REVIEW: NEED FOR SPEED

When I was a university student in the late 1990s, my leisure activities were pretty much occupied playing video games. One of the many video games I played was a racing game called Need for Speed, a game distributed and published by popular game company Electronic Arts. Since then, the popularity of Need for Speed has grown tremendously and now there are many editions of the game to satisfy gamers. Thanks to this popularity, Hollywood has decided to adapt it into a feature film.

The film retains the same name Need for Speed and it is directed by Scott Waugh. Waugh previous film was military drama titled Act of Valor (2012) which I liked. Starring in Need for Speed are Aaron Paul (from TV’s Breaking Bad), Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Scott Mescudi, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malek, and veteran actor Michael Keaton. The screenplay is written by George Gatins and John Gatins.

Will this film adaptation of a popular video game live up to expectations? Do read on…

Aaron Paul in the lead role as Tobey Marshall

SYNOPSIS:

Times are financially tough for race car driver and mechanic Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul). When his old nemesis Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper) shows up and makes a business offer, Tobey accepts the proposal. Soon after, Tobey was betrayed and cheated by Dino which resulted in the death of Tobey’s close friend. Tobey was convicted of his friend’s death. Two years after being released from prison, he seeks out revenge against Dino with the help of a British girl named Julia (Imogen Poots) and his rag-tag crew of mechanics.

It is all about fast and expensive cars. This is a scene in a mountain forest range like in the video games

SCRIPT:

Predictable and mildly exciting. From the start, I kind of felt where the movie is heading and what will happen in the end. However, the scriptwriters managed to spice it up with some small subplots and funny characters which gave it a variety. There was good characterization for the main roles. The film also does pay tribute by including many elements from the video game such as the obvious use of high-end expensive cars, police chases, race reward, and similar looking locations just like in the game. The film has a reasonable balance between action and drama, where both constantly alternate back and forth throughout. It was a little tiring to follow and care for the story.

Dominic Cooper as the antagonist Dino Brewster

ACTING:

Quite okay but could have been better. Aaron Paul did pretty well as the hero. Dominic Cooper could have brought more to his role as the villain. I feel he was not a convincing baddie as I hoped he would portray. I like Imogen Poots as the only prominent female cast member as she brought more balance to the film. Glad to see Michael Keaton in the film too who plays an eccentric race organizer.

Imogen Poots as Julia, Tobey's sidekick

FILMING:

Neatly done and satisfactory. As I mentioned earlier, the filmmakers attempt to pay tribute by including elements from the game. This is evident in the filming where most camera shots are either aerial photography or high angle shots. There were also some P.O.V (point of view) shots similar to the game. I am impressed with the aerial photography. There were lots of it and really showed some beautiful landscapes of America. I am pretty certain some stunts required computer visual effects but it was tough to differentiate what is real and CGI. That is good sign. Maybe they did the stunts for real. If they did, well done. I felt the paced could have been more faster and stylistic, then again, that is a subjective opinion.

A race scene from the film

PACING:

A little slow in the beginning as it tries to establish a lot of the storyline motives. Pick-ups towards the end.

TONE (MOOD):

High adrenaline race to the finish in order to decide who will emerge the victorious.

Bad luck police cruiser when chasing the illegal racers

DOWNSIDE:

The film is geared to the male demographic. The ladies might not fancy it. It has a predictable plot.

UPSIDE:

Expensive cars and loud noises. Avid Need for Speed gamers might like it.

The 'hero' car in an action scene from the film

OVERALL:

It was a decent adaptation of the video game. It also can be enjoyable for those who are not familiar with the Need for Speed game. It’s a ‘popcorn’ movie.

RATING:

7.0 out of 10