Furious 7 is intensely enjoyable. The film rewards viewers with over-the-top action and humor. While audiences don’t need to have seen the past six movies to appreciate the newest edition, series enthusiasts will find the movie to be particularly enjoyable for its references to the past and hints towards the future.

It’s easy to dismiss Furious 7 as two hours of dumb action. While the film clearly revels in its absurdity, it retains the series’ self-awareness that many similar movies lack. This allows the audience to enjoy the film without reservation. While it is ridiculous, featuring scenes of cars crashing from one skyscraper to the next while being shot at by grenade launchers, it’s abundantly clear that the filmmakers understand how outlandish these situations are. Furthermore, despite this ludicrousness, the action scenes are mostly clear and easy to follow. During one car sequence, the camera begins to jump so rapidly that I was disoriented, but this was only a few moments in an otherwise excellent action scene.

The self-awareness of this installment of the Furious series even holds true in the film’s plot. The drama never becomes too serious or complicated. Motivations, storylines, and character development are all easy to follow. While this could be frustrating in a different type of film, information is paced well enough that watching the stories unfold is entertaining itself. Certainly, the plot would be too simple to hold the film on its own, but it fills the time between action set pieces well. However, even within the simple story, there are some flaws. Strange parallels can be drawn between the motivations of the hero and villain of the movie. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, the idea never gets explored and leaves the idea unfinished.

As many know, Paul Walker, the actor that played Brian O’Conner, died before finishing the film. For those who were curious, his character is written off and will clearly not be returning in future films. However, this write off is very well done and the film ends with an appropriately emotional tribute to the actor.

If you are going to see Furious 7 and expect to find deep characters and complex themes about human existence, you probably need to rethink how you choose your movies. However, if you enjoy well filmed action, simple plot lines, or are a fan of previous films in the series, this is a must see.

Grade: A