Review of Need for Speed (2014) by Nora P — 28 Jul 2014

Whenever a movie comes out based on video games, I am always hesitant and I am always expecting a failure, just look at the dismal Mortal Kombat and Double Dragon or worse yet Street Fighter. Having seen the reviews of the movie and the overall rating provided by critics I can honestly say I was going to be falling asleep or changing the movie halfway through. This is not the case.

In all honesty after watching Need for Speed I have to look at the critics and ask "What is your problem? Have you forgotten what it means to go to the movies? Are you more interested in the dull sexual exploits of individuals rather than what it means to be entertained?" I can only surmise that critics prefer overly boring mundane things to have a movie be good and receive a decent rating.

Need for Speed DELIVERS. It does not rely on fast cars or action sequences - what made this movie was the story development and character development. This is what sells it, the cars are just bonus eye-candy and the car sequences are what we would expect, even though some are obviously waiting for some overly done CGI effects or impossible stunts that could not be achieved without using CGI. In fact, I would not be surprised if hardly any CG was used in the action sequences. Need for Speed feels real, it does not feel fake at all.

This movie will not win Academy Awards, it will not go on to earn some prestigous merit, but it is made what movies are for - pure escapism. You cannot not feel something for the characters, you cannot help but get excited in the car sequences and you just cannot wait to see what the outcome will be. If you want something that you will not be wasting an evening on, this is it. A truly worthwhile movie and I cannot wait to see what the director and script writers will be doing next.