MOVIE REVIEWS FROM A MOVIE ADDICT

If you like the Fast and the Furious franchise, you’ll love Need for Speed!

Loosely based on the mega successful game series by Electronic Arts, Tobey Marshall, played by Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Decoding Annie Parker, Mission Impossible III), takes you on a crazy, high-speed, action packed thrill ride from New York to San Francisco, behind the wheel of arguably the world’s rarest and fastest Ford Shelby Mustang. Riding shotgun, Julia, played by Imogen Poots (That Awkward Moment, A Long Way Down), eye candy and representative of the $2.7 million beauty, accompanies Marshall on his mission to avenge the murder of his friend and partner, Little Pete, committed by Marshall’s rival street racer, Dino Brewster, played by Dominic Cooper (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Captain America: The First Avenger ,The Devil’s Double).

With the intention of being noticed by DJ Monarch, organiser of the De Leon (an invitation only, winner takes all street race), Marshall triggers an interstate chase involving police and other racers who are inspired by Dino (through an offer of reward – his rare Lamborghini Sesto Elemento) to stop Marshall from reaching the De Leon. Ironically, the chaos Dino’s thugs cause helps DJ Monarch notice Marshall who in turn, invites him to enter the race.

The De Leon line-up includes some of the world’s most expensive and fastest super cars. As a lover of fine automobiles, it was mouth-watering to see how the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, GTA Spano, Bugatti Veyron, McLaren P1, Saleen S7 and Koenigsegg Agera R handled going flat-out along the winding country coastal road. The chorus of the finely tuned beasts complementing their serene surroundings was comparative to hearing Beethoven play his 9th on the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ in Atlantic City, New Jersey. With no CGI involved in the production, the filmmakers adopted the old-style practical effects method, which brought back memories of watching some of my favourite classic car racing and chasing movies, like Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run.

Without the cars, Need for Speed wouldn’t have been worth watching. Yes there was a super cool dude driving the car and a token hot chick that he ended up getting with in the end, but there just wasn’t enough to separate it from the hundreds of other movies out there with a similar story line. Marshall’s fellow work buddies did add some interest and some humour, but not enough.

The Movie Lad rates this: A large Pizza Capers BBQ Bonanza Pizza with chorizo and hollandaise sauce washed down with a couple of cold Asahis while sitting on the bonnet of your car.