Blu-ray Review "Need for Speed"

Actors: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Ramon Rodriguez, Michael Keaton
Directors: Scott Waugh
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Run Time: 130 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Movies basked on video game series always are a risk. Don’t know why but they usually never pan out. “Need for Speed” is no different here. What the film does have is an great cast including Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”), Dominic Cooper (“Mamma Mia!”) and Michael Keaton (“Batman”) and some amazing stunt driving work…other than that this runs out of gas very quickly. There is no shortage of action and some great stunts for sure, I have to give it that. But every racing movie is trying to be the next “Fast and the Furious” franchise and this again is no different. You can tell that they were hoping for that in this film. Unless you are a huge fan of anything racing, steer clear…get it 😉 (no good?) Did I just get a flat there?

Official Premise: Buckle up with Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul, BREAKING BAD) as he sets out on a mission of revenge against wealthy and arrogant Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit. Tobey pushes his limits to the max in a high-octane race across America, hitting the road with the world’s most exotic supercars — delivering real speed, real danger and real action. Adapted from the top-selling video game franchise — and complete with never-before-seen bonus features — NEED FOR SPEED is the ultimate thrill ride.

Despite the film being good for not, what the Need for Speed does have though is a phenomenal Blu-ray AV presentation. The 1080p transfer is really solid and showcases the practical stunt effects very well. The colors are also very crisp. Match that with an even better DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, which is absolutely perfect here. I just wish Disney wouldn’t have abandoned releasing 3D Blu-rays. First it was “Frozen”, now this and next “Maleficent”. Really bummed. Even though, this was post-converted into 3D, I heard it was pretty decent and I would have loved to see it with that added third dimension. This combo pack release from Disney includes the film on Blu-ray and with a Digital HD Ultraviolet digital copy.

The special features are quite impressive. There is an solid audio commentary track with both the Director Scott Waugh and actor Aaron Paul chatting about the film every which way but Sunday. “Capturing Speed: Making an Authentic Car Movie” is a short but solid behind-the-scenes look. “Ties that Bind” talks about how making this film was a family affair with the crew. “The Circus Is in Town” talks about getting cars together for a multi-location shoot. “The Sound of Need for Speed” focuses on composer Nathan Furst. Lastly there are four deleted scenes, an outtake and a trailer for the new video game “Need for Speed: Rivals”.

Blu-ray Review “Need for Speed”

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