NEED FOR SPEED Movie Review - High Octane Entertainment
I've been a big fan of the Need for Speed video game franchise since it was introduced to the world back in 1994. It's actually my favorite racing video game franchise. I've played all of the other racing games, but there was something always a bit more thrilling about Need for Speed. I think it's because of the whole demolition aspect of it (a.k.a. crashing the hell out of cars). I was really excited when I heard that a movie was going to be made based on these games. I had no idea what direction they would take with the story, as there are so many different elements to the game that the filmmakers could spin the movie into whatever they wanted. Everything that I saw in the trailers and featurettes were awesome, and it looked like it was going to be a fun entertaining movie… Guess what? It was!
I had an absolute blast watching Need for Speed. It was just as fun watching the film play out on the big screen as it was to play the video games. It was entertaining as hell! You're not going to see this movie for the good storyline and a good script. Although, I have to say that those were actually decent aspects of the film. I wasn't expecting much from the writing or plot, but it was better than I thought it'd be, which is always a plus. That being said, you're most likely going to see a movie like this because of the action, the crazy car racing, and the total destruction, and there's definitely plenty of all that in the movie. What I loved most about the movie is that there were no big CGI special-effects in the movie to bring the car racing to life. It was all done practically, with real drivers and real cars. That's a rare thing to see in films these days, and it made all the difference in the world. It gave the film a grounded feel to it. I couldn't be happier with how all of the intense racing scenes turned out, they were spectacular. I also want to say that the cinematography for the movie was incredible. I also love how they implemented elements of the game into the movie, it made it that much more fun for me.
The film's star, Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad, was freaking awesome. You already know he's a great actor from the TV series that he starred in, but he is able to bring that same intensity into into his character on this film. I really enjoyed his performance. I think Paul fans are going to be happy with what he delivered in this movie. As for the rest of the cast, which includes Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Michael Keaton, Dakota Johnson, Rami Makek, Ramon Rodriguez, and Scott Mescudi… they all did great, they did the best job they could bringing their characters to life. I thought most of the characters that were in the movie were really fun. I also just want to point out that Keaton's over the top performance in this movie was a fresh of breath air. He played a character named Monarch in the story, who is a reclusive and eccentric host of an underground supercar race competition. I freakin' loved seeing that crazy wild Keaton back on the big screen! It makes me want to see more.
Look, if you like action-packed race car movies, you're going enjoy this one. It delivers solid entertainment, and I definitely think fans of the game are going to enjoy it. If you're looking for a fun movie to watch then go see Need For Speed! I'm sure there's going to be people out there that roll their eyes at some of the stuff in the film, but this is a fun popcorn flick. If you just give yourself up to the movie, and realize that it's just pure entertainment for you to enjoy... then you'll enjoy it!