More about this DVD  •  DVD Info  •  Movie Main Page  •  Message Board

If you've ever seen Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break, that surfer dudes versus the FBI action caper flick, you already know the basic plot of The Fast and the Furious, only this time it's cars instead of surfboards. The monosyllabic Paul Walker stars as the "speed demon detective" out to smash a stolen car ring, with the primary suspects being the dueling roadsters Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his archenemy Johnny Tran (Rick Yune). The "high concept" this time? Toretto and Tran are "street racers," or daredevils who fire up turbocharged, custom-cranked stolen sportscar and race 'em down the late night streets of Los Angeles. A rave on wheels? What will those kids think up next?

Alright, I'm sure there are late-night drag races somewhere in LA, but the ones in this film are so ridiculous and physically impossible (uh, hello, this is LA, where's the traffic?) that it is hard to take this film as any more than a demolition derby for the MTV generation. Supposedly based on an article on real-life street races ("Racer X"), I'm thinking like, yeah, whatever - this film is all about cool action scenes, not gritty street realism. Indeed, the more more the film veered into surrealist fantasy, the more I enjoyed it. Director Rob Cohen (Dragon, The Skulls) invests the film with enough cool style and nifty stylistic touches (the CGI journey inside the engines of the cars is especially neat) that despite the stupid script, there are enough kick-ass action scenes that it makes it hard to complain.

Undoubtedly, there are going to be many who will oppose The Fast and the furious on principal alone. It's vapid and good-looking, and no one really acts here, they pose. When I first wrote this review last year I predicted that Vin Diesel was gonna be a megastar based on his performances here and in Pitch Black, and gosh-darn golly, I was right. (I don't think he is a particularly complex actor, but you can't deny the guy has a commanding screen presence.) I'm also not much of a fan of Paul Walker's non-acting, and not helping matters is the fact that the female characters are mere window dressing when they should be kick-ass. The climax of the film is also lacking, as what should have been the film's ultimate action scene ends more on a whimper than with a bang. (Although you shouldn't skip out before the end credits are over, as you might get a little surprise.) But no matter. I had a great time with The Fast and the Furious, and if you temper your expectations, I bet you will, too.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Released once already on DVD, this new "Tricked Out Edition" features the same transfer as before, but that is a good thing. As slick and shiny as a new Ferrari, this is a reference-quality presentation, and I couldn't find a single thing wrong with this transfer. Presented in 2.35;1 anamorphic widescreen, everything about it is rock solid. Despite being shot in Super35, which often results in more pronounced film grain, the print is pristine. Blacks are perfect, colors vibrant and stable with no smearing or noise, and fleshtones excellent. Contrast is also terrific and consistent across the entire grayscale, resulting in reference- quality shadow delineation. The level of apparent detail is also a joy to behold, lending the transfer a picture-perfect, three-dimensional appearance. Break this out as your new demo disc, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

Also the same as the previous edition are the two 5.1 surround tracks, in both Dolby Digital and DTS. Exceptional and highly aggressive, these are as good as modern soundtracks get in terms of dynamics. In fact, this may be the most consistently loud and active soundtrack I've yet heard on a DVD. Fidelity is smashing and low end kick ass. Music, effects and dialogue are perfectly balance and well-directed across the entire soundstage. Effects are spread all around, with excellent discreet action and even the score sometimes gets directed to the rears. Dialogue is also anchored firmly in the center aside from some surprisingly subtle surround effects.

I compared the DTS and Dolby Digital tracks on three scenes: the late- night street race, the indoor party scene to judge ambient and more subtle effects, and the final trucker/car duel on the highway. Both tracks are the best their respective formats have to offer, but the DTS was a tad cooler. Imaging is improved on the DTS track, as is the low end, which is stronger and more forceful. Discrete effects sound just a bit more natural, and transparency from front to back is also a tad more impressive. Kudos to Universal for including both, because either way you go I think you'll be more than pleased.

Slightly more "tricked out" are the alternate audio options. Included this time are both French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby surround tracks, French and Spanish subtitles and English Captions encoded as subtitles.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Here's a lesson on how not to reissue a DVD. Are you ready to be Tricked Out!? How about just plain ripped off? The packaging is a bit confusing, as it reuses supplemental names from the previous version even though much of the stuff here is different or repurposed. Alas, newer is not better, and the presentation here lacks attention to detail and feels rushed. Apparently too tricky to include this time were the 18-minute "The Making of The Fast and the Furious" and "Editing for the MPAA" featurettes, the unexpurgated visual effects montage, storyboard comparisons, multi-angle stunt sequence, "Movie Magic" effects plate build-ups and all the music videos. In other words, aside from the commentary, anything that actually helped us learn about the making of the film has been excised in favor of extended commercials for the upcoming 2 Fast, 2 Furious sequel. What, you're surprised?

The big "new extra" here is The Making of The Fast and the Furious, which is actually an "enhanced" version of the audio commentary regurgitated from the previous DVD. At least it is a good track - director Rob Cohen, seemingly on a sugar high from the film's then-rousing box office success, is full of energy, as if he's trying to cram as much as possible 107 minutes. While Cohen may take the subject matter a bit too seriously (he actually compares The Fast and the Furious to a modern western by way of John Ford!), this is an informative track. The perils of late-night shooting, the effects and the origins and allure of real-life street racing are the main topics of discussion. Cohen is refreshingly honest about the failure of the film's lame undercover subplot, if little else. But if it wasn't for Cohen's attempt to be "hip" by throwing in such lingo as "dope ass" (hey, dude, your in your 50s, show some self- respect!) I'd give this one even higher marks.

As for the "enhanced" viewing experience (the commentary can also be accessed in the traditional audio-only manner), it is a bust. Throughout the flick a little speedometer graphic will appear, prompting you to click the remote. (Hint: there is one for every chapter stop.) Alas, all we get are very short (from 1 minute to a mere 5 seconds) bits of EPK behind-the-scenes B-roll from the shoot with no sound (just the film's soundtrack), framed in such a small overlay that it is pretty much useless. Worse, these branching segments show the feature in non-anamorphic widescreen underneath the overlay, which makes no sense since the main feature is in anamorphic widescreen. Occasionally, some of these branching segments cull material from the previous DVD, such as the effects plates and some deleted scenes, but again the lack of consistency and poor presentation makes this nothing more than a failed gimmick. (As for the 8 deleted scenes themselves, they are fairly interesting but not essential. Some run just a few seconds, and brief original edits of the "Ferrari" and "Race Wars" are also included.)

Perhaps the only semi-interesting new extra is the Tricking Out a Hot Import Car featurette. This 19-minute, full screen featurette is hosted by Playboy Playmate Dalene Kurtis, who joins the flick's stunt coordinator Craig Lieberman to show us how a "hot car" is outfitted. Kurtis is, like, really smart, and likes "hot guys with hot cars." Truth be told this is actually kinda interesting and comprehensive, taking us step by step as the bad-ass vehicle is retooled and upgraded. Still, is this really worth another $26.95?

The only other real extras are lame 2 Fast, 2 Furious promo fluff. We get the standard 5-minute The Making of 2 Fast, 2 Furious mini-EPK, with utterly vapid onset interviews with director John Singleton, star Paul Walker and other cast and crew. Yawn. There is also the uninspired 5-minute Turbo- Charged Prelude to 2 Fast, 2 Furious. Supposedly shot exclusively for the DVD, this "electrifying" short is supposed to bridge the original flick with the sequel. However, this montage of Walker on the run post-Furious feels like outtakes from what is bound to be the opening pre-title montage for the new flick. Not very tricked out.

Rounding out the package are theatrical trailers (all in non-anamorphic widescreen and 2.0 surround) for both Furious flicks, an ESPN promo spot and filmographies for the main cast and crew. Last but not least is a MovieCash coupon to get you in for free to the sequel, but given this disc's weak supplements and overall ungainly interface, this pseudo-rebate hardly seems worth it.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

Pop the disc into your ROM drive and you'll be greet by the same stuff on the previous DVD. However, this is still one of the cooler-looking interfaces I've seen on a DVD. I'm guessing that Universal may up the ante and provide some exclusive new content when this disc streets on June 3rd? Watch this space and we'll see..

In the meantime, let's look at what we do get. First up is the Street Racer ROM game, which is simple but fun, and allows you to compete solo in a street race. (Unfortunately, you can't run over pedestrians for extra points.) The keyboard controls are simple, and you can choose between three skill levels and even save your best scores. Also included are some pretty detailed production notes on the story, cast and crew, behind-the-scenes and real-life street racing, but more cool is The Fast and the Furious jukebox, with five tracks by Faith Evans, Caddillac Tah, Ashanti, Tank, JA Rule and R. Kelly. More interactive goodies include downloads such as wallpaper and a screensaver, a still gallery with publicity photos, and a Supercar Street Challenge game demo. And, as usual, there is the usual bevy of Universal weblinks embedded into the interface skin. Overall, a cool batch of ROM extras.

Parting Thoughts