Furious 7

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: James Wan/Starring: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ludaris, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Paul Walker, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Elsa Pataky

So comes the end to another Hollywood franchise...at least I think it's the end but unlike many gaudily budgeted series that lose their gas somewhere in the middle of second installment, The Fast and Furious series never lost its preposterous but intoxicating edge. An though I'm usually more than glad to see most franchises expire, I am actually sorry to see this series say goodbye. I'm also actually surprised the Furious saga is being retired. The last few movies gained some steam--and some fun cast members--without diminished inspiration. But good things stay good by leaving before their welcome is well-worn and the series does just that.

While it is sad to see Dominic Toretto and his crew retire, the loss of Paul Walker is sadder still. His presence in the film casts a bit of melancholy on the story. So as we say goodbye to the franchise, we also bid farewell to someone who was a mainstay in the series. It is fortunate for fans and the filmmakers that Walker was around long enough to complete the film.

Furious 7 takes us out with a bang and some new faces. The last film introduced Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), brother to Owen Shaw (Luke Evans); the latter didn't fare too well when he provoked Dominic and his crew. Deckard is one of those action movie villains who is obscenely trained as a special forces this and that and is as wily as they come. Deckard was a lethal agent in Han's (Sung Kang) death, as we saw in the last film. Deckard wastes little time plotting the deaths of the rest of Dominic's crew as revenge for his brother. Before the Furious crew can fully mourn their murdered friend, Deckard blows up Dominic's home, which almost claims the life of the crew leader and Mia (Jordana Brewster) in the process.

Deckard had scuffled earlier with Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in the FBI agent's office after accessing a computer file to locate Dominic's address. Deckard manages to escape, leaving Hobbs hospitalized and out of action.

Angry about being Deckard's prey and hungry for retaliation, Dominic gathers his crew but before they can take action, the group is visited by a government agency operative who calls himself Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell, who has a lot fun with his role). Mr. Nobody is willing to turn a blind eye to Dominic and his crew's hunt in exchange for a mission in the Caucasus mountains. An African terrorist named Jakande (Djimon Honsou; yes, EVERYONE makes an appearance in this flick), has kidnapped a computer whiz named Ramsey who has created a program that would allow the user access to any cellphone or computer in the world. Mr. Nobody wants the target captured before he or she can be tortured for the device containing the coveted information. With few alternatives, Dominic and crew accept the mission and the challenge.

The hitch in the plan is Brian O'Connor (the late Paul Walker) and Mia's new life as parents. Caught between fatherhood (family is everything to Dominic and the crew) and his craving for danger, Mia allows Paul to join the mission.

And of course the unfinished business between Letty (Michelle Rodgriguez) and Dominic is an issue in need of address in the film. Rejoining the crew while trying to restore her memory of her time with Dominic is another sub-story in the narrative.

It goes without saying that the Caucasus mission is over-the-top and deliriously entertaining; two attributes by which we identify the series. Why a para-military operation would involve souped-up hot-rods is a conundrum for the ages but this is Furious 7; the fans knows not to spoil the fun with logic. Director James Wan, known for his work in the horror genre offerings The Conjuring and the Saw and Insidious films, shows a deft, instinctive touch with action scenes as well.

The mission becomes more interesting when Deckard shows up to foil and spoil and the computer geek's identity adds a little twist to the proceedings. But Dominic and gang learn the device Mr. Nobody is after is hidden in (what else?) a beautiful, sleek Maserati (I think I got the make right) inside an Arab billionaire's suite in a luxury high-rise in Dubai. The sequence calls for more spectacular, impossible goings on, including an electrifying building to building car flight.

Everything leads to a showdown in the L.A. streets; Dominic and crew's hometurf, with Deckard and Jakande visiting all manner of Biblical destruction on city blocks and buildings.

The series goes out the way it came in; with fast, cool cars, beautiful women, exotic locales, and always a hyper-kinetic, breakneck pace.

Jason Statham takes a break from his usual hero status to play the bad guy and does it well. With Diesel, Johnson and Statham, there is more than enough testosterone to challenge a first-world army.

Everyone gets his or her share of screentime and of course all the franchise loose-ends are neatly tied up.

In spite of its now iconic cast, The Fast and Furious series owes much to Diesel's Herculean charisma. What will he do with it now?

A premise I didn't think would survive past a sequel became a seven-movie phenomenon. That doesn't happen often and if one should come along again, it won't be anything like Fast and Furious. Let that statement serve as a lofty compliment. Somehow the thought of there being no more Furious movies to look forward to makes me feel quite sad.

Guardians of the Galaxy

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: James Gunn/Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel (voice), Bradley Cooper (voice), Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Benicio Del Toro, Djimon Hounsou and Michael Rooker

It's not often summer blockbuster films meet the promise of preview-hype but with the Guardians of the Galaxy, we have one that delivers. One part action, one part comedy to two parts smart-ass make for a pretty heady concoction. And why shouldn't it? Mixing comic book science fiction with comedy isn't your typical summer fare. The odd genre-alloy offers a departure from the dreary, self-serious sci-fi operas we've become accustomed to choking on.

Director James Gunn assembles an oddball cast that in many ways isn't unlike the misfit mercenaries portrayed onscreen. Peter Quill/Starlord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (wrestler Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) are a ragtag group who all are brought together from different parts of the galaxy to search for an orb that contains uspeakable power.

Peter, group leader by default, was abducted by a blue-skinned alien named Yondu Odanta (Michael Rooker) when he was 6 years old. Yondu leads a fortune-hunting organization that operates outside (and sometimes within) the reach of the law. Peter becomes an operative of said organization, maturing into a Han Solo-like outlaw with a contempt for the law and authority. Gamora, an alien beauty whose parents were killed by a merciless creep named Ronan, seeks revenge though her blue-skinned sister allies herself with him to seek and obtain the orb for an even bigger creep named Kraglin. Gamora hopes to find the orb before Ronan and her sister can appropriate it for evil ends, which brings her into Peter's orbit.

Joining Peter and Gamora is a genetically-engineered raccoon named Rocket, whose outsize attitude is inversely proportional to his bodily proportions. His travelling companion and partner is Groot; a tall, tree-like being whose limited vocabulary solely consists of I am Groot though his subtle inflections allow Rocket to translate the alien's one phrase. Rounding out this motley crew is Drax, a bald, strong-man with a strange array of patterns on his skin. While Rocket and Groot's interest in the orb is strictly monetary, Drax joins the search because it is a means to confronting Ronan, who murdered his family. Together, the group hopes to stop Ronan from using the orb's power to menace the galaxy, hence the group's appellation as Guardians of the Galaxy. Their roles as unlikely saviors is kind of a running gag.

Though the orb is directly or indirectly the reason for their assemblage, the loss of family, the betrayal of family and the search for something like a family are what partially unifies the group.

The banter that passes between the group members is often funny as are the hapless situations they can't seem to avoid. Rocket barely endures teasing about being a Raccoon, while Drax's literal interpretations of expressions like "it will pass over your head" can be pretty amusing. Peter always carries a music cassette; a prized keepsake his mother made for him which creates a kind of soundtrack to his life. It's also makes up most of the soundtrack to the film, as 70s' pop tunes like Hooked on a Feeling and The Runaways' Cherry Bomb serve as light, comic counterpoint to the interstellar mayhem playing out onscreen.

Chris Pratt establishes his leading man bona fides in his career-making role; showcasing his comedic aptitude while Zoe Saldana's sex appeal and bad-ass martial arts are sometimes checked by the weary exasperation she often feels for the group. Bradley Cooper gives Rocket a tough but funny personality while the unrecognizable voice of Vin Diesel lends some sensitivity to the character of Groot.

The film always works best when its tongue is pressed firmly in cheek. Action scenes are wisely leavened with the humor, which is really the source of the film's appeal. The comedic moments always seem to make an appearance when we need them, keeping the film from degenerating into mere space battle racket and dreary, overly serious gun-play.

The titles before the closing credits herald the beginning of a franchise, which renders the film's explosive weekend box office returns almost irrelevent. How many will follow is always the question but as we all know, corporate Hollywood never troubles itself with such concerns; it just sends the blueprint to the assembly line. If the film's offspring can match Guardians of the Galaxy's irreverence and light-hearted charm, then I won't mind a bit.