Why It Should Have Sucked: Paul Walker's sudden death completely upended production on the seventh Fast and Furious movie, such that director James Wan and writer Chris Morgan had to try and find a way to write Walker's character out without making the movie a complete mess. And let's be honest, it would've surprised absolutely nobody if Furious 7 was an incoherently plotted disaster, because how on Earth do you neatly deal with a major cast member's death mid-way through production without just restarting the project? Why It Was Awesome: Somehow Wan and Morgan did it: they reconfigured the plot to give Walker a heartfelt send-off while maintaining the plot's (admittedly absurd) integrity. In fact, you could probably watch the movie without knowing Walker had died and be none the wiser (though there are a few CGI giveaways upon repeat viewings). Simply, the film continues to boast the hilariously insane stunts, genuine cast chemistry and heart that has sustained it to seven movies. Who ever expected back in 1999 that a petrolhead movie would spawn such a successful enterprise? And of course, it's nowhere near done yet, with Fast 8 set to film next year. Which movies have most pleasantly surprised you this year? Shout them out in the comments!
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
