Furious 7: Now Even More Furiouser!

   THIS TIME THEY REALLY MEAN IT! (PLUS THERE’S A NICE TRIBUTE TO PAUL WALKER)

   Everyone loved Paul Walker. Whether you’re a car guy watching Furious 7 for the cars, a UFC fan watching it for the fights or a young girl watching it to squeal for your favorite screen idol, you can’t watch Furious Seven (or 7, the movie seems unable to decide its title) without thinking all the time about the tragic and early death of Fast and Furious franchise star Paul Walkeron Nov. 30, 2013 in a car accident in Southern California. On that sunny Saturday two years ago, midway through filming for the movie, the actor best and almost solely known for his work in the now-seven Fast and Furious movies was suddenly rocketed to James Dean-like immortality, his death leaving fans to wonder what might have been and scores of pre-teen girls to realize they would never be, as they had written over and over again in their school notebooks and double-secret locked diaries, Mrs. Paul Walker.

   Sure, the movie itself is the usual collection of incredulous explosions, wildly improbable fight scenes and some cool cars, five of which are launched out the back of a C-17, and once again that action is strung loosely on a plot only barely more discernable than that of the Turbo Encabulator, but so what? What did you expect? Citizen Kane Meets Godzilla?

   Since these movies have to get more and more outrageous every time, this installment of the franchise has by far the most impressive stunts: a Dom Vs. Villain fight scene that results in an entire parking structure’s collapse, a car that jumps from one skyscraper into another and from thence into a third, and not one but two villains. The action is larger and far more intense than it was in any of the other movies, and makes you think winsomely of the almost-CGI-free first Fast. This could be because Seven has a new director, torture/horror specialist James Wan. Wan supposedly racked up a tab of $250 million making Seven, and, if early box office returns of its opening weekend are any indicator, the film may easily surpass that in its first few weeks. But again, who cares? Just have fun, man!

   Car stars of this installment include the return of Dom’s 1970 supercharged Charger, Walker’s Subaru Impreza STi hatchback, Lettie’s Challenger and a host of apparently bulletproof and gratuitous hypercars lead by the flying (from building-to-building-to-building) W Motors Lykan Hypersport. (Of the latter Walker explains to the incredulous Dom, “It costs $3.4 million!”) Notable car sequences in the movie: an Audi R8 blows up in a drag race; Willow Springs race track is suddenly packed with thousands of fans, half of them wearing bikinis; The Rock uses an ambulance to catch a missle; and a Chevy Suburban catches The Rock.

   At 137 minutes it is way too long and at several points when you think it’s going to end… it doesn’t. You’ll find yourself sighing in painful discomfort and checking your watch. But at the very end, once the villains have been dealt with and La Familia is once again whole, there is a nice tribute to Walker that’ll almost make you lose your cynicism about the whole series. It’s clear from the brief goodbye we see that Walker was as well-regarded by his co-stars as he will always be by hisfans, and that may be the most fitting legacy anyone in Hollywood could ask for.