A Furiously Heart-fueled Eulogy

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2017)

Family and friends raced into local theaters hours in advance to grab seats for their latest action-packed and absurdly ridiculous, "Furious 7." Since its first installment "The Fast and the Furious" in 2001, the franchise has lovingly become a tacky, silver-screen staple for youth all over the world. Haters don't hate. If you've seen one, two or seven of the films by now, you knew exactly what you were in for, and you still showed up.
"Furious 7" once again took things to the next level with more impossible high-flying stunts and an entire script of quotably profound one-liners about the meaning of family – or how serious a beating one is about to receive. The film expanded on its already large cast by introducing several new actors including Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou and to my enjoyment, Tony Jaa from the martial arts cult-favorite "Ong-bak" films. However, this highly farcical sequel was full of bittersweet anticipation as an entire nation gathered, paying tribute to the tragic, early death of actor Paul Walker, by seeing a journey that's lasted for more than a decade now, through to the end.
Walker, who has been around since the beginning, playing one of "The Fast and the Furious" original characters, Brian O'Conner, a young undercover cop who infiltrated an East Los Angeles gang of behind-the-scenes outlaws, tragically died in a high-speed car crash on Nov. 30, 2013. After taking time to grieve, shocked "Furious 7" crew members delicately moved on with production.
"Furious 7" ended up destroying box office records during its debut weekend, picking up a massive $143.6 million in North America and $240.4 million overseas; totaling an impressive $384 million overall. Not only did "Furious 7" become the largest opener among its predecessors. After its release, it set a milestone by ranking number four in the top 10 highest opening films of all time – proving to be one of Hollywood's most iconic and profitable franchises.
Where do we go from here though? Is this the end of the "Furious" franchise? Not for directors and producers. It seems their grieving period ran little-more than a quarter of a mile. The eighth installment by Universal Pictures is currently set to be released April 14, 2017. Surely, many fans will be torn over another sequel, especially one excluding Walker for obvious reasons. My suggestion would be to revisit the idea of branching off on side character stories like they did in the 2006 semi-sequel "Tokyo Drift." But, with such a huge fan base and record-breaking turnout for the presumed final installment, Universal can't this cash cow go to pasture in good taste.
It's worth mentioning that producers and directors were more heartfelt in the manner which they handled Walker's passing. Usually in these situations, productions will omit a deceased actor from future scenes or films by letting their character perish as well. In the case of "Furious 7," however, director James Wan decided to see Walker's character through to the end, finishing the film with the help of Walker's brothers, Caleb and Cody as stand-ins, and some subtle, well-placed computer effects; giving everyone a final, emotional montage of "Fast and Furious" Walker moments – reminding us of the gravity he had on our lives throughout the past 14 years.
Thanks for the lavishly unbelievable, yet genuinely profound journey Paul, giving us all a reason to do hoop-dee burn-outs in theater parking lots across the nation, to live a little faster and burn a little brighter.
"If one day the speed kills me, don't cry, because I was smiling." – Paul Walker