“Furious 7” (Rated PG-13; 137 min) directed by James Wan, has beautiful levels of ludicrousness and provides a magnificent send off to the late Paul Walker.

The Fast and Furious franchise warrants a defense. By average movie law, the film series should fail miserably. Each movie reaches a larger level of stupidity and ridiculousness unheard of by modern scientists.

All of this being irrefutable fact, the films have an aura similar to a cute child spouting nonsense. You cannot even rate them on the same scale as a regular film. 

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Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, and his band of nitrous oxide-fueled warriors are back. After defeating terrorist Owen Shaw, everyone is trying their hand at domestic life. This tame lifestyle is interrupted when Owen’s brother Deckard, played by Jason Statham, takes revenge on the gang, killing one member and hospitalizing another.

The remaining companions come back together for a little vengeance of their own. The world of pre-school and PTA meetings seems long gone as they venture further into the world of international terrorism.

Even on a curved scale, the “Furious 7” is not perfect. For an already dumbed down plot, elements come off as incredibly stupid.

The acting is only good for the Furious series and it lets several interesting plot ideas fall by the wayside.

Overall, very little of that matters. The film is fun, entertaining and at its core heartbreaking. What more can one ask for on a base level.

Everyone has their forms of mindless entertainment. Some look towards soap operas and CW teen dramas, I love the Fast and the Furious series.

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The franchise shares a lot of the same qualities of a melodrama such as lengthy mythologies and poorly scripted character developments. The huge difference is the Furious series plays on a million dollar level.

One of the best parts of this series lies in its action scenes. From a car chase involving the dragging of a 100-ton safe, to a superhero-like brawl between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel, the series is known for having huge, well-shot action scenes.

Before Justin Lin entered the franchise, the series as a whole was generic and took itself too seriously. Lin came in and added voice and style.

The addition of Wan, known for the Saw and Insidious series, helps continue this. He varies up the cinematography and tone of scenes in ways Lin never did. The scene involving Walker and a bus dangling over a cliff, while a little cliche, adds a genuine thrill.

The inclusion of Statham to the Furious universe adds something no other film could. Since becoming the dumb down version of the Bond series, the franchise never captured a villain who could go toe to toe with Diesel or later Johnson. In Statham, they have found the right man for the job.

As far as action villains go, Deckard Shaw is pretty great. Most of the main characters in the Furious series are incredibly overpowered, always being the most prepared and toughest people in the room. Deckard one-ups all of them, adding an urgency to the action scenes. As a veteran of the genre, Statham adds his own charm to the role.

Walker was the sole member to stay with the franchise throughout, excluding one film. So when he died partly through filmmaking, many thought it would be the end of the whole series. “Furious 7” sends him off without taking away quality.

Breaking the fourth wall and referencing a death of an actor could cause derailment. In this situation, it adds a lot to the film. For any big film franchise, any change rarely happens.

A major change in mythology and characters makes one-note characters a little more dynamic. It is also a brilliant goodbye to anyone whose lives were affected by Walker, even if only slightly.

Stars: 4 out of 5.