Need For Speed might be the most successful racing video game, but it falls flat when compared to other racing movies. In fact, it wouldn’t even be in the conversation.

And that’s how my first-ever movie review begins. 

You should take note that I’m not a movie critic, but I know what I like and Need For Speed ain’t it. It’s always difficult to destroy new cars when we review them, because with current technologies, quality control and safety regulations – it’s hard to really find a terrible car. Movies, well they’re a different story. 

The movie stars Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul in his first leading role and is produced by DreamWorks and distributed by Walt Disney. With the success of the Fast & Furious franchise, it appears to me that Disney was hoping to capitalize on that audience, not to mention the hordes of Breaking Bad fans.

The major difference I found between the franchise and this new movie is a believable plot. For all those ready to pounce on me for that comment, I understand, that Need For Speed is not supposed to be up for an Oscar award. I get it. I also understand that you’re supposed to check your brain at home before seeing these movies. But I cannot apologize for feeling a sense of sadness that I had to sit through a movie that made no sense at all. I struggled to see past that and only enjoy the beautiful cars and there are plenty of them.

I won’t get into too much detail, as you can judge for yourself, but I will set-up the story for you. Paul plays Tobey Marshall, a skilled mechanic and racer who never seemed to get his big break in racing or in business. He owns a garage handed down from his late father and is assisted by a skilled crew of friends. The shop is suffering from a lull in business, so Tobey has been illegally racing to cover some much-needed expenses with help from his same crew of friends. 

The first part I don’t get is the amount of equipment and technology Tobey’s group can afford to have to support this underground race. He barely has any money to keep the shop open, but they have similar technology as a Formula One team to help win a paltry $5K? 

Needing a quick influx of cash, Tobey agrees to help an old-rival and current race car driver, Dino Brewster (played by Dominic Cooper) build the last Ford Mustang GT500 that Carroll Shelby was working on before he passed. It’s a deal that Tobey can’t pass up and his crew completes this honourable task, but instead of collecting his much needed cash – Tobey accepts an ego-driven race wager pitting him against Dino.

If you can’t tell by now, Dino is the quintessential bad guy. Things go wrong (I won’t give it away), but Tobey is wrongly sent to jail (well wrongly for what he was charged with) and Dino gets off scot-free. 

Once released, Tobey seeks revenge by beating Dino in the famous yet secret illegal race called the DeLeon that’s hosted by Michael Keaton, who plays a millionaire online radio jockey called Monarch. Tobey clearly needs a car for this race and calls on Julia Maddon (played by Imogen Poots) who works for the company that bought that re-built GT500. She insists on joining Tobey on their two-day, cross-country journey from New York to San Francisco (remember, it’s a secret location). 

A big hurdle in this plan is that Monarch hand picks the entrants for the DeLeon, so Tobey needs to get his attention somehow. Luckily, after a few car stunts while escaping a car chase in the one-of-a-kind ‘Stang, Monarch gets wind of it and is salivating over entering Tobey into the DeLeon.

Throughout the movie, the title holds true, as all the racers in the DeLeon have a need for speed. That has to be the case, as almost every car minus the winner gets trashed throughout the race and all of the drivers get arrested. Get ready for the winning prize of the DeLeon - all of the other cars in the race! This actually equates to nothing. Such a shame.

There are a few other parts I don’t get, most importantly, the fact that Dino was never confirmed as a DeLeon entry until we learn, after Tobey departs for San Francisco, that he’s tight for cash and will enter the race to keep his own business running. Another part is that if the race is so secret, why do the cops know where they are immediately after the start of the race? Not to mention that everyone can watch the live feed of the race on their iPad or laptop? Unfortunately, these questions will never be answered and Michael Keaton will always have this in his acting credits (did I mention he was the worst character in this movie?).

I need to stop talking plot, as I can go on forever and I don’t want to ruin the movie for you. There are great racing scenes and if you’re a car enthusiast, which I assume you are if you’re reading this review, you’ll enjoy the supercars that are involved throughout the movie, especially in the final DeLeon race. This is the only movie where you will see the likes of the Bugatti Veryon, Koenigsegg Agera R, McLaren P-1, Lamborghini Sesto Elemento and the 2015 Ford Mustang. 

Outside of the supercars and racing the movie has its moments, well maybe only a few that involved a Piers Morgan joke and another that had a weird co-worker really happy about one of the crew members stripping after walking out on his day job to go help Tobey win the DeLeon.

Perhaps, I’m overly negative or just need a movie that’s less predictable. See it for yourself and let me know your thoughts – I truly hope I dreamt this all up and it wasn’t that bad. Need For Speed opens in theatres throughout North America on March 14th and can be seen in 3D.