Let’s be honest with ourselves here - Fast & Furious 6 (or Furious 6, as it is named in the opening credits, marking the 6th naming convention for the series in as many movies) is a movie where you don’t really need a review to know whether or not you’re going to see it. The appeal of these films is visceral, a pure lizard brain decision. You know from the word “go” whether you’re in or not.  And that said if this is your bag - you’re going to love yourself some Furious 6.

Directly following up the franchise’s resurrection with 2011’s Fast Five, Furious 6 picks up with our favorite rag tag bunch of car thieves, lead by Dom (Vin Diesel) living high off the hog after stealing $110 million.  Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) and Mia, Dom’s sister (Jordana Brewster) are living happily with their newborn son, Jack, and Roman (Tyrese), Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) and Han (Sung Kang) are all pretty well off with their place in life.  That’s until DSS agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, returning from Fast Five) asks Dom to get back into the game and help him take down ex-Special Forces solider/heist gang leader Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) in return for full pardons for all of their misgivings.  The part that truly pulls Dom and the gang in?  Owen Shaw appears to be working with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), who was last seen dying in the fourth film in the series - Fast & Furious.  Add many cars, explosions, and monologues about “family”, and we’re on our way.

The plot, as always, is more than a little overdone, and the dialogue somewhat laughable (especially when Vin Diesel tries to make turns of phrase important).  And honestly, I couldn’t tell you in any way, shape or form what Owen Shaw’s goals or purpose were. Literally, I don’t believe we’re given an idea of what drives him, besides the fact that he stole some technological doo-dad which he intends to sell on the black market, and he and his crew use really cool vehicles.  But none of that matters, as director Justin Lin has planned and plotted some of the most insane and ridiculous action sequences not only in the history of the Fast & Furious franchise, but in the history of action films, period.

Cars go flying in the air, tanks are used, an entire cargo plane is set aflame - and it’s all shot and framed perfectly, a wonderful change of pace from the modern day shaky cam setups we’ve become so accustomed to.  And what makes these sequences all the more awe-inspiring is the number of them which are done practically.  Yes, there is some CG work, particularly with some of the physical stunts by the characters, who seem more superhero than street racer this time around, but it never feels cloyingly artificial.

Performances are about what you’d expect.  Any moments of emotion are ham-fisted (one sequence where Paul Walker attempts to cry is particularly awful), but there’s such a fun chemistry between the cast that you can’t help but enjoy yourself.  I could watch an entire movie of Tyrese and Ludacris bickering with each other.  Additionally, while her performance could have been better, the addition of MMA star Gina Carano steps up the hand to hand sequences considerably, as does the appearance of The Raid: Redemption’s Joe Taslim as one of Shaw’s henchmen.

The movie isn’t perfect, it’s never going to win awards, but if you’re looking for some fun, stupid, and relentless action, Furious 6 is the way to go.  The film equivalent of a bacon cheeseburger, you know it’s bad for you, but damn is it fun on the way down.  Check it out this holiday weekend.  And for the love of God, stay through the credits - the setup for Fast & Furious 7 (already set for a July 2014 release) is going to have fans of the franchise and action movies in general vibrating with joy.