Fast cars and action sequences litter the movie theater screen. I walk into a tundra of a crowd in the IMAX theatre at 12 PM on a Friday (Easter weekend). I think to myself, “Shouldn’t people be at work?” Then, I realized what this was. This was one of the biggest films of the year, in the form of Furious 7. Needless to say, I felt like a kid in a candy store.

There was a lot of hype and controversy surrounding this film. After the unfortunate death of Paul Walker, there were a lot of question marks around the production. What would be the appropriate sendoff? Would he be “killed off” in the film, or would they take a different approach? Being an avid “Fast and the Furious” fan, I wanted all of these questions answered as well.

If you like realism, do not see this film. The majority of the fight and car scenes would not be pulled off as smoothly if they took place in the real world. However, in my opinion, this is what makes this film series great. It allows you to escape from all of the realism that takes place in the world, and engulfs you into a fantasy land, sans elves and wands. The cars were great, the fight sequences were great, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson steals the show in his brief appearances with his witty one-liners (“Daddy’s gotta go to work” being my personal favorite).

Being a “Fast and the Furious” fan, I would much rather be biased and only tout the good things. However, inconsistencies come with every great film. The majority of the plot felt too grand (remember, these are racers), and didn’t match up with the occupation of the team. It felt like a Superman-like task that was accepted by average Joes. It is tough for me to say this, because that is one of my favorite parts of the film, the fact that anyone can accomplish anything. But, to please everyone, it would be wrong of me to not point that out. It is your atypical popcorn film with your atypical plot, but there is a bigger message in this film at the end that we could all learn from.

The question that I wanted answered was answered in the very best way. The sendoff for Paul Walker was amazing, and bought the majority of the crowd to a shocked silence (and likely some tears) as a touching video tribute closed out the romp. Even though this may be an action film, it helps put things into perspective with its message. Without family and teamwork, it would be hard to advance anywhere in life. The close-knit nature of the furious crew inspires me to cherish those I hold close and always smile and work as a team, because it produces the best results and you never know when those close friends may be gone. As cheesy as that sounds, Furious 7 truly taught me that lesson, and that makes it bigger than your archetypal action film.

VERDICT: 4 (Out of 5) Stars – GO SEE IT!