14 DAY TRIAL // On April 3, “Furious 7” will be arriving in theaters in most territories: this is Paul Walker’s final film, which he was shooting at the time he was killed in a car accident in November 2013, and it was completed without him, with the help of CGI and stunt-doubles.
This explains why it plays like a long goodbye to the man who has been along for the ride since day 1, early reviews out of SXSW say. Buzz around the movie is positive and strong, in that it’s believed to be the most insane, action-packed and thrilling installment so far, but Vin Diesel says that this is just the beginning.
A potential Oscar winner
He is convinced that we’ll be hearing much more about “Furious 7” next year, when the Oscar 2016 season kicks off. Chances are it won’t even land a nomination for one of the technical categories (statistics show that movies released in the second half of the year stand better chances at being nominated or winning), but the actor (and producer on this 7th installment) believes it will actually win Best Picture.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly (quotes via Variety), Vin Diesel says that “Furious 7” will be “the biggest movie in history,” which may still prove true: even if Walker’s death hadn’t occurred halfway through production, interest in it would still have been huge, as the release of previous installments has shown.
So at this point, no one is arguing with Vin Diesel: “Furious 7” will probably make gazillions of dollars. But an Oscar it won’t win, no matter how hard he or the fans wish it.
“It will probably win Best Picture at the Oscars, unless the Oscars don’t want to be relevant ever,” he says. “There is nothing that will ever come close to the power of this thing. What the world won’t anticipate is how emotionally powerful the movie is. The head of the studio, Ron Meyer, often said when Fast 5 or Fast 6 came out, ‘If there was no number attached to these movies, they would be contenders for best picture.’ And when people see Furious 7, they are going to agree.”
A lovely thought, an unlikely idea
Reviews for “Furious 7” are impressive right now, but that’s only because it was screened in select locations. In other words, yes, the reviews are positive but they’re also few in number.
What all of them have in common is praise for taking the franchise one step further in delivering insane, mindless and visually stunning action scenes, while also getting in touch with the emotional side. Not one of those reviews says anything about “Furious 7” being a solid film or having a convincing, well-written and played out story because that was never what this franchise was about.
Even assuming that this new installment goes against everything its predecessors did, chances are the Academy would still not consider it for the awards season, much less give it an Oscar in the biggest category of the gala.
In its entire history, the Academy has been shunning big budget franchises, with the only exception being that of “The Dark Knight,” which earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Heath Ledger. Posthumously, that is.
Nolan’s example, with his Batman trilogy, is the most cited when it comes to how the Academy considers big budget franchises that span more than one installment lower quality films that are not worthy of an Oscar. It usually overcompensates by awarding indies and / or movies that barely manage to make an impression at the box office.
Vin Diesel saying that “Furious 7” will change all that when it will win Best Oscar is delusional, at best. This may be a lovely idea, but it won’t happen.
