In memory of Walker
By: Caitlin Moynihan, Columnist
As crazy as it sounds, it has already been about a year and a half since Paul Walker tragically passed away in a car crash. Since his untimely death, three of Walker’s movies have been released in theaters.
“Hours” and “Brick Mansions” survived with good reviews and ratings, but “Furious 7” has truly immortalized Walker and all of his achievements. The seventh installment of the acclaimed “Fast and Furious” series released to theaters on April 3, and in just 17 days, hit the $1 billion dollar mark in the box office.
This is the first movie by Universal to reach this milestone during its initial run other than “Jurassic Park,” which gained $1.044 billion during its 3D re-release in 2013. It is obviously not easy for a series, let alone an entire film franchise, to attain this honor, but “Furious” fans everywhere rallied to make this one last ride one to remember.
Not only was Walker’s death a motive for fans of both the franchise and the actor to see the movie, but the idea of seeing Vin Diesel and Walker together for the last time made it worth every penny. The past few weeks have been full of award shows that were equally entertaining as they were heartbreaking.
We all remember when Diesel accepted the Best On Screen Duo Award during the 2014 MTV Movie Awards and brought us all to tears with his heartbreaking speech, and this years’ MTV Movie Awards was no exception.
Diesel was on stage to present the Best Female Performance Award when he stated that the last time he was there, it was with Walker. If that wasn’t enough to crush our hearts into thousands of pieces, Diesel then went on to sing “See You Again” in Walker’s memory.
I am a firm believer that if someone there wasn’t crying, they probably don’t have a heart and/or a soul.
To top it off, Diesel has named his baby girl Pauline, in honor of his late best friend. Walker’s legacy will forever be carried on not only by his 10 year franchise that has made an incredible impact in the film industry, but now his name will be cherished by those who loved him the most.
If that’s not the cutest thing you have ever heard today, then I probably wouldn’t trust you in real life. Paul Walker, thank you for giving millions of people the best ride of their lives.
