Fast & Furious 7 (2015)

   ‘Furious 7’ is a silly, fun ride that sends off            Paul Walker with love and respect 

Paul Walker died during the filming of "'Furious 7," but he remains a key part of the saga.

“Furious 7” is the biggest, silliest movie in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, officially transforming the series into “The Avengers” with muscle cars.

But what’s wrong with big and silly?

Directed with over-the-top panache by horror maestro James Wan (“Saw,” “Insidious”), the film is a live-action cartoon starring caricatures rather than characters. But, hey, these are charismatic personalities played by actors in on the joke. They maintain straight faces as they sell their macho dialogue and drive sports cars off the Burj Khalifa.

Picking up shortly after the events of “Fast and Furious 6” (2013), the movie introduces a new, big, bald baddie. Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw is a ruthless assassin none too happy with the trouncing that Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew gave Shaw’s villainous little brother in “6.” When Deckard brutally murders Han (Sung Kang) — an event previously witnessed in the third film in this series’ lunatic timeline — Dom gets the gang back together for one last ride.

Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Michelle Rodriguez all give solid support. But it’s the late Paul Walker who gets the most to do as the bromance between his Brian O’Connor and Dom reaches a big-hearted conclusion.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in 'Fast & Furious 7'

Despite his tragic death midway through production, Walker remains a key player, thanks to the clever use of body doubles and subtle CGI effects. His completed scenes radiate the relaxed everyman quality that made him such a fun screen presence. The film is a perfect sendoff for the late star, concluding his journey with as much elegance as this series can muster.

Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs spend most of his time on the sidelines this time, but his spot is filled by veteran tough guy Kurt Russell. He brings his fair share of swagger and testosterone.

“Furious 7” never even pretends to be a stand-alone movie. This is a fan event through and through, filled with references, inside jokes and a loyalty to continuity that may baffle newcomers. It’s actually less a movie than a collection of scenes that feel constructed to make “Furious” fans cheer. And cheer they will, because “Furious 7” features physics-defying action that looks like it belongs in a superhero movie.

All of the preposterous action is balanced by the franchise’s trademark goofy honesty. When they’re not driving cars off airplanes, the actors chat, crack jokes and generally act like actual friends. When Diesel croaks something about the importance of family for the nth time, it’s easy to drink the motor oil.

With Walker’s death, “Furious 7” definitively ends a chapter in the “Fast and Furious” saga, while opening the door to further adventures. But it sets the bar for craziness awfully high. The only way to top this one is to send Dom and the crew to outer space, where no one can hear you rev your engine or talk about family.

Whether or not you're a dedicated fan of the Fast and the Furious franchise, we're guessing people will turn out in waves to see the misadventures of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) if only to see the latter's face on the big screen one more time.

That alone might make the movie worth it, but Walker's untimely passing aside, do critics agree that Furious 7 is a worthwhile installment? Read on to see whether or not this film got a little too fast and too furious or if it was just enough.

For starters, most critics believe that somehow this movie went beyond all the rest with its insane stunts and gravity-defying scenes. With six predecessors, you'd think they would've run out of ideas, but saying goodbye to Walker requires this franchise to go out with a bang (but who knows if it actually will end...?).