Critics’ reviews

Furious 7 (2015)

28 reviews from 28 publications. Critics’ score 72: 17 positive, 11 mixed, 0 negative.

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72
Positive
17
Mixed
11
Negative
0

Most critics like Furious 7, and none of the twenty-eight reviews is negative. The praise gathers in two places. The first is the farewell to Paul Walker, which almost every review calls sincere and moving, even those cool on the rest of the film. The second is the scale of the set pieces: the cars dropped from a plane and the Abu Dhabi tower jump are named again and again as the highlights. Several reviews credit James Wan’s direction with keeping it all lively.

The reservations are mild and familiar: a plot nobody follows, dialogue nobody admires, and a runtime most would trim. A few go further on the craft, finding the editing frantic and the camerawork crude. The Guardian is the harshest, calling the film excessive and technically messy while admitting the ending moved it, and /Film finds the action repetitive. Time Out thinks the sentiment is laid on too thick. The spread is narrow; the argument is over how much to forgive.

Film Comment
· Michael Sragow
85*

Sragow praises the film as deliriously entertaining and sees it as a strong finish for the increasingly global franchise. He singles out the franchise’s luxury-export scale and high-note sendoff.

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Los Angeles Times
1 April 2015 · Betsy Sharkey
85*

Sharkey finds the film an exuberant, emotionally satisfying high point for the franchise, despite occasional lengthiness. She especially praises its deft, heartfelt farewell to Paul Walker and James Wan’s energetic direction.

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The AV Club
2 April 2015 · B+ · Jesse Hassenger
83

The review finds the film an emotionally satisfying tribute to Paul Walker, wrapped in wildly entertaining action. It praises the inventive set pieces and the sincere focus on Dom and Brian’s relationship.

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The New Yorker
4 April 2015 · Richard Brody
82*

Brody finds the film an exuberant, emotionally sincere action spectacle, though its pleasures have clear limits and its style may quickly date. He praises the inventive, visually engineered set pieces and the cast’s relaxed sense of familiarity.

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Radio Times
★★★★ · Alan Jones
80

The review is positive, describing the sequel as a relentless spectacle with extra style. It singles out James Wan’s direction for adding high-style brilliance.

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Total Film
24 March 2015 · ★★★★ · Jamie Graham
80

Graham finds it a wildly entertaining, emotionally affecting spectacle, despite a lumpy plot and uneven action. He particularly praises the heartfelt farewell to Paul Walker, which gives the film’s talk of family genuine meaning.

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Variety
16 March 2015 · festival review · Scott Foundas
80*

Foundas calls it a satisfying, entertaining entry that honors Paul Walker while keeping the franchise running strong. He especially praises Walker’s fitting farewell and the spectacular car stunts, though he finds some action over-reliant on CGI.

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Empire
27 October 2014 · James Dyer
75*

Dyer calls it a gleeful, exuberant romp, despite nonsensical plotting and ridiculous dialogue. He praises the care taken to make Paul Walker’s final appearance a moving tribute.

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RogerEbert.com
1 April 2015 · ★★★/4 · Matt Zoller Seitz
75

The review finds the film an entertaining, emotionally sincere addition to the franchise. It singles out the heartfelt tribute to Paul Walker as especially affecting.

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Slant Magazine
31 March 2015 · ★★★/4 · Steve Macfarlane
75

Macfarlane finds the film thrilling as spectacle but thin beside its predecessors. He praises the choreographed force and expanding scale of its action sequences, while criticizing the wasted new characters and forgettable banter.

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The New York Times
65*

The URL identifies this as a review of the exact film, but the page content is inaccessible. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified.

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Screen Daily
31 March 2015 · Fionnuala Halligan
64*

The review's verdict is unavailable because the article is paywalled. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the accessible text.

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IndieWire
31 March 2015 · C+ · Charlie Schmidlin
63

Schmidlin finds the film cacophonous and overstuffed, with its emotional sincerity clashing against its knowingly absurd style. He praises the expertly executed action sequences, especially the Abu Dhabi tower jump and the vertigo-inducing mountain chase.

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Little White Lies
3 April 2015 · 3/3/3 · David Jenkins
60

Jenkins treats the film as an absurd, near-mythic celebration of power and omnipotence, with a poignant farewell to Paul Walker. He praises the emotional force of the closing tribute, while criticizing the film’s uncritical embrace of surveillance technology.

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The Hollywood Reporter
16 March 2015 · festival review · John DeFore
60*

DeFore finds the film ridiculous but entertaining, while approving the graceful way it sends off Paul Walker’s character. He praises the seamless handling of Walker’s absence, though he criticizes the bloated runtime and dumb dialogue.

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Time Out
24 March 2015 · ★★★ · Tom Huddleston
60

The review finds the film overdone in its nostalgic response to Paul Walker’s death. It singles out the nostalgic montages as laying that sentiment on thick.

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Vulture
3 April 2015 · David Edelstein
60*

Edelstein finds the film wildly entertaining but less artful than its predecessors, while its emotional farewell to Paul Walker leaves him deeply moved. He praises the spectacular stunts and Michelle Rodriguez’s action scenes, but criticizes the threadbare plot and crude camera work.

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The Guardian
5 April 2015 · Mark Kermode
45*

Kermode finds the film excessive and technically messy, though its closing farewell to Paul Walker is unexpectedly moving. He singles out the frenetic editing, dreadful dialogue and ludicrous stunts as flaws.

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Consequence
1 April 2015 · festival review · Dominick Suzanne-Mayer
90*

The critic finds Furious 7 an exceptionally entertaining, relentlessly paced action film and an affecting farewell to Paul Walker. They single out its wild set pieces and heartfelt tribute to the franchise’s family bond for praise.

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Deadline
31 March 2015 · Pete Hammond
85*

Hammond calls it possibly the franchise’s best entry for thrills and action, with an emotionally affecting send-off for Paul Walker. He especially praises the spectacular stunts and the touching finale.

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Paste
2 April 2015 · 8.5/10 · Brent McKnight
85

The critic finds the film wildly entertaining, with its outrageous action and emotional farewell delivering plenty of fun. The elaborate set pieces are praised, though Wan’s spinning camerawork sometimes undermines the fight choreography.

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Digital Spy
24 March 2015 · Simon Reynolds
80*

The critic finds the film hugely entertaining and emotionally moving, especially as a farewell to Paul Walker. They praise its spectacular action and heartfelt closing moments, while criticizing the frantic editing and gratuitous shots.

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Den of Geek
31 March 2015 · 3 out of 5 · David Crow
77*

Crow finds the film an entertaining, excessive action spectacle that also delivers a heartfelt farewell to Paul Walker. He praises the film’s sincere sendoff, while criticizing the overlong romance and the underused villain.

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HeyUGuys
festival review · Nathan McVay
75*

The review finds it a satisfying, fun send-off that delivers on its promise to fans. It praises the emotional weight of Paul Walker’s farewell, while criticizing the excessive subplots and runtime.

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The Wrap
31 March 2015
75*

The critic finds Furious 7 a giddily exciting, successful entry, though it falls short of the best earlier films in the series. They single out the spectacular car-and-parachute centerpiece and Paul Walker’s graceful farewell for praise.

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NME
65*

The review finds the film bombastic and entertaining, though its action is mindless and its plot convoluted. It singles out the moving tribute to Paul Walker at the end as the film’s strongest moment.

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The Playlist
16 March 2015 · festival review
64*

The page identifies this as an SXSW review, but its critical verdict is inaccessible. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the available text.

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/Film
3 April 2015 · Russ Fischer
50*

The review finds the film uneven, with repetitive action and a weakened family dynamic, but says its farewell to Paul Walker is respectful and moving. It singles out the car-drop sequence as the action highlight and praises the handling of Walker’s final story.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate