numinous outer space. His mentions of Kavin Bacon and his pelvic move in FOOTLOOSE, Drax’s one-track mind full of vengeance and nothing else in the planet, Rocket’s sarcastically grave attitude and Groot-the talking tree’s all time verbal communication restricted to just ‘I am Groot’ are some of the highlights that will leave you in splits. The slow-motion shots of heroic appearances by Rocket and the no-gravity space acts are incredible.

Overall, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is a superhero film that stands out from the rest because of its feeble, flimsy yet charmingly colorful characters true to their hearts. They may not look a perfect team. They may unapologetically show off their flaws but together, they give you a MARVEL-ous time to be experienced on the big screen. Go for it! [4/5]