Need for Speed Movie Review

Since it’s breakthrough in 1994, the Need for Speed series has stood tall as the most successful racing game of all time, selling over 140 million copies worldwide. The series now moves into mass media, but seems to have arrived late however, and as such, faces some very difficult competition with its film debut.

Need for Speed follows Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) and his pals as they race to get their own back on rogue racer Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). Dino baited Tobey into a race, leading to the death of his friend Pete (Harrison Gilbertson) and landing him in jail. To reach his rival turned arch-nemesis, Tobey must drive across the US in a bid to enter a supercar race ran by a man known as Monarch (Michael Keaton). If the plot sounds familiar, that’s exactly what it is; if you’ve played the Need for Speed games or watched the many Fast and Furious films then you’ll see the cameos and twists coming from a mile away, whether it’s the bantering characters out of Fast Five or the final chase scene which practically mirrors Need for Speed Hot Pursuit exactly. To say the plot of Need for Speed is uninspired puts it too lightly; the film’s plot, despite being easy to follow and proceeding at a reasonable pace, doesn’t have a lick of innovation under the hood, making it difficult to take seriously.

There are a few big names attached to Need for Speed but ironically only Aaron Paul comes close to turning in a worthy performance in the film. He brings a much needed layer of emotion, however brief it may be to an otherwise blank cast; but even then his performance falls far below the legendary Jesse Pinkman. It’s ultimately a step back for the young actor. Unfortunately every other character is just as clichéd as the plot they inhabit. Tobey’s so-called friends are extremely under-developed and some of them are really annoying too; they’re simply too over-the-top to be memorable. Imogen Poots as Tobey’s love interest Julia reminded me a lot of Rosie-Huntington-Whitley in 2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon in that she really doesn’t say or do anything but instead merely fills in a place and looks pretty throughout the film. Dino is woefully similar to the character of antagonist DK found in ‘’Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift’’ and regretfully Michael Keaton has been subjected to the same fate as Samuel L. Jackson in Robocop; tacked on to serve as a soulless commentator on the action rather than a direct participant. Like so many game adaptations before it, Need for Speed’s characterisation is as basic as it comes, chucking development out the window to place a primary focus on the action.

Need for Speed may suffer from a derivative plot and minuscule character development but where it does redeem itself a little is through its action and cinematography; the car stunts, races and other set-piece moments are all fully practical with not a single computer generated effect in sight. The helicopter lift and police escape sequences are particular highlights which really capture the feel of the game series the movie is based on. The film also boasts some great cinematography with a variety of wide, short and point of view shots which keep the action visible whilst rarely devolving into shaky territory. With that said, the action sequences fall short of being the best in the genre as its competitors have continued to push the envelope over the years. The music is fairly basic, not really complimenting the film very well so instead the film’s audio is mainly comprised of various car engines and skids along the tarmac, enough to satisfy the film’s target audience and little more. The technical presentation of Need for Speed is generally well done but all told it cannot save the overall package.

Need for Speed probably would have been the best film of its kind had it been released fourteen years ago, but as it stands the film comes off as yet another shameless cash-in riddled with clichés and derivative production choices. Speed demons and car lovers will get some enjoyment from the practical stunts but overall you’ll get much more entertainment value by playing the games themselves. The search for a solid game-to-movie tie-in goes on…

Rating: 2/5 Stars