delibebek

My big problem with this movie is that there are times when it seems the director wanted to tell the story in real time. The bulk of the viewing audience is very accustomed to the abbreviations in the action in order to keep the pace exciting. It may have been that the director through dragging out some of the sequences would help build suspense. What it really did was to underscore the lack of suspense inherent to the story. Watching the missiles for minutes on end only made this viewer realize just how little I cared by that point. Part of me was rooting for the meteor, for mercy's sake. Given the era, and nearly ten years of riveting disaster movies that went before it, it's inexcusable that this one couldn't keep us on the edges of our seats.

60 seconds, 60 seconds, 60 seconds… you missed the point, really. This isn't about stars, characters, plot. The cars are your stars. I watched this version back to back with the original, and wow, there is really no comparison. This loose remake tried way too hard to re-think such a basic concept that didn't need so much re-thinking. The original was low-budget and high-speed, which worked. That's the movie it was. For this version to share a name with that version is akin to false advertising. This one was without a doubt low-speed and certain more high-budget than the original. Attempts at humor? Forced. Excitement about the illicit behavior of stealing cars? Not there. It is derivative, not of its source material, but of various other heist-style films, by trying to find suspense in the behind-the-scenes drama of who ordered the car thefts and why and what was going to happen if the team didn't come through. Whatever. Let's just get some cars on the road and see 'em wreck!

Check the original for a movie that lives up to its premise. This one is a vehicle for anything other than cars. (Yes, that's deliberately pointing to irony that wasn't intended by the filmmakers.)

This is a very good movie about teenagers coming of age, facing the experiences of growing up. There is enough drama in the realities that we can all identify with and there is humor found in these ordinary scenes. Overall, the film is a genuine paean to being young and facing that point at which you're not so young anymore. A must-see for any serious movie lover.

And for the official line count, I'll point out that there is a car chase, a sex scene and a lot of good-natured scenes of boys being boys. Nothing in the movie is played for the sake of making something out of the past that wasn't really there.