This never should have happened.

A mediocre movie made in 2001 about illegal street racers who steal DVD players never should have become a long-running franchise with elaborately stupid bank heists, international counterterrorism and a genuinely endearing ensemble cast.

But we should all be thankful that we live in a world where “Furious 7” can and does exist. Aside from being a terrific action film on its own, it successfully closes story threads dating back to 2006, and handles the mid-production death of series mainstay Paul Walker as gracefully as it possibly can.

Set a year or two after “Fast & Furious 6,” Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) seeks revenge against Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and friends after they dispatched of his brother, Owen, in the previous film.

This is exciting for fans of the series because it’s the first film to take place after “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” Yes, the fourth, fifth and sixth movies all take place before the third movie. That’s how good this franchise is.

Anyway, “Furious 7” is, at its core, a beautifully nonsensical superhero movie, except nobody has superpowers. The cast is significantly more diverse (Walker is the only white man on the team) and it’s just plain better than any Marvel movie.

Series writer Chris Morgan has dreamt up some genuinely exhilarating action sequences, ranging from a chase with an armored convoy in the mountains of Azerbaijan to a predator drone chase through the streets of Los Angeles.

Along the way, the audience is also treated to incredible stunt work from world-renowned Thai martial artist Tony Jaa, a brutal fist fight between Michelle Rodriguez and UFC fighter Ronda Rousey and joyously unbelievable vehicular hijinks in an Abu Dhabi skyscraper.

It also has a heart that many other Hollywood action blockbusters don’t. It’s often emotionally sincere to the point of being a bit cheesy, but that’s preferable to the snark and/or dry stoicism of other franchises.

Diesel, Walker and the rest of the crew are not world-class thespians, but it feels like a group of best friends making movies they genuinely want to make together. That chemistry is crucial to making this series special.

I’ll tread lightly on spoilers here, but the way “Furious 7” addresses the future of Walker’s character in its final minutes is nothing short of magnificent. There may not be a right way to handle the death of a series co-star, but they came as close as they could.

There will not be a dry eye in the theater.

Just go see “Furious 7.” It’s not the best in the series (“Fast Five” still holds that title), but it’s everything it needs to be. That’s the highest praise I can give a movie.