This film could very easily have become a disaster. It suffered a horrendous loss when one of its leads, actor Paul Walker, perished in a car accident while still filming. Things like this have killed franchises. Imagine coming from the high of F&F 6 only to face the possibility of not having the sequel made, or worse, muddling through the death with some horrible workaround. In this case, however, Paul Walker’s death seemed to have solidified Fast and the Furious beyond being just another car/action franchise.

Make no mistake, however. It’s just as bat-shit crazy as it’s predecessors, but then, seven films in, it would be a shock if it weren’t. Good thing they set up this film with the previous one, where Owen Shaw apparently had a bigger, badder older brother (cue Jason Statham).  It was a great beginning, promising a lot of action. Well, they delivered on that part. We get action with the opening credits. It is nice, however, to bring the film back to it’s beginnings as a race movie, with Dom bringing Letty back to the desert drag race event called Race Wars in an effort to try and jog her memory. The film does spend a bit of time re-establishing a status quo, Dom’s trying to help Letty, Brian’s trying to become a dad, and having problems with domesticity. Of course, once Statham introduces himself to Dom, well, the status quo goes out the window and instead they, and we, are thrown into what seems to be a mashup of GI Joe, previous F&F films, and James Bond. But then, after the sheer ridiculousness of F&F 6, who really cares about the plausibility of the plot? I don’t.

I can’t help, however, but think that this particular entry into the franchise seems to be taking a lot from video games. It’s almost like the sequences were designed to be levels in a game, complete with hyper-modified cars, guns, and a lot of stunts that stretch anyone’s capability to suspend disbelief. That said, the stunts, the cars, the noise, well, every action sequence delivered the thrills. I heard audible gasps from the audience in parts, which is something I haven’t heard in action films in a long time.

It’s funny, however, that right after leaving the film, I really couldn’t think about a plot. Probably because, for the most part, there wasn’t any. There were just locations, cars, fights, explosions, and screaming. Oh, and don’t forget the tiny moments put in to remind everyone that this is a family we’re watching. A family that apparently is so good at what they do that black ops units of the United States government allow them access to top secret information, as well as hardware and logistical support. Like I said, screw plausibility.

Fast and the Furious isn’t set in our world. It’s in a world where people don’t die, where cars can apparently fly, and where men miraculously cure themselves of multiple fractures simply because, well, “Papa has to go to work.”  If we take that assumption, then everything else falls into place. It’s a fun movie, a popcorn and soda movie. It’s something to watch because it will excite and thrill and, for very brief moments, touch your heart. I mean, who can forget Han and Gisele? It works because in the mix of all that testosterone and adrenaline, there are moments of pain, loss, and humor, often in the face of the former. So yes, we can forgive the sheer nuttiness of it because, in a lot of ways that count, the characters are still human beings.

Paul Walker’s death brings this into clear focus. We can’t watch the film without knowing what happened to him. There is, therefore, a clear break in the “fourth wall”.  Seeing his final film up there, and him still so alive, so fully into his action hero persona that it’s easy to forget that he’s no longer with us.  He’s the elephant in the theater; and, personally, I couldn’t help but feel the tiniest twinge of regret at seeing him there, knowing that he will not be in the next, almost inevitable, film.

This, of course, brings us to that last scene. The last ride. Where Dom decides that Brian’s had enough, that Brian should be able to live peacefully with his family, implying that Brian will no longer be part of the crew. It was lyrical, and quite a contrast to the rest of the film, which was appropriate. The emotions there weren’t acted out. The tears, the looks of grief on their faces weren’t the characters’ anymore; these were the actors mourning a friend. The film is dedicated to Paul, and why not? He was very much the films. It didn’t matter that the scene had to be done by his brothers, or that they CGI’ed his face. It was a farewell to Paul Walker and it was pitch perfect.

Batshit crazy, sure. But it also had heart, and that’s what made the film rise above every limitation it had. Well done.