Need for Speed (2014), PG-13, ★★

Kid Cudi and Aaron Paul looking horrified if the movie is going to be good.

"Need for Speed." Ok. When I was a young pre-teen, I did play a few video games of Need for Speed. It looked cool to be pursued by cops with spikes, explosions, and back-up cops and also just racing with adrenaline rush. It's like a free-style NASCAR game. What I did not expect is that the filmmakers made a premise and come up with a story and adapt it from the video game. However, I had hope for this movie if it could have been another companion piece to the Fast and Furious franchise. As it turns out, I shook my head with disbelief after the movie was over.

Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) is a former famed race car driver who runs a garage in New York called Marshall Motors, which was owned by his recently deceased father. Tobey and his friends, consisting of Benny, Joe and Little Pete (Kid Cudi, Ramón Rodriguez, Harrison Gilbertson) is struggling to make some money after a person from the bank visits the shop. One day, Dino (Dominic Cooper) visits his shop and he wants Tobey and his crew to work on a car created by Carroll Shelby in exchange for 25% of the car's estimated selling price of $2 million.

The Mustang is up for auction. Tobey meets an English girl named Julia Maddon (Imogen Poots). Tobey claims that the car can go 230 mph when Julia asked how fast the car could go after checking out the engine underneath the hood. The next morning, Tobey goes out and test the Mustang where it goes 234 mph. Dino reprimands Tobey of his actions and Julia and her boss take the car for $2.7 million. Pete says that Tobey is a better driver than Dino; so, Dino prompts Pete and Tobey to race against him proving who is the better driver. After the race, tragedy strikes and Tobey is sentenced to prison for two years after a crime he did not commit. Two years later, he wants to avenge his friend's death and swear revenge on Dino.

Look at that beautiful crash.

This movie has a very basic and formulaic plot unfortunately because this is the similar plot of a Fast and Furious movie. But, if it is formulaic, then it has the chance to become entertaining. Unfortunately, the plot is not. My problem is that when filmmakers try to adapt material from a board game, such as the awful Battleship, they try too hard to make it like the video game or a board game. It seems like their films are a parody of themselves and then putting in uninteresting characters in an un-thriling plot. Plus, the movie moves at a slow pace for such a fast-paced genre.

Aaron Paul definitely has potential to become an actual movie star, after he starred with Bryan Cranston on the eclectic and exhilarating show, Breaking Bad. However, he is ok because his character is just not interesting. Dominic Cooper has some fun, but he does not prove that he blends in as a memorable villain. He just smirks and grins in a villainous way. Imogen Poots provides some sexy moments as a strong female character, but she feels stock compared to Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster in the Fast and Furious franchise. And, I have one question: What the hell is Michael Keaton doing in this movie? I guess he wants a big paycheck because his character is irrelevant.

I do not think that this movie is an awful movie because the action and racing sequences are exhilarating and colorful. The filmmakers choreography some of the racing with intricate detail. But as the sequences are over, the movie is forgettable and the reason for the characters racing recklessly is just preposterous and uninteresting. In the end, the plot just turns out to be stupid and the filmmakers wanted to persuade the audience to just enjoy the ride and clear out your brain. It's just like a video game. That's what it is. This movie is a disappointing video game with energy and spark in the action sequences, but uninteresting characters in an uninteresting plot. Let's just wait for Fast and Furious 7.

**