Need for Speed (2014)
The EA logo features in the opening credits of Need for Speed. It is a pertinent reminder that you are watching a movie based upon a popular video game franchise. Although the games in their various incarnations have always offered entertaining driving action they have never been known for the depth of their narrative. Bear this in mind if you go and see Need for Speed. If you’ve seen the trailer then you have pretty much become acquainted with the lion’s share of the story line. However I’m pretty sure that the target audience will not be going to see Need for Speed for its dense plot. The movies appeal is based upon its set pieces and vehicular stunts. Fans will expect everything to be turned up to eleven. Well the bad news is that its not and it shows.
It was decided during the production of Need for Speed that physical stunt work would be used instead of CGI. Therefore what you see on the big screen is genuine, much to the credit of the cast and the stunt team. However the movie lumbers on for a arduous two hours and ten minutes. The running time to action sequence ratio is surprisingly low, leaving Need for Speed distinctly underwhelming. I found myself in the curious situation where I wanted more explosions, noise, mayhem and pointless destruction. Furthermore in the screening I attended, the audience (mainly teenage males) seemed distinctly restless. When I left the theatre I heard several conversations that made inevitable comparisons to The Fast and the Furious franchise.
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