Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: March 14, 2014
6.5
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Generally favorable reviews based on 539 Ratings
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316
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123
Negative:
100
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3
quincytheodoreMar 16, 2014
As one knows, acquiring the name of a driving game franchise immediately legitimizes a movie adaptation, giving unique character needed to differentiate it from Fast and Furious. Regardless of how thin plot from any Need for Speed games are,As one knows, acquiring the name of a driving game franchise immediately legitimizes a movie adaptation, giving unique character needed to differentiate it from Fast and Furious. Regardless of how thin plot from any Need for Speed games are, the movie manages to trip itself with overly inconceivably ridiculous story and actually failing an already low expectation. It's a fusion of hot mess with barely any charisma, only offering display of expensive cars, as the movie constantly brags, and high level of stupidity on everything it does. Fans would be better off attending car shows.

Story is completely absurd, while motivations are necessary as reasons for the lethal unlawful races, the movie would've been better if characters would just race randomly. They make plot holes in every turns; it has surpassed the redeeming point long before they reach finish line. People would do things so numbingly reckless simply because Fast and Furious clearly inspired them, not to mention script and screenplay are done haphazardly, there's little to no humor or emotional investment to be had.

Aaron Paul as Tobey Marshall tries to put some sense of personality with gruff voice. He looks tense and worried in almost all scenes, probably trying to decipher of the script. Imogen Poots as Julia Maddon is a complete waste of space. Never mind it's stupid for a car dealer to be involved deeply in the first place, she has neither charm nor wit to hold a scene. Probably the purpose she's badly shoehorned is she's blond and has thick English accent, a supposed independent love interest, but she's just nagging, yelling obvious things or trying to ensure the audience how radical the stunts are.

The rest of ragtag team is stereotype support characters, such as the savvy mechanic, another savvy mechanic who can only be differentiated by stripping erratically, and a pilot who arrives timely with array of aerial vehicles, always cracking jokes. The movie never decides whether they are a fully coordinated team or just a bunch of clowns. And there's Michael Keaton, who passionately wants to sell the movie as if he's a used car salesman. Throwing high tag prices and misleading dramatization of what's actually a life-threatening road rage disguised as a race on par with F1, where the participants are constantly facing the threat of death or incarceration. He does a good job or narrating crash near a bus school and mocking the police as cool things.

Its racing scenes are admittedly pretty decent. There are some scenes that utilize camera angles very well, like occasional drivers' perspective or strategically placed shots of near misses and crashes. They exhibit orotund energy, conveying the fast heated rivalry. If only the movie focuses more on this aspect instead of the nonsensical plot, doesn't try too hard to be pretentiously dramatic or funny, it could've been fun to watch. Furthermore, the movie is about two hours, that's a lot of time to drive in obscurity.

With idiotic story, poor attempt on comedy and altogether bad acting, Need for Speed ruins yet another video game adaptation and hopefully crashes so terribly, there won't be a sequel.
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3 of 8 users found this helpful35
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2
BigadamJan 16, 2015
Alright; first off, this movie clearly panders towards the Need for Speed fans. I'm somewhat of a layman when it comes to movies like this. There are people who just love fast cars, they go crazy whenever they see a Ferrari or Lamborghini orAlright; first off, this movie clearly panders towards the Need for Speed fans. I'm somewhat of a layman when it comes to movies like this. There are people who just love fast cars, they go crazy whenever they see a Ferrari or Lamborghini or some **** I'm not one of those people.
Although this movie fails on every level, I can't blame it too much. it's pretty much for 12 year olds and car fetishists, and I'm not either one of those. If you are however, and you happen to lack any sort of good taste, then this is the perfect movie for you. No intelligence required, just 90 minutes of "fast cars go wroom".
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1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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2
kaizidokillerMar 16, 2014
It's a shame this film waste such a talent that is Aaron Paul after his performance in one of the greatest TV dramas of all time, Breaking Bad. Videos games don't make great films because it's hard to transform a game (especially one that'sIt's a shame this film waste such a talent that is Aaron Paul after his performance in one of the greatest TV dramas of all time, Breaking Bad. Videos games don't make great films because it's hard to transform a game (especially one that's all about the gameplay like NFS in this case) into a film with a coherent story. Even games with a brilliant storyline (FF) have been unsuccessful in films. I still have high hopes that one day, there will be a good video game adaptation. I heard they're going to adapt AC and TLoU (mostly story-based games) but adapting NFS is like adapting Bejeweled as NFS has never been about story or characters.

I knew this film was going to be bad from the beginning and it's not just because of the "video game adaptations make bad films" trend but because the execution is pure F&F, all sexy sport cars but little on the substances. Alas, and unfortunately, my predictions were right. I've seen far too many movies that I can tell if a film is going to be bad or good just by watching the trailer. NFS film gave away everything in the trailer, and that's always a bad sign. I decided to watch this film anyway, just for Aaron Paul.

The plot is ridiculous, getting revenge on a guy who killed his friend and then framing him (ending up in prison for 2 years) by racing in a cross-country competition against the guy. That's all there is to it plot wise and guess what happens in the end? I won't spoil it for ya but this is as thin as the plot can get and the form of revenge is just so stupid. It would be less nonsensical if he went after and kill the guy but of course, this is a NFS film. Still, you can come up with a better plot that also showcases the film's action sequences and set pieces.

There is very little characterization as there are barely anything we know about the characters except that they all love fast cars. There is no story for any of the characters making them just as stock and cliche like many action movies; one good guy, one bad guy and one girl. It follows a tight formula without making the characters any different than we've seen before.

Although there are a couple of decent action scenes and the cast were strong, there is very little writing and that's precisely the problem with this movie. It doesn't have to be an Oscar winning movie, but a movie about fast cars should be distinct (something F&F have only, and surprisingly, done in their last two movies) because there are far too many of them with the F&F being the most popular. It's a video game adaptation and in no way is this movie a F&F rip-off but because of the execution, it definitely comes off as one. I give it a 2 just for Aaron Paul but no actor could have saved this movie from being a wreck.
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3 of 11 users found this helpful38
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0
AverageguyMar 17, 2014
This movie was probably the most morally challenged flick I have seen in quite a while. I had a hard time getting past the total disregard for other motorist safety. This movie seemed to glorify causing harm and/or property damage to others.This movie was probably the most morally challenged flick I have seen in quite a while. I had a hard time getting past the total disregard for other motorist safety. This movie seemed to glorify causing harm and/or property damage to others. I Love a good action movie unfortunately, this one was devoid of any common sense or any real story line. Really Disappointing. Expand
4 of 16 users found this helpful412
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0
klieberungOct 17, 2014
I believed was impossible to make an so awful movie with 1 milion dollars cars, explosions, frenetics chases and so on. I have been unearthing that its possible.
2 of 8 users found this helpful26
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2
ScorpionMar 23, 2014
What producers have against supervisory script? Is it so bad read it and who wrote it have to do something decent? Or better, send the director to stop putting shameful and unimportant scenes? Or even to ask where I was thinking when I gaveWhat producers have against supervisory script? Is it so bad read it and who wrote it have to do something decent? Or better, send the director to stop putting shameful and unimportant scenes? Or even to ask where I was thinking when I gave someone money to do this? Hollywood Why Why? making a film with a weak story, useless, shameful stereotypical characters and actors more shameful still, except for Aaron Paul, and how flashy single chase scenes potent cloying but soon will not bring money or fame only attestations of decay. Expand
1 of 5 users found this helpful14
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0
paulmarsApr 1, 2014
How many people will be killed on the highways because of the release of yet another movie of this type?
When the late, not great, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel series of films came out years back there was clearly a pickup in wannabes doing
How many people will be killed on the highways because of the release of yet another movie of this type?
When the late, not great, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel series of films came out years back there was clearly a pickup in wannabes doing 100 mph multiple lane changes, etc. all over the country, particularly here in CA. We saw it every time we drove on the Freeways here. It had died down gradually in recent years...but no doubt it will be back with a vengeance now that another movie is out there to overstimulate a fresh batch of video game numbed miscreants. Oh, well, thousands of innocents will die but, hey, that's not the producers problem, right? (Unless he or his loved ones drives on the freeways!).
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3 of 18 users found this helpful315
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3
FedelcaMar 16, 2014
Esto es una verdadera pena, lo que pensamos que era un actor en una carrera bastante provocativa se convierte en algo que el dinero puede corromper fácilmente y resulta que el actor Aaron Paul desperdicia talento en esta película, aparte queEsto es una verdadera pena, lo que pensamos que era un actor en una carrera bastante provocativa se convierte en algo que el dinero puede corromper fácilmente y resulta que el actor Aaron Paul desperdicia talento en esta película, aparte que todos ya sabemos que la química entre personajes masculinos vacíos y autos lindos es una verdadera estupidez y nunca funciona, también cabe mencionar que "La ley de Murphy" dice que las películas basadas en videojuegos nunca son ni van a ser buenas; obviamente Need for Speed no es una excepción. Expand
1 of 6 users found this helpful15
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3
TetsuoMar 27, 2014
Another video game adaptation done wrong. As a fan of the franchise, it's like they took the good parts from the games, and make stuff up as they go along. Some of the games have a plot, most of it consists of racing. Just from the poster, itAnother video game adaptation done wrong. As a fan of the franchise, it's like they took the good parts from the games, and make stuff up as they go along. Some of the games have a plot, most of it consists of racing. Just from the poster, it looks like a Fast and the Furious knock off. It's plot is uninteresting, the characters are unlikeable and flat, the writing is beyond lazy, and the racing scenes are boring. you'll be better off watching Bullitt, Ronin, Death Race 2000, or better yet play the Need For Speed video games. They're more entertaining than this unfinished demo reel. Expand
0 of 4 users found this helpful04
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1
CptKiffManAug 6, 2015
A horrible boring movie that makes you wanna zap away whenever an actor opens his mouth. The conversations between the actors is just plain stupid. Only braindeads can give this s**t a 10.
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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1
SethenanAug 26, 2014
Total disgrace to the Need for Speed game franchise. An absolute cash grab. How ANYBODY could even think this movie is good blows my mind. Unless if you enjoy watching terrible actors in cliched roles. I was so glad when Pete died. I wouldTotal disgrace to the Need for Speed game franchise. An absolute cash grab. How ANYBODY could even think this movie is good blows my mind. Unless if you enjoy watching terrible actors in cliched roles. I was so glad when Pete died. I would have gone mad watching that stupid grin, and useless one-liners for 2 hours. Please, if you're a fan of the Need for Speed games, avoid at all costs. Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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2
Tessara_VejganAug 4, 2014
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What a load of garbage. It had a few good scenes here and there but overall it was a horrible movie. Story is horrible, Tobey Marshall has no problems endangering other people in their street races but when his friend dies oh no its the end of the world wtf. Main actors (Aaron Paul) face looks like he just jumped out of some comedy and I just couldn't take him seriously. Actually the acting in general was very bad, well ok Michael Keaton did good playing Monarch. Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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3
thegameon1Jul 31, 2014
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. i am actually surprised that critics made the right judgment but the actual viewers **** up lol how can u give this movie anything higher than 4, directing was somewhat ok, actors omg they are soo ameture, u feel that they are acting all the time they never felt like pros or did a movie before except one of them i cant remember his name right now but he was in one of the fast and furious movies. anyways story was the best thing about the movie but acting and directing this movie totally ruined the story and entire movie. thank god i didnt go to movies for this garbage its barely worth 4.99, i was curious about it thats why i watched it. only good thing this movie is the cars and the sound thats about it rest is useless Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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1
mattythoburnApr 2, 2014
This movie, is atrocious. I'm giving it the score of 1, and that is through sheer generosity. The acting is appauling. Aaron Paul deserves so much better than this trashy script. if I enjoyed anything, it'd be the chick. She was hot. OtherThis movie, is atrocious. I'm giving it the score of 1, and that is through sheer generosity. The acting is appauling. Aaron Paul deserves so much better than this trashy script. if I enjoyed anything, it'd be the chick. She was hot. Other than that, this movie, really is a 0/10. Cringeworthy. Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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3
diogomendesDec 9, 2014
Need for Speed is ah… bad. I think that was expect, seeing all films based on videogames received poor reviews from film critics (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Tomb Raider). This is no exception. It’s noisy, blandly directedNeed for Speed is ah… bad. I think that was expect, seeing all films based on videogames received poor reviews from film critics (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Tomb Raider). This is no exception. It’s noisy, blandly directed and mostly stupid. It’s a shame because I really like Need for Speed games. They are thrilling at least. This movie is not entertaining. I mean, occasionally it is, but when I see a movie, I don’t want the movie just to be “entertaining”. I want the movie to be satisfying, well-paced and decently plotted. Not what’s happening here. There are some points really good, but that’s about it. It’s not “Need for Speed”. It’s “Need for Coherence”. Before pointing out all the flaws, let’s start telling the plot summary of this film.

Framed by an ex-partner for a murder he did not commit, Tobey Marshall, a financially struggling custom-car builder and street-racer, spends two years in jail thinking about one moment. Fresh out of prison he reacquires the fastest car his workshop ever built and sold, and seeks to enter a secretive and extremely high-stakes race known as The Deleon. His purpose; redemption, recognition from the world of racing and to solve his problems. Yet all this fades in comparison to his driving reason. Revenge. Above all, revenge. This is a story about love, redemption, revenge and motor oil all swirled together, but above all; It's a story about fast, fast cars.

The plot above makes absolutely no goddamn sense. See, when you play Grand Theft Auto, you don’t want to understand the complexity of the characters’ relationships or relish the entire narrative of the game. You want to steal cars, you want to kill people, you want to run over them with cars, tanks and trucks, you want to rob a bank, you want to explode everything. You want to make Liberty City (or whatever the hell they’re located) into a big Michael Bay horror show, you want to torture people, kill your own girlfriend or your best friend. So, for the most part, no one cares about the story. They just want to f*ck everything. No one gives a **** about the story of Need for Speed too. So when you fit the plot of a game into a live-action movie, it doesn’t work. Because these movies should be grounded in reality and with this movie already having realism applied to it, when it comes to action sequences, it doesn’t work. It becomes so stupid. That’s not the only complaint I have for this film, as the characterization in this flick is so damn poor it makes me feel nothing about the characters. Before we get to that, let’s talk about the race scenes.

The race scenes are pretty freaking cool. I mean, the stunts, the flips, the explosions are so exhilarating it prevents myself from giving a lower score, and the actors’ performances are really pretty cool to see but when the characters are so underdeveloped like these in this movie, you can’t feel emotion in them. For instance, when Tobey’s friend died, I didn’t feel anything about the deceased character. Why? Because the character was underdeveloped, so when the character is not entirely developed throughout the movie, you can’t feel anything for it. Oh by the way, how the hell did Tobey get framed for a crime he did not commit? There wasn’t any proof that he did that. *Sighs*

As I was saying, you don’t feel anything for the characters and that’s a major flaw. Actually, it’s pretty much what ruins a movie. I felt sad for Gwen’s death in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and Groot’s supposed death in “Guardians of the Galaxy”. In “Need for Speed”, I didn’t feel anything for Peter. What am I going to learn about the character to feel sad for her? Nothing. I didn’t learn anything about the character. Peter is not the only stock character this movie. Tobey Marshall is the most developed character in the film, and that’s not saying much because it still lacks emotion within the character. Besides him, there’s a sh*t ton of characters with short development, one of them being the love interest, Julia Maddon. She clearly is in the movie to be another “pretty face” cliché. How sad.

Final Score to Need for Speed: 3/10. While there’s, undeniably, some fun attached to it, this video game adaptation fails to please moviegoers due to its absurd plot, bloated direction and underwritten characters. If the Uncharted film eventually comes out in 2016, it will definitely suck and it’s not because it has bad writers or a bad director (which there’s not), but because this whole concept doesn’t work. Face it, Hollywood. Adapting videogames into the cinema won’t work unless if there’s something new to add in the formula.
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0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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2
NerdConsultantJan 4, 2015
Yep its another awful live action adaptation of a video game. What a surprise. I actually thought this film was going to be genuinely good when I saw Aaron Paul’s interview on Top Gear. He promoted this film like it was going to be likeYep its another awful live action adaptation of a video game. What a surprise. I actually thought this film was going to be genuinely good when I saw Aaron Paul’s interview on Top Gear. He promoted this film like it was going to be like one of the classic car films such as Bullet and Vanishing Point, but what it is, is an un-inspired waste of time. For a film called Need for Speed, this films pacing is slow as hell. Aaron Paul and Dominic Cooper are completely wasted and while it’s admirable that the film is using actual cars rather than CGI, it makes the destruction scenes of very expensive (near £200,000) cars seem even more wasteful and given the way the economy is going at the minute that may not be the best way to go, as your audience have paid a lot of money at the cinema to see this. Couple that with a story that tries to combine the plot of too many games in a short space of time and you have pure pain. Don’t see this one, it’s a waste of time. Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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3
gingerwizardDec 18, 2014
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I absolutely love the Need For Speed franchise. So I bought this film at CEX (Thank God I didn't pay the full price for a new copy), expecting a maybe slightly unrealistic, yet thoroughly entertaining film. What I didn't expect was the complete lack of a plot whatsoever. It is quite similar to the game, just a bunch of speed freaks driving around, with no organisation whatsoever. For no obvious reason, the bad guy decides to kill some young hotshot in a race, and then drives away. The main character is framed and imprisoned. The very day he comes out, several years later, he decides to do more street racing. The only thing that can be said for this excuse of a film, is that it has some very intense race scenes, so if that's all you want to watch it for, I recommend this. So, if a guy getting naked with literally no explanation, and a general lack of any reason whatsoever doesn't bother you, watch this. If you care about a film having a plot, stay well clear of it. Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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2
BlaKDemonaZJan 3, 2015
Um dos piores filmes de 2014, a adaptação é totalmente clichê, nada tem a ver com a franquia do game de mesmo nome. O filme é uma total perca de tempo e realmente o ÚNICO ponto positivo no filme é o ator de Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul.
0 of 3 users found this helpful03
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3
EpicLadySpongeFeb 23, 2016
This movie doesn't need the speed. It already got the speed taken from several other racing movies instead of taking it from the video games that adapted this movie. This movie makes the video games look bad.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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3
IzitmeeJul 17, 2014
The car scenes are nicely shot, paying a great deal of homage to the videogames. If only the screenplay hadn't been written by 4 years old douchebags and the acting wasn't only divided between "staring at a blank mirror" and "I can't relieveThe car scenes are nicely shot, paying a great deal of homage to the videogames. If only the screenplay hadn't been written by 4 years old douchebags and the acting wasn't only divided between "staring at a blank mirror" and "I can't relieve myself since a week but I'm gonna try right now" it might have not bored me to death. Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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2
clem666Mar 12, 2021
First of all, what an amazing cast! It is almost surrealistic to see these actors side by side. For the best but also (and sadly more) for the worse. I simply can't say their acting skills were great in 'Need For Speed'. Monarch (MichaelFirst of all, what an amazing cast! It is almost surrealistic to see these actors side by side. For the best but also (and sadly more) for the worse. I simply can't say their acting skills were great in 'Need For Speed'. Monarch (Michael Keaton) is awful, repetitive and surprisingly manages to compile an impressive number of stereotypes on his own. It's cool to see Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) in here as bad as the movie can be. Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) delivers a tasteless performance almost all along the feature. Finn (Rami Malek) is freewheeling at every single moment and it is kind of a pleasure to see him act like this. I am truly amazed that they managed to create a character as terrible as Pete (Harrison Gilbertson). I didn't think it was possible. At least they all tried.

Scenario is **** incoherent, crazy-conventional and as unoriginal as it possibly could have been. Plus it is sustained with numerous machist and patriarcal jokes, references and ideas. I just stop counting the bad jokes when I witnessed they were joking about sexual harrassment. Even if they also manage to craft harmless jokes they appear to be silly and effortless. The romance is incredibly boring, awkward and predictable. Special effects are bad despite some impressive car crashes. Cars are interestingly highlighted.

However the pace is quite good, the final race scenes are incredible and the final songs 'Roads Untraveled' by Linkin Park and 'Hero' by Kid Cudi are amazing to listen to in here even if this track is among the ones that contributed to make Cudi's musical career crash.

At the end of the day this movie definitely feels like being part of the Need For Speed franchise, with just the amazing gameplay, original score, atmosphere and immersion in less. So happy they understood the lesson: no sequel. This is certainly entertaining but it definitely is bad entertainment. End of the line.
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0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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