Let's face it; Need For Speed isn't really a video game adaptation, or at least I never saw it as one. A Need For Speed movie could take any direction it wanted to, it just needs to feature fancy cars and some cool races. It's not comparable to the games, so I don't consider it a video game adaptation, as all it does is take the name of the series. This name obviously gives the movie the boost it needs to help it compete against the 'Fast & Furious' movies, so how does it compare with them? Although better than 'Fast & Furious' 1 – 4, Need For Speed suffers from some serious script problems, and is only elevated by its excellent car sequences and great cast.
Do you want to see a movie with some character development? Don't watch this movie. The characters in Need For Speed are pretty pathetic, they're not very interesting and are very bland, boring and generic. The only motive of the main character seems to be revenge, and we really learn nothing about him as a person and he only receives a small bit of back story at the very beginning of the film. Other characters are uninteresting as well, most of them only serve to either help the main character or stop him. The plot, although not terrible, is fairly disbelievable, and there was much more build up to the final race than what I expected.
Although the characters in Need For Speed suck, the actors clearly do the best they can with their material. This was Aaron Paul's first big movie after 'Breaking Bad', so this is his opportunity to prove he has movie star capabilities. He certainly does, as he absolutely dominates the screen, managing to make a bad character enjoyable to watch. Imogen Poots is also excellent, and so is Michael Keaton. Surprisingly, Scott Mescudi (also known as Kid Cudi) is actually pretty good in his first major role. Granted, his character isn't exactly complex at all, but he does a good job with his material. Dominic Cooper, Rami Malek and Ramon Rodriguez are all good as well.
Need For Speed's strongest suit is obviously its excellent driving sequences. They're thrilling and heart pounding, and the lack of CGI really does the film justice as it makes all of the stunts much more impressive. The film could probably be slightly shorter, but I still had fun throughout it all so it doesn't really matter. Scott Waugh does a great job with directing, the cinematography is outstanding as well. It's just a shame that the writing isn't as good as the action is. I would still recommend Need For Speed, but like many other releases this month it's just silly action with no real substance.
Do you want to see a movie with some character development? Don't watch this movie. The characters in Need For Speed are pretty pathetic, they're not very interesting and are very bland, boring and generic. The only motive of the main character seems to be revenge, and we really learn nothing about him as a person and he only receives a small bit of back story at the very beginning of the film. Other characters are uninteresting as well, most of them only serve to either help the main character or stop him. The plot, although not terrible, is fairly disbelievable, and there was much more build up to the final race than what I expected.
Although the characters in Need For Speed suck, the actors clearly do the best they can with their material. This was Aaron Paul's first big movie after 'Breaking Bad', so this is his opportunity to prove he has movie star capabilities. He certainly does, as he absolutely dominates the screen, managing to make a bad character enjoyable to watch. Imogen Poots is also excellent, and so is Michael Keaton. Surprisingly, Scott Mescudi (also known as Kid Cudi) is actually pretty good in his first major role. Granted, his character isn't exactly complex at all, but he does a good job with his material. Dominic Cooper, Rami Malek and Ramon Rodriguez are all good as well.
Need For Speed's strongest suit is obviously its excellent driving sequences. They're thrilling and heart pounding, and the lack of CGI really does the film justice as it makes all of the stunts much more impressive. The film could probably be slightly shorter, but I still had fun throughout it all so it doesn't really matter. Scott Waugh does a great job with directing, the cinematography is outstanding as well. It's just a shame that the writing isn't as good as the action is. I would still recommend Need For Speed, but like many other releases this month it's just silly action with no real substance.