When Justin Lin announced he would be stepping down as the director for Furious 7 following Universal's decision to fast track the sequel before the release of Furious 6, a lot of fans like myself were wondering who could possibly replace him!? The franchise wouldn't be what we've come to know without Justin, he has been around since the Tokyo Drift (which is way too under-rated) and saved the dying franchise from being released direct to video.

Fast & Furious is never just about street racing but family & heist. Before you hate me, watch the first movie and Fast Five again then compare it yourself. You see the evolution of the characters and from robbing trucks with DVD players to heisting 100million.

Now back to Furious 7.. When they announced James Wan will be taking over the franchise, a lot of us were worried as he was most well-known for his work in horror genre, particularly SAW & Insidious. Nevertheless James has proved he is perfectly capable of big budget action movies, just look at the air drop or the Abu Dhabi sequence!

Spoilers ahead..

The film started off with Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) talking to the coma-tonic Owen Shaw (Luke Evans),promising to avenge him. Just pause and think how he could have survived the fall from the plane!? If that's the case I think Gisele & Han can too.. I mean they did bring Letty back right?

With all the hyped built up from the post credit scene of Furious 6, I was genuinely interested to see how Deckard Shaw hunt down the team and continue where Tokyo Drift left off. Instead we were introduced another villain, Mose Jakande, played by Djimon Hounsou (which is unnecessary and dull),Shaw was pretty much cast aside as a secondary character. We never get to see the team from the hunted to the hunter as Shaw kept showing up from time to time. Other than the impressive action sequence, it didn't really add much to the overall story. Sean Boswell played by Lucas Black showed up for 1 minute or 2 talking to Dom and you would at least think he might want to avenge Han right? But no we don't see him for the rest of the film.. I guess we just have to wait for the sequel. Shaw brothers might be teaming up, you never know!

Furious 7 was originally intended to be the first of a new trilogy but plans were scrapped due to Paul Walker's untimely death and instead the filmmaker decided it was all about making this movie for Paul. A lot of moviegoers like myself were very emotional by the credit rolled. It felt like the end of the journey with these characters you come to love and it was the perfect send off to Walker's character, more importantly farewell to Paul himself. The crossroad scene is definitely the highlight of the film and the reason I am giving this an 8 out of 10.

Part of me wishes they end the franchise here but with the highly impressive box office number, a sequel is nothing but guarantee. . I am very curious to see where the franchise is heading without the essence of Paul Walker. It just does not seem right without one of the core family member.. What do you think?

It's difficult to talk about 'Fast and Furious 7' or how it's billed 'Furious 7', without mentioning the tragic accident that cost actor Paul Walker his life back in November. This accident was not part of filming, but did drastically change the story line and halted production for quite a while. Walker had not finished filming his scenes, but you wouldn't know it, as the filmmakers used a combination of amazing CGI and stunt doubles to add him through the entire film. It's seamless and flawless in that aspect, and yes, there is a very moving tribute to him at the end of the film, which might cause you to choke back a few tears. I know I had too.

It has been 14 years since the first 'The Fast and Furious' film graced our screens, and who would have thought that it would be the powerhouse franchise it is today. The first film back in 2001 cost $38 million dollars, which is pretty cheap for a big action film. Cut to today with 'Furious 7', the budget has gone up to $250 million and has added a string of A-List actors to this high octane world, including Kurt Russell, Jason Statham, and The Rock. Whether or not you've seen any of the 'Fast and Furious' films, you're going to have a great time with 'Furious 7′. Do these films have smart dialogue or lengthy story plots? No, but that's not the reason for seeing these movies. Instead, you get a treasure trove of fast cars, big explosions, fantastic actions sequences, and fun performances by each actor. 'Furious 7′ picks up right where part 6 left off, where an over-the-top villain who seems to be able to take on armies of people with his barehands by the name of Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham),is after the 'Fast and Furious' team for putting his brother in a vegetable state in a previous film.

He has promised to kill each and every member of the team. Meanwhile, there is a security surveillance program called the 'God's Eye', which can tap into any satellite or camera and find anyone with in a matter of seconds that an underground branch of the FBI wants. This branch is run by Kurt Russell, who tells Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) to rescue the hacker who created the program (Nathalie Emmanuel) from a group of terrorists, which in turn they can find Shaw before he can kill them.

I know, I'm exhausted after explaining that too. 'Furious 7′ spans a few different countries and an avalanche of multi-million dollar cars that would make James Bond excited in more than one way. Director James Wan ('Saw') has perfectly concocted one of the ultimate action films that uses fast cars, big guns, excellent fight choreography, and giant explosions to keep the 132 minute film keep its super fast pace. There are a few melodramatic moments from time to time, but it's done in a good way, so that we can grow closer to the characters. If you can get through the stinky cheese one-liners throughout, which make you laugh more than anything, you're going to have an excellent time here.

On a side note, I'm so glad they added Thai film star Tony Jaa to this film. I've been waiting for him to show up in the US for so long, and I hope he is here to stay, because his fight choreography and talent is some of the best out there. Don't believe me? Check this clip out. 'Furious 7' keeps its laughs, charms and cameos flowing, and even though Paul Walker is gone, there is no sign of stopping this franchise, which is a good thing. Let it be said now, 'Furious 7' is the first big action film of the early summer. Go see it.

Owen Shaw is in the hospital and his dark-ops brother Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) wants revenge. He attacks Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Elena Neves at their DSS offices in L.A. He steals the info on the family and kills Han in Tokyo. He sends a bomb to Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). Dom, minivan driving Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and family barely escape. Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) is still struggling to remember. A mysterious dark-ops agent Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) recruits Dom and the family to rescue hacker Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) and her God's Eye program which can track down anybody with access to every device. She has been kidnapped by terrorist Mose Jakande (Djimon Hounsou).

This franchise has basically morphed into a superhero movie. It is still able to maintain the family which is its strength. The action is bigger and crazier than ever. Jumping from one building to another is not enough. They have to jump one more building and that's what is so fun about this movie. It doesn't care about realism. The movie revels in going over the top. There is an exuberance when the car does another jump when nobody expects it. This movie also has to deal with Paul Walker's death. Director James Wan does it in a classy way with the montage. It actually raises the tension in the bus chase when one is never certain that Paul Walker's character wouldn't be killed right there and then. The fights, the stunts, and the CGI destruction are all top rate. The biggest problem is some of the dialog early on. Some of the exchanges and performances are too overwrought and stale. It reminds me of bad soap opera acting. It starts the movie on the wrong foot but thankfully it stops after the first act. The acting is mostly good with a few exceptions. Tyrese Gibson and Ludicrous have great fun chemistry and I wouldn't mind Nathalie Emmanuel joining the family in the future.