Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

mst 29JUN2014 - 6Might be the best Animated Film of the Year

Star Ratings

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is currently performing at number 2 in the box office. DreamWorks has done it again, so expect them to remain on the top of the list for some time.

In How to Train Your Dragon 2 we meet up with the same characters several years after the first installment. The Vikings have changed and are now embracing their dragon residents, going as far as to give them their own specially constructed stable. Stoick (voice of Gerard Butler) is still running things, but he is attempting to convince son Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), to take over the roll of chief. Hiccup has no desire to lead and instead spends most of his time riding around on his dragon, Toothless, much to the frustration of his girlfriend Astrid (America Ferrera). At one point, Hiccup discovers a group of “dragon catchers”. He learns that a warlord by the name of Drago (Djimon Hounsou) is assembling an army of dragons. He attempts to work things out peacefully, but things don’t go as planned and he is waylaid by the fierce dragon rider Valka (Cate Blanchett).

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a bit darker than the original and really focuses on things like loyalty, family and taking responsibility. Carefree Hiccup is a great foil to his responsibility laden father Stoick. This time around, there isn’t really a feeling that everything is going to work out and you’re left wondering if there will be a happily ever after.

There are plenty of action scenes and those scenes are suspenseful and heart pounding. Fabulous animation makes this movie visually stunning and appealing to younger viewers and older viewers alike. While the 3D is well done, it feels unnecessary.

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This movie doesn’t seem as well suited to younger viewers as the original was, considering that it contains both war and death, which is some pretty heavy subject matter for an under 12 audience.

The actors in this film really give great personalities to their characters and no one falls flat. Cate Blanchett was an excellent edition to the cast and seems to know her way around voicing a character. Butler and Baruchel both manage to keep their characters true to life and charismatic.

The movie has a socially conscious message, which is pretty rare for animated films. In a way it reminded me a bit of Fern Gully, which also had a heavy message portrayed in a light way. Sometimes it gets a bit too heavy and I wish they’d managed to keep this movie as light as the original, but that’s just me. Maybe the transition into a more dramatic movie was a necessary part of the character development.

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In a year of disappointing sequels, How to Train Your Dragon 2 manages to outdo the original. I doubt the trend will continue when the inevitable 3rd installment comes out, but for now, I’m just enjoying the ride. DreamWorks has a winner in this film and will find an audience of fans in both young and old viewers. Aside from the Lego Movie, this movie might actually be the best animated movie to come out this year.  Watch the official trailer below:

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Movie Review: 22 Jump Street (2014)

MST 29JUN2014 - 1Just as good, if not better, than the Original.

Star Ratings

This week at the theater, sequels rule the box office. As I was a fan of the first updated version of 21 Jump Street, I elected to check out the sequel.

22 Jump Street takes off directly after the boys have graduated high school (for the second time). This time around they are heading off to go undercover at a local college. Schmidt (Jonah Hill) gets involved in the Bohemian Art scene while Jenko (Channing Tatum) meets a kindred spirit on the football team. Thanks to those different paths, the guys start to wonder if their partnership is the best partnership for them. While the two start to grow apart, they also have to uncover a drug ring without blowing their covers.

I’ll be honest; this movie is the exact same script as the first time around. Only the scenery changes. But that didn’t stop it from working. Clever one liners, snappy dialog and endearing characters make this just as funny as the original.

Hill still has that magical, self-depreciating humor and dead pan delivery. Tatum plays buffoonery like it’s an art form.

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In the first edition, some of the best parts came at the car chases. This second time around is no exception and the car chases still have that fantastic cartoonish quality that makes them both hilarious and suspenseful.

Capt. Dickson (Ice Cube) is back and running things out of a Vietnamese church this time. Expect some fantastic back and forth between the boy’s antics and Ice Cube’s perpetually pissed take on the character. What I like is that all the characters are fully aware of how similar the story line is to the first one and they don’t shy away from that. In fact, Capt. Dickson goes as far as to tell the characters to do ‘the exact same thing you did last time’.

This rendition goes deeper into the relationship between Schmidt and Jenko, even going as far as to send the duo to couples therapy. There is much bro love and bro jealousy in this film and it is played off well by Tatum and Hill, thanks to their incredible chemistry.

Dare I say it? Hill and Tatum could possibly be the next Hollywood it couple.

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There are some clever female love interests in the movie, but they really take a back seat to the couple that is Hill and Tatum. These two are so endearing it’s impossible to not root for them.

If you were a fan of the original, then you will not be let down by 22 Jump Street. This sequel is just as good, if not better, than the original. As long as they keep the dialog fantastic and the gags hilarious, I’d have no problem going to watch 23 Jump Street or any other sequel they decide to make, no matter how many times they keep the same story line.

If you are looking for a great comedy, even if you’ve never seen 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street is absolutely worth the watch.  Watch the official trailer below:

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Movie Review: The Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Edge of Tomorrow - 1Tense,Exciting and full of Surprises.

Star Ratings

Oh, Tom Cruise, you will never give up will you? At the tender age of 51, you just keep trying. Sometimes, you hit the nail on the head, like “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” while other times you leave me staring at the screen going WTF? (see Oblivion). But this time, you might have just proven that you are not too old to keep playing angst filled action stars. It must be those boyish good looks.

The “Edge of Tomorrow” is a near future alien flick where an alien race is attacking earth and just giving it a good old fashioned smack down. Enter Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) a completely unseasoned military officer who has never seen a day of combat. Seeing how useless he is, the military sends him on a suicide mission, where he is almost instantly killed. Then starts a kick ass Groundhog Day premise, where Cage is forced to live out the same battle over and over and over again, getting increasingly better every single time. He is assisted in his mission by butt-kicking chick Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who is stuck in the same time loop with him. The only way they can escape it is to defeat the enemy.

Cruise seems to have gotten out of his ‘high-intensity all the time’ mold and has made this character more human and relatable. In most movies I’ve seen him in; he seems incapable of showing fear. In this one, he actually seems the best when he’s most afraid.

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The premise is a good one and Cruise shines in these sci-fi style movies that he’s grown so much in. This is not your Cruise of Top Gun fame anymore. Instead, he’s a flawed captain who you want to see triumph.

I liked the fact that the female lead was tougher than the guy in this one and Blunt shines as Special Forces Warrior Rita. She isn’t just ‘the girl’ as often happens to females in action roles. Instead, she is a fully fleshed character in her own right, whose story unfolds throughout the movie.

Usually with these Groundhog Day movies, the repetition can become too drawn out and make you a bit sick of the movie. In this one, because Cruise gets a bit further each time, you never feel like you’re watching the same tedious scene over and over and over again. Instead, each new trip in the loop is filled with new revelations and new excitement. Cruise’s character goes through his own gradual transformation during these trips, no matter how many times he’s brutally killed.

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As for my complaints on the movie, the special effects really weren’t that special. The aliens were giant metal space bugs…so overdone. Cruise has a scene where he has to make it to the bottom of the fully submerged Louvre. The scene is reminiscent of The Davinci Code…which is something that all movie makers should avoid under all circumstances.

Also, cruise in a giant metal suit is too overpowering. He looked like a little boy dressing up in his big brothers’ Transformer’s uniform.

But other than that, the movie is tense, exciting and full of surprises. If you every wanted to see what would happen if Groundhog Day had Transformers and giant metal space bugs, the Edge of Tomorrow is worth the watch.  Watch the official Trailer Below

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Movie Review: The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014)

angriestmanposterlargeNot As Good As the Actors In it

3.5 stars

Even though it hasn’t been heavily advertised, I just had to see this movie. Why? Because it includes some of my favorite actors including Robin Williams, Mila Kunis and even Peter Dinklage (the man who puts the Pimp in Imp in Game of Thrones). I went with no idea of what it was about or even what genre it was in. I went in because I was that sucked in by the headliners.

Luckily, the premise was wonderful. Robin Williams plays Henry, a man who is always angry and always in a bad mood. After getting pissed off at his doctor Dr. Sharon Gill (Mila Kunis), because she tells him he has a brain aneurysm, he goes on a crazy rant. That rant irritates Sharon, who makes a huge error in judgment and chooses to tell Henry that he only has 90 minutes left to live. Henry storms out, and then decides with his last hour and a half to make amends with the people he has hurt due to his anger.

The movie is sticky sentimental, as is often the case with Robin Williams’ films, but it still works, maybe because it’s a Robin Williams film. It’s well paced. The movie dips between who Harry is now and how he got that way, via the use of flashbacks. As with all Robin William’s movies, there is a terrible tragedy in his characters past.

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They also manage to parallel Kunis’ character’s story easily into the movie, as she clearly has her own issues. The movie sends her on a romp through New York City, hunting down Henry and resolving her problems.

Dinklage plays Henry’s estranged younger brother and the interaction between the two of them is fantastic, being both dramatic and hilarious. One of the big problems that Henry has is how little time he has to make amends. As a result, no one believes him when he tries and by the time they do, it’s too late.

I think this movie could have used a little bit more actual comedy and a little less of the frantic pace. I understand the guy has 90 minutes to live, but it was exhausting to watch and the characters didn’t feel fully developed, other than the stars.

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Phil Alden Robinson is a Hollywood legend when it comes to directing, and he came out of semi-retirement after 10 years to make this movie. He brought us movies like Field of Dreams and the Sum of All fears, so this guy knows his way around a great script.

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn isn’t as good as the actors that star in it. Despite that fact that Henry allegedly has 90 minutes to live, the film comes in at only 78 minutes and a lot of it feels rushed and frantic. William’s ratings are great, but are overdone for the purposes of trying to squeeze a laugh out of the audience in what is actually a very depressing movie.

Despite all that, it’s still worth the watch, thanks to the efforts of the actors involved.  Watch the official Trailer below:

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Movie Review: Blended (2014)

blended_ver6_xlgDrew and Sandler Fall victim to a Lazy Screenplay

stars

I love Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler together. While I am not much of a romantic comedy fan, as far as I’m concerned, the Wedding Singer is the absolute standard when it comes to rom-coms. When they teemed up again in 50 First Dates, I was again floored by the combination of their chemistry, as well as their comedic timing. I truly hoped to see that come through in Blended.

It starts off with a great premise. After a absolutely terrible blind date, single parents to multiple children Lauren (Drew Barrymore) and Jim (Adam Sandler) agree that they are not meant to be and that there will not be a second date. Fate has other things in mind and they both sign up for separate family vacations at the same luxury resort for an African safari. Of course, they wind up sharing the same suite, dealing with each other’s out of controls kids and regularly getting assaulted by various exotic animals.

I am pleased to say that Barrymore and Sandler still have that same fantastic chemistry that makes you know there is going to be a happy ending. Despite this great chemistry, the plot of the movie and the eventual happy ending is a bit of a let down.

As a single parent, I can tell you that the reason I date someone isn’t because he’d great for my kid. While that’s a deal breaker, it is only part of what I seek out in a partner. This movie treats single parents like they should simply choose the partner who is best with their children, regardless of how little they actually like that person.

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The roles were underwritten for Sandler and Barrymore. In fact, the roles were flat, two dimensional stereotypes of men and women. She’s a nagging neat freak, pearl clutching professional closet organizer. He’s a dirty schlub who owns a sports store and can’t bear to hear the word ‘tampon.’

But there are some fantastic moments, like Terry Crews playing a resort singer who is far too interested in the couple getting together or a few of the cruder scenes involved animals.

Unfortunately, I really feel like the screenplay writer left far too much up to Barrymore and Sandler to carry this off. The laughs are there, I’ll give them that, but the dialog isn’t. Even though the chemistry is there, we don’t really feel the motivation for the couple getting together in the end, other than they’d make great step parents.

BLENDED

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The dialog wasn’t there and them being forced to share a hotel suite was contrived. They just happened to show up at a hotel where the main idea there is helping blended families get to know each other? Really? Come on.

I can’t give this movie high rankings like I would have 50 First Dates or The Wedding Singer. Barrymore and Sandler still shine. The child actors involved weren’t half bad at all. But they were all let down by a poorly written script with poorly written characters. Watch the official trailer below.

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Movie Review: Mom’s Night Out (2014)

moms-night-out-Tries too hard and fails

1 star

When Christians try too hard to prove how fun they are, you get movies like Mom’s Night Out. Offensive to both genders and utterly out of touch with reality, Mom’s Night Out makes me want to call social services.

In Mom’s Night Out, a group of clichés including the frazzled, stay-at-home mom; the well-meaning, absent dad; the flighty best friend; the snooty restaurant hostess and any other cliché you can cram in there are interact in this jumbled, ridiculous mess of a comedy.

While you’re trying to cipher that mess, you’ll get interrupted with over the top chirpy narrative and helpful graphics. It seriously like someone meant to write a sitcom, went on too long, and wound up with a terrible movie instead.

The characters are completely out of touch with reality. I’m sorry, but I don’t know any mom who can’t leave the damn house because the men in their lives are grunting morons who are incapable of providing for another human being for 2 hours. I think the moral of this story is ‘if you go out, your family will fall apart.” Honestly, if there were gay bashing in it, I’d think the screenplay was written by Kirk Cameron.

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Either go cute cozy comedy, or go extreme. But don’t try to give me a Christian version of The Hangover. It just doesn’t work.

The one bright shining gem, the flower that grew out of this pot of dirt, was Mr. Trace Atkins, who seems to have a natural talent on the screen. He plays a biker with a heart of gold that gets the movies message across without it coming across preachy. He was naturally suited for the roll and it’s a damn shame that the rest of the movie wasn’t as good as the parts that he was in.

The characters are surprisingly appealing. But the movie doesn’t work. They picked great leads, but gave them clichéd characters that really have no place in reality. The antics were over the top and the plot itself required a serious suspense of logic.

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Also, tattoo parlors haven’t been scary or intimidating since Miami Ink came out in 2005. Would it have been too hard to have these ladies at least go to a dive bar? I mean, that’s where I go on Mom’s Night Out. Things would have been a lot more plausible.

If you like your comedies extremely light on funny, then you can check out Mom’s Night Out. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s worth the watch. It’s a movie that tries too hard and fails, despite an incredibly appealing cast. While it doesn’t go over the top preachy, you’re left to wonder, why focus on the Christen element at all?

Mom’s night out is a formulaic movie that relies heavily on plot coincidences and leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth. There is already enough guilt involved in being a mom. We don’t need to also be convinced that the world will fall apart if we go out for three hours.  If you are still interested watch the official trailer below:

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Movie Review: Brick Mansions (2014)

brick-mansions-poster-paul-walker-official Terrible plot, Weird pacing and Dull dialog

2 Stars

You know how you’re not supposed to speak ill of the dead? Well, if Paul Walker wanted that to happen, he wouldn’t have made this movie and then died. I’m pretty sure he’s in heaven right now, wishing we’d just forgotten about this little gem.

In a dystopian Detroit that looks strangely similar to current Detroit, criminals now live in abandoned brick mansions. So of course, as dystopian cops are apt to do, they put a big wall up around itf. Undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) battles against corruptions while a good guy in a bad place Lino (David Belle), fights to live an honest life. Then, drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend. Lino and Damien teams up 48 hours style to stop a sinister plot to destroy Detroit.

Oh, contrived plot coincidences, you do bring me joy. Remember in the 1980s, when every villain was Russian and nuclear warheads were the easiest thing in the world to steal? Well, the villains might have changed, but those WMDs are apparently kept in an unlocked barn someone, because the bad guys in this one have one of them.

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Walker was good, but he wasn’t allowed to play to his strengths and his part was underdeveloped. Belle’s plot was over developed, and the guy apparently moves like the human equivalent of Donkey Kong. This movie is parkour heavy. You know, that version of ‘extreme walking?”

I have a new slogan for Parkour. “Parkour: the sport for people who can’t afford equipment.”

I’m sorry, when I picture bad ass buddy cop movie, I’m picturing Eddie Murphy close lining some dude with a car door in “48 hours”. I’m picturing Bruce Willis jumping off a roof while flipping off a terrorist he just exploded in “Die Hard”.

I’m not picturing a dude that ‘walks extreme’. And slow-mo does not belong in this movie, period. Someone doing slow-mo Parkour just looks sillier than they already do.

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You know what’s weird though? The movie this was based on District 13, was actually good. I remember enjoying it. What was that, 10 years ago? That would explain the sudden reappearance of Parkour.

Seriously, timely stuff Delamarre. What’s next? An in depth movie about the scandals in the eight track industry?

Delamarre, the editor-turned-director for this movie doesn’t seem to have a good grasp of filming action. It’s kind of paint by numbers stuff. Slow down for explosions, speed up for fights. I kind of felt like Delamarre was trying to do the opposite and it just didn’t work.

I’ve heard that this is Paul Walkers final film, but I really hope I was misinformed. Walker had talent and it wasn’t his fault this movie underused him. But a terrible plot, weird pacing and dull dialog make Brick Mansions hard to watch. It’s a shame that Walker had to go out in such a note.

While I can’t recommend Brick Mansions, I will say he was fantastic in his other posthumously released film Hours. It really showcased his incredible range and I highly recommend seeing it. Below is the official trailer: [youtube id=”WwkUQrIBLCY” width=”633″ height=”356″]

Movie Review: A Haunted House 2 (2014)

a_haunted_house_2_movie_poster_2Who even owns a rubber chicken?

2 Stars

It’s frightening, in a bad way, and funny in a bad way as well. Marlon Wayans’ comedy “A Haunted House” initially made about $40 million at the box office, so of course he’s going to latch on to that franchise. A Haunted House 2, which, like the nearly identical first one, parodies other popular horror films including “Dark Skies” and the “Last Exorcism” movies, among a long list of others.

We meet Malcolm (Wayans) as he is moving into his new home with girlfriend, Megan (Jaime Pressly). This is after his last girlfriend from “A Haunted House,” the demonically possessed Kisha (Essence Atkins), (SPOILER ALERT) has died in a car wreck. Megan has a young son, who of course spits more profanities than a trucker (Steele Stebbins), and a super trampy daughter, Becky (Ashley Rickards). The house has other residents as well. There’s evil unseen play mate Tony (think “Paranormal Activity 3”), and Abigail, an evil doll (think any movie with an evil doll) — and countless surveillance cameras. Malcolm gets his neighbor (Gabriel Iglesias), as well as married exorcists (Missi Pyle and Hayes MacArthur); and his friend Father Williams (Cedric the Entertainer, back from the last installment) to help.

For some reason, this movie is a lot like a middle aged woman who’s never been married in a single’s bar; shrill, needy and desperate to prove it’s having a good time. This combination doesn’t work for women or movies.

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Relentless pop culture references abound and the movie is one parody after another. It makes me long for the days where the Wayans would write a move and stick to one general parody, rather than pile them on top of each other until they were barely decipherable.

As far as laughs goes, A Haunted House 2 misses. When they can’t squeeze out laughs doing to 800 different plot lines, stuffed in to fit the jokes, they just do something gross. Seriously, I did not need to see an adult man have relations with a doll.

All the actors are back, and they seem woefully unaware of the how terrible their movie is. They play their oblivious parts easily, and don’t seem to realize that the gag just isn’t funny anymore.

Thanks to teenage boys, the Wayans will stay in business until the day they die, as long as they keep spitting out one tired, overstuffed movie after another. It doesn’t feel like their trying anymore.

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These movies are box office gold, because they can be done on a minimal budget, and bring in a ton of cash. Based on how many times Wayans’ wrestled with inanimate objects as part of the big scene, I can only guess that the prop budget was around $8.

Who even owns a rubber chicken?

A Haunted House 2 is nothing more than yet another installment of a hauntingly obvious cash grab. The jokes don’t land, the plots are recycled, and all they characters play like oversexed stereotypes with brain damage. Once you leave the theater, you’ll be finding yourself saying “yeah, that was a Wayans’ movie all right”.  Here is the official trailer below:

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Movie Review: Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014)

Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014) movie posterNOT AS SMART AS THE ORIGINAL BUT STILL A REAL TREAT

Star Ratings

I am so glad I have a kid, because I can go to children’s movies without looking like a complete weirdo. While occasionally, it might suck to get dragged to the movies to see some crappy piece of merchandizing by Disney (i.e. The Croods), occasionally, it just plain rocks when I get to see films like Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is a dog who is a lot like the US Armed forces. He accomplishes more before 6 am than most people do every day. By his side is the mischievous boy sidekick Sherman (Max Charles). The two use their WABAC machine (time machine) to go on crazy adventures though time. Then, Sherman hijacks the machine and accidentally rips a hole in the space/time continuum. It’s up to Mr. Peabody to fix Sherman’s mistake and keep some of the most important events in history from disappearing entirely.

You know when I really like a children’s movie? When it is truly educational and doesn’t fudge facts to fit a stupid plotline (like ‘Barnyards’ male cow lead or ‘Free Birds’ complete obliteration of the facts of the first Thanksgiving.) Mr. Peabody doesn’t fudge facts or pander. In fact, he give a socially conscious satire of many things that might fly over the heads of a children’s audience, but will still resonate with adult viewers.

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If you’re old like me, then you know that this movie is based on an old cartoon of the same name. I don’t know what it was, but when I was a kid, Mr. Peabody could be kind of…well, a snarky asshole to be honest. For some reason, Ty Burrell gives this character a cuddliness that he didn’t have before. His sarcasm and clever quips come across as more “everybody laugh with me’ than “I’m the smartest guy in the room’.

Rob Minkoff, who gave us Stewart Little and the Lion King, manages the direction of this film perfectly. There is never a slow moment and the movie rips through one fast paced bit after another, dropping a little knowledge along the way.

The animation is 3D computer animation, which gives Mr. Peabody and Sherman a new life from the old flat one dimensional cartoons. The movie is a pleasure to the eye, with characters that pop and scenes that captivate the imagination.

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I could have done with a bit less puns. To be 100% honest, this movie is not nearly as smart as the original cartoon, but that’s ok with me. I like to laugh along with cartoons, not feel like they’re laughing about how stupid I am.

If you’re a parent, then you can rest assured that seeing Mr. Peabody and Sherman won’t be a chore. It will be a rare treat. The right casting gave Mr. Peabody some softer edges, while staying true to the original educational nature of the show gave it credibility. Whether you are a baby boomer fan of the original, or looking for a movie to entertain you and your kids, Mr. Peabody and Sherman is worth the watch.

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Movie Review: Need For Speed

need_for_speed_ver3Not the Best, but Entertaining

Star Ratings

I’m usually disappointed when a movie is based on a video game, especially when it’s a game I like. When I learned that Disney was making a “Need for Speed” movie, I was naturally horrified. But the results weren’t half bad.

The protagonist is a mechanic making one last attempt to save his struggling garage. Blue-collar mechanic Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) builds and races cars with his rag tag team of buddies. Enter arch nemesis, the wealthy, arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), who manages to frame Tommy for manslaughter just as he is about to save the day. It’s two years later and Tommy wants revenge.

The movie features a clever snappy script, which was well developed and cleverly executed. I wasn’t expecting a really dramatic premise, but the screenwriter delivered anyway. It’s one part action and one part innocent ex-con bent on revenge drama.

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Of course, what’s a racing movie without car races? These races were interesting, elegant and flawlessly executed. It’s a racing movie that allows you into the car, heightening the suspense. I think a lot of this worked because the producers chose to go with real stunts, as opposed to CGI. The results are realistic and suspenseful, if a little over the top at times.

I mean really, does every car have to explode into flame because it gets hit? Are these cars made of oxygen tanks soaked in gas?

This is Paul’s debut on the big screen, and I think he pulled it off reasonably well. Of course, coming from the role of Jesse, a meth cooking drug dealer in Breaking Bad, playing a blue collar criminal type is obviously Paul’s foray.

It’s not high art by any means. Need for Speed is just like its name, fast paced. It’s pure action and butt kickings, with more than a few explosions thrown in for good measure. You won’t walk away from this movie any smarter, but you’ll definitely be entertained.

need-for-speed-aaron-paul-kid-cudi

 

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They clearly made a point of keeping the script relatively simple and cohesive, which is a refreshing change from the millions of other racing movies out there. This movie has a 70s or 80s racing movie feel, with a $60 million budget. In short, it pulls off pure entertainment.

The supporting players were a bit forgettable. Imigen was the fiery British love interest, but she really didn’t seem to fit into the movie. Michael Keaton as billionaire Monarch just felt silly. Dominic Cooper was a mustache twirling villain cliché of the highest form.

Is it the best movie I’ve seen this year? No. But it might be one of the most entertaining. This is a good Friday night movie, when you don’t want to do a lot of thinking. The plot moves pretty quick (I mean, the kid only does 2 years for manslaughter) and the high speed racing keeps it interesting.

If you’re a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise, then chances are, you will like this movie. If you’re a fan of the video game Need for Speed, you will probably like this movie. It’s fun, just a little bit angsty and not driven by drama or messages. It’s just a good time.