Faster

The fact that there are so few good motorcycle movies makes "FASTER" difficult to rate. If you compare this movie to dreck like "Torque" or "Biker Boyz", it's an absolute 10. If you compare it to the obvious choice "On Any Sunday", the movie is good but it leaves you feeling like it could have been a little bit better.

It's more or less a documentary of the top motorcycle road racing series in the world, MotoGP. The movie focuses primarily on four different riders over the course of the 2001 and 2002 seasons. The narration by Ewan McGregor is excellent, and the racing footage (a mix of shots filmed for the movie and archival race coverage) is fabulous. The interviews with former world champions are entertaining and educational.

However, the way the movie tends to jump around a bit might confuse people who aren't already fans of the sport, a problem that detracts from the excellence of the movie. Basically, you should watch it, but if you're not already a MotoGP fan maybe you should watch it with one so they can explain.

If you have any interest in finding out what drives guys to push the envelope on a motorcycle this is the movie to watch. This documentary includes some great footage of pretty radical MotoGP riding with explanations from the riders themselves and the people who support them. You may actually learn why these "crazies" do what they do. If you are an aggressive sports motorcycle rider this is a must see; all others will enjoy it also for the intensity, action and skill performed by these folks. I especially enjoyed hearing from the doctors that treat the injuries of these racers and their comments on the psyche of these riders. Some of these guys don't even ride on the streets! But most if not all have come off these maniacal machines at well over 100 mph and walked away....MANY times! Even if you don't appreciate action motorcycle flicks, this movie will give you some pretty good insight into what this sport is all about. Definitely a 10 for biker folks, and maybe a 6 or 7 for those who are not.

I have been a motorcyclist most of my life, and have ridden coast to coast, and everywhere in between, during the past 10 years. Back in the late 1990s our local cable carried AMA Supersport 600 and Superbike racing, and occasionally Grand Prix motorcycle racing. I got to know many of those motorcycle warriors through that venue -- Miguel DuHamel, Doug Chandler, Mick Doohan, and the youngsters like the Hayden brothers. The racing was always exciting, and I did my own much lower speed simulations on my VFR750, or my wife's CBR600, but have come to realize that racing is NOT for the streets, a message played clearly in this movie "Faster."

"Faster" focuses exclusively on World Grand Prix racing, the now-defunct 500cc strokers, and the newer 4-stroke liter bikes. Primarily seasons 2000 through 2004, and featuring the newest wave of great riders, like Valentino Rossi, the best of the bunch, and his chasers like Biaggi, Macoy, and others, including homeboy Colin Edwards from up the road in Conroe. This film is not just about the races themselves, but also goes often behind the scenes to show us what goes into development of these race bikes, to make them go faster and faster each year. Narrated comfortable by Ewan McGregor, a very nice DVD for motorcycle racing fans.

I got to see a sneak peek of this film at a little motorcycle rally in Texas in Nov. 2003. The soundtrack, opening credits and racing action in the first half the film are excellent. As the interviews go on in the latter part of the film it drags a bit, but the insight into the strategies and politics of racing at this level still made it interesting. The action-packed editing of all this racing, sliding, flipping and crashing crammed into one film is unbeatable.

Because of the European flavor of Moto-GP, the choice of using Ewan McGregor (with his British accent) as narrator was appropriate. I hear he is an avid rider as well.

Definitely worth seeing on a big screen if it shows near you and renting once available. As soon as it goes on sale, I'm buying the DVD!

Having been a motorcyclist for a number of years I've avoided the world of MotoGP. Likely more because I didn't know anything about it and spurned it for the same reasons I don't watch NASCAR or Formula 1 racing. Let's face it, until Tom Cruise used Nicole Kidman's leg to explain drafting, well, 'Days of Thunder' did teach me about drafting.

There are lots of subtle and unknown things happening in MotoGP. Riding a motorcycle and understanding motorcycle racing is about as distant as eating and being a fine chef. So, here's a great way to learn about this fascinating sport, its superstars, and perhaps why they do it. Besides, its great fun to watch, lots of ooohs and ahhhhs!