The latest sequel to the “Fast and Furious” franchise shifts from its over $1.5 billion, mega-successful theatrical run to home theater screens in the testosterone-fueled Furious 7: Extended Edition (Universal Home Entertainment, rated: PG-13, $34.98).
Directed by James Wan, the “Expendables” style blockbuster finds Dominic Toretto and his crew getting back to a normal life in Los Angeles after stopping the evil Specials Forces soldier Owen Shaw overseas.
Of course, normal gets disrupted quickly as a nearly unstoppable black-ops assassin named Deckard Shaw looks for permanent revenge against the group who happened to have harmed his younger brother.
Fans will appreciate the grizzled performances of Van Diesel as Mr. Toretto, Michelle Rodriguez as tough girl Letty Ortiz, Tyrese Gibson as irascible Roman Pierce and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as tech mechanic Tej Parker.
Additional on-screen muscle arrives via Jason Straham as Mr. Shaw (played with calculated, homicidal gusto); newcomer to the franchise, legendary Kurt Russell as a covert team leader nicknamed Mr. Nobody; and Dwayne Johnson returning as security agent Luke Hobbs.
It’s worth noting that the high-speed, eye-popping effort was the last appearance of “Fast and Furious” franchise favorite Brian O’Conner, played by the late Paul Walker.
Mr. Walker’s part was not finished during the time of his death, and it took the level of special effects trickery not seen since “The Gladiator” (to cover Oliver Reed’s passing) to seamlessly keep his character around throughout the action.
However, the best reason for a Blu-ray purchase is to appreciate the clarity of the digital transfer while inspecting some of the most ridiculous close quarters combat and flighty car race sequences since “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
It’s hard not to watch, rewind and watch again high-definition antics (presented in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio ) such as W Motor’s $3.4 billion Lykan HyperSport car jumping between high-rise buildings or five automobiles parachuting out of plane and landing down on the winding and forested terrain of Azerbaijan.
As far as extras, let’s ignore the ridiculous misnomer of owners getting an “extended” edition of the movie, only offering a couple more minutes compared to the over 2-hour-long theater release, and focus on a generous supply of bonus content.
Besides a more detailed look at fight choreography, the cars of “Furious 7,” some of the dangerous practical effects and a return to the famed “Race Wars” world, easily the best of the bunch is Mr. Wan spending 30 minutes deconstructing his masterpiece in a compacted version of the film.
I loved the orchestrated approach. The energetic director talks to the viewer about his visual and plot choices, revisiting areas from the previous films, mixes in behind the scenes footage and cast interviews and is often seen from over the top, looking down upon a large touch screen.
It makes him look almost professorial, as he grabs and pulls icons of clips up to a larger area that he wishes to further discuss. It’s definitely a new take on a picture-in-picture experience.
Also, fans get a quick, behind-the-scenes look at the new 3-D tram ride “Fast and Furious Supercharged” now running at Universal Studios Hollywood.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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