CARS! CARS! CARS! oh, and lots of Corona and hair-gel.

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2002)

First of all, I'd like to say that this movie probably wasn't for me in the first place. I do not own a Honda or Mitsubishi with really loud decals, a $10,000 stereo system, goofy neon lights underneath, a laptop on the dash, and something like "HIGH PERFORMANCE" written across the windshield. Nor, do I own a pair of phat pants or date girls that look like their strait out of "Maxim" magazine. I knew this when I picked up the DVD and wasn't too surprised to see that sort of thing being so deliciously glorified. Plus, I should also confess, I drive rather conservatively and don't quite grasp the cool racer lingo used throughout the script. The guys down at "Jiffy Lube" were able to let me in on a few terms, plus a real good deal on 10w30.
But, with camp appeal aside, I found this movie to not be as exciting as the trailer indicated. There are a few rather tense action scenes hear and there, but were hard to follow after being drowned out by the overblown score. I found it totally unnecessary to be forced to endure the putrid sounds of untalented Limp Bizket when O' Conner (Paul Walker) is so much as stepping out of his car. For a minute or two, I thought I might have been in the latest hip dance club and not my living room working on my second row of Chips Ahoy! I beleive the producers tried to much to appeal to the 15-25 age group and get the clips heavy rotation on MTV. (Hey, doesn't Fred Durst work for them now?) Oh! I'm quite sure the soundtrack is also a hot seller!
But I may kid the music, there's nothing funny about Paul Walker. I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one seeing a clear distinction between this and the Keanu Reeves opus "Point Break." Walker seems to be the lesser version of Keanu. He's not. Keanu isn't even a lesser version of Keanu! I had a tough time deciding between Reeves and Walker as to whose script sounds the most forced and weak-willed macho. It was a tough call. But hey, was Walker in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey?" I think not! Of coarse, this film had so many young, beautiful people I lost Paul in a couple of scenes. So at least he seemed at home. Now, Vin Diesel seems like a likable guy... although I must warn he is a bit scary. Some may liken him to a shaved grizzly.
Oh, and there's the car thing. Again, not my forte. The racing scenes, complete with David Fincher-style CGI, are alot of fun, though. Yet, they seem to be few and far between. Since there is not much to the plot, the writers threw in a thin romance between Walker's character and Diesel's character's sister. Plus, there's an Asian gang that fill in as the film's villians... I guess. The idea of Walker as some sort of "loose cannon" cop is a bit laughable, as he is kind of a wuss. But, at least his boss was very understanding and not the kind that says thing like, "I need some hard evidence, now!" like we usually find in action movies.
But, if you are a fan of import-car racing (and chugging down warm bottles of Corona) this is a movie for you! I am afraid that it will influence more youngsters to apply those silly muffler caps and white tail light lenses to the cars their parents bought for them. But, it's all harmless in the end.
Seth's rating: C+