About a month ago, I placed “Need
for Speed” as number five on my top five list of least-anticipated spring
movies. While this movie certainly does have its flaws, it is far from the
disaster it could have been. I dare even to say that with the delay of the next
Fast and Furious movie, this is a pretty decent holdover for vehicle-based
action fans.
“Need
for Speed” tells the story of a driver and mechanic named Tobey Marshall
(played by Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad”). Marshall seeks to avenge the death of
his brother by defeating his slaughterer, millionaire car-enthusiast Dino Brewster
(played by Dominic Cooper of “Captain America: The First Avenger”). Not wanting
to be bested, Brewster places a bounty on him, and it is up to Marshall to get
to the race before Dino’s goons kill him.
Let me start out
by saying that I have not played any of the “Need for Speed” video games, even
as a kid. I’m personally more of a fan of the Midnight Club games. Nevertheless,
I’m at least sure that fans of racing games in general will love the set-pieces
in this movie. Many of the vehicle stunts use real cars, and the near-flawless
cinematography fits the high-octane race scenes perfectly. Viewers will
certainly be on the edge of their seats with every crash and tight turn. The
cars themselves are also pleasing to look at. From Ferraris to Lamborghinis to Mustangs,
every vehicle is sleek and a pleasure to watch race on the track.
The race and chase
scenes themselves are were this movie really shines. With every set piece come
the sounds of revving engines and screeching tires, set perfectly to fine
camera work and editing to give a truly exciting experience. While I am not one
to complain about the use of CGI, the lack of it in the film’s production gave
a much more believable look to the crashes and races, especially when the film
cuts to go-pro-filmed footage of the airborne vehicle. To me, the use of the
go-pro gave me the same exciting, immersive feeling that I felt while watching
the barrel scene in “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” When used well, I
can honestly encourage filmmakers to use the go-pro camera to film
A
common criticism of the plot is that it is completely ridiculous and not in any
way plausible in the real world. While this is certainly true, I feel that in
an action/eye-candy oriented film like this, that it is best to leave your
complaint notebook at the door and immerse yourself in the film’s world.
When the
suspension of disbelief is applied the story itself is not half bad. “Need for
Speed’s” story was conceived by Academy-Award nominated screenwriter John
Gatins and his brother George. Without giving anything away, the plot provides
plenty of interesting events to keep the story moving and even bothers to throw
in some character development. It’s far from an all-out character study like “Her,”
but there are still a decent amount of scenes that bother to get the audience
to care about the characters. Each character is given a decent amount of screen
time, and I actually walked out remembering some of the characters. From the
brooding but sincere Tobey Marshall to the comic relief of his friend Benny (played
by musician Scott Mescudi –a.k.a. Kid Cudi), I felt that the fleshed out
characters really added some meat to the action.
Though the story
and characters themselves are not too shabby, I had a lukewarm opinion on the
screenplay. Unfortunately, John Gatins only helped conceive the story. His
brother George wrote the screenplay by himself, and his results are mixed. In
films like “Fast and Furious 6” and “Iron Man 3,” the screenplay is well
balanced with good humor and light drama to blend well with the fun factor.
Here is a different story; the film’s tone will often switch from humorous
antics (one such scene involving streaking at an office) to
borderline-melodramatic scenes (such as one hospital scene). It is quite
jarring and it feels as if Mr. Gatins was trying to take the film more
seriously than it should have been taken.
Another thing I
have to say is that this film felt a tad too long. Clocking in at over two
hours, “Need for Speed” does contain some scenes that feel like they could have
been cut and are there just for filler. While I did admire the development of
the characters, some of the dialogue simply repeats what was already stated,
leaving me to say “OK, I get it” a few times in my mind. Perhaps if the film
was trimmed about 10-20 minutes short, then it would have been much smoother to
suit the sleek action sequences.
This film is far
from perfect, though to be honest, I was honestly entertained by it. While it’s
impossible to deny that Hollywood has had a bad reputation adapting video games
into movies, this was honestly a pretty good attempt. It’s not the saving grace
of video game adaptations, but in my mind it is absolutely a step up from busts
like “Resident Evil: Retribution” and “Silent Hill: Revelation.” If you love
thrilling races and colorful cars, I can almost guarantee that you’ll be
entertained.
Final Rating: B
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