Director: Scott Waugh
Starring: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Michael Keaton, Scott Mescudi, Rami Malek, Ramon Rodriguez, Harrison Gilbertson, Dakota Johnson
Certificate: 12
Running Time: 125 minutes
If you’re looking for a fun, family friendly watch for a Sunday afternoon NEED FOR SPEED is it. Inspired by the racing game franchise the film is exactly what you would expect, filled with elaborate stunts and sensational cars.
Car crazed fans will thoroughly enjoy the thrill, but can be reassured only replicas were harmed in the making. The film is a fun one-time watch and offers a new perspective for race car movies. Director Scott Waugh offers an authentic feel to the elaborate stunts, refusing to employ CGI and instead decimating some beautiful replicas.
The film follows street racer Toby Marshall (Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul), who is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and is determined to seek revenge. Toby joins a cross country supercar race going head-to-head with his rival Dino (Dominic Cooper). When Dino learns of Toby’s plan to compete, he sets a bounty on his head for anyone who stops him reaching California.
As you expect from a video game spin-off, there is a lack of substance. The plot is dry and predictable, but with a film like NEED FOR SPEED the main reason to watch is to drool over the beautiful super-cars and witness the adrenaline fuelled races. The film delivers on its promise of thrilling high speed chases but sacrifices any sense of story of character development, but these sacrifices can be forgiven. The film delivers a gamer feel to the action that unfolds on screen.
The acting isn’t a highlight with most of the cast being easily forgettable. Dominic Cooper delivers a stale performance that doesn’t conjure much feeling toward his villainous interpretation. Aaron Paul is a great actor, having amassed a strong following from his role as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad; he absolutely has the talent but just isn’t given a platform to show off his skills. Paul can be easily forgiven as it may be that there is a personal struggle to let go of the Breaking Bad baggage. The rest of the cast don’t really stand out, providing a little comedy and a forceful love interest that seems misplaced.
Overall what the film lacks in substance it makes up for in volume. You can guarantee to be entertained by the thrill ride but don’t expect much more then fast cars. The DVD provides a few bonus features which include; a teaser to the new game Need For Speed Rivals and a short clip of behind-the-scenes footage Capturing Speed: Making An Authentic Car Movie.
[usr=3] NEED FOR SPEED is available from 21st July on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD.
