Furious 7 – Review

By David Baldwin

I am at a loss for words trying to write this review of Furious 7 – or as the film’s credits and director James Wan call it, Furious Seven. The series has developed a core fan base that continues to grow with each new entry in the genre-bending action saga, and they all come expecting to see ludicrous action set-pieces and insane stunts. And of course, the occasional race or two.

On all of those fronts, Furious 7 delivers in spades. Whether it be a brutal fist fight, a daring hillside chase and rescue or grand theft auto from the top of skyscrapers, the film one-ups itself at every chaotic turn, pausing only momentarily between each action beat. It concerns itself very little with its threadbare revenge story and characters, focusing more on the goofy one-liners and the set-up for the next action scene. It is thrilling and wildly exhilarating, and IMAX only bolsters the insanity.

Now if this sounds like exactly what you want to see, then you will not be disappointed in the least.

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Iron Man 3 – Review

By David Baldwin

A man who refers to himself as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is terrorizing Europe and Asia, and making very real threats against the United States. With S.H.I.E.L.D. evidently pre-occupied from the fallout of an alien invasion in New York, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) takes it upon himself to take this mad man down. But after getting cocky and giving him his address, Stark’s home is destroyed along with the majority of his technology. With time dwindling and the sudden appearance of a mysterious project called “Extremis”, Stark begins searching for clues – all the while rebuilding everything he has lost.

It sounds like a lot to swallow, but Iron Man 3 does a more than admirable job righting all the wrongs Iron Man 2 committed back in 2010. 3 may be a follow-up to Joss Whedon’s wildly successful The Avengers, but it is very much its own film. It centres on Stark and any mentions to other heroes or films not titled Iron Man are very few and far between. They are mere dialogue snippets that most audiences may not even register as references. Continue Reading