“Need for Speed” the film featuring local locales based on a video game series of the same name is a movie made for fun times and not Oscar awards. It’s full of high speed, pun intended, car chases and ridiculously raucous road rambunctiousness. I have to say that I was presently surprised by the film, it’s not awesome, but it’s not atrocious either. It’s just a good fun time.The film begins with Tobey Marshall, Jesse to most people, struggling with bad breaks in finances with his auto shop, which specializes in high performance automobiles, despite Jesse’s penchant for racing at the Mount Kisco Drive In, which along with the shop that Jesse and they guys work in, should look awfully familiar to North Georgians. I can neither confirm nor deny if “The Mayor Burger” was on the Mount Kisco Drive In menu for those interested.

Now this movie is about as predictable as it gets but that’s okay, if you see this you just want to see fast cars, explosions and more fast cars, which is okay. That being said, SPOILER ALERT: not since we met Goose in Top Gun has a movie foreshadowed tragedy so thoroughly.

Without giving too much away, Jesse, ends up in some trouble falsely accused blah blah blah, and now it’s time for revenge against the rival who set him, yada, yada, yada. Add in pretty blond English lady and now we have some romantic chemistry, back to the fast cars.

No car movie would be complete with-out the crew and cast of characters that come to the hero’s aid. SPOILER ALERT: There’s a “Maverick” who flies things, and he steals the movie, ALMOST LITERALLY, but if you see it you’ll know what I mean.

Now I must warn you, if you don’t like what I like to call “Die-Hard Moments,” (nobody yells “Yippee Kay Yay..”), then this movie is not for you. “Die-Hard Moments” are when the film just gets totally ridiculous and the hero pulls off feats that go way beyond the bounds of reality. This film is full of them, but I’d like to point out, IT’S BASED ON A VIDEO GAME, so yeah I’ll excuse those moments, of which there are plenty.

Last but not least:
SPOILER ALERTS: 178 DAYS REALLY? “C’MON SON!” I find that just waaaaaaayyyy too hard to believe, and also, THE COUSIN TERIO DANCE? “Oooh Kill Em’!”

Overall, I’d say I was pleasantly surprised, as I had low expectations and only wanted to see it due the local ties. It’s just a good fun time, that’s high on fast cars, and low on realism. I would say that the 3-D was a little underwhelming, especially when you consider I have seen that many car explosions since Paul Walker’s highlight reel, too soon?