carlsob Reviews

Initial D (2005)

I want to punch the screenwriter responsible for this

[3/10 · 11 July 2006]

I realize adapting and compressing a long-running comic and anime series into about 2 hours requires some cuts and changes, but this result of a film is vomit-inducing.

My biggest issue in this movie comes with the writing--characters have been completely changed in terms of abilities, personality, and relationships (This is where the possible spoilers come in, I NEED to list some of these things to warn you). The filmmakers expect fans to believe the following changes:

1. Keisuke apparently doesn't exist, Takeshi Nakazato takes his place in collaborating with Ryosuke on street races.

2. Itsuki is the leader of the speed stars team, and he drives a Silvia S13 (Iketani's car!). At least Itsuki still can't drive worth anything.

3. In the film version, Itsuki is Yuichi's son, acting like a whiny rich kid.

4. Bunta abuses and threatens his son on multiple occasions when Takumi bangs up the car.

5. Bunta also explains to Yuichi that the reason Takumi began doing deliveries is because his hemorrhoids were killing him. Flat-out dumb.

6. Takumi blows the engine on the AE86 while racing team emperor's leader ON AN AKINA DOWNHILL RUN. In the comic and anime, he never lost on Akina! And he grenades the engine before he learns of Natsuki's profession, so he's not even angry when it happens.

The direction and editing of this movie is all over the place, as well. When the cars are racing, there are some sweet camera choices and your pulse gets moving a bit. But when the drivers are shown, there's too much use of splitting the screen to show two or three close-ups at once. The movie also apparently didn't have the budget to actually show any of the cars crashing--each time, the car slides through a flimsy barrier or sign and the view cuts to black. When the action stops, it gets worse. Slow motion at all the wrong times, sloppy cuts, and a slow pace all slap the audience in the face. The only high point is the drifting work was pretty good at times for running through hairpins on the mountain passes. Aside from that, I wish I never knew this movie existed. I love the series even more because it doesn't make these horrible story choices.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

Does what you expect

[8/10 · 19 June 2006]

Alright, let's get this out of the way: if you have no interest in cars, don't bother. If you want moving, powerful acting performances, look elsewhere. If blow-off valves and spinning tires make your heart shift into high gear, this is your kind of movie. The story is wafer-thin, it serves only as a hasty explanation to bring the audience to the Tokyo location and set up some action addicted races. The acting is just decent enough to keep you from groaning constantly, though Sung Kang's role as Han stands out as memorable and pleasant. Lucas Black has an understated quality about him that I think allows the movie's merit of its stunt sequences to shine, rather than the lead trying to steal all the attention. Which leaves me with the car play--the writers thankfully stopped trying to be technical and accurate in terms or facts (for the most part), so there's no "...Blow the welds on your intake..." crap, which is just plain wrong. The stunt drivers delivered lots of jaw-dropping drifts and high octane chases, and Justin Lin and his second-unit director took great care in highlighting the automotive lunacy. The cars and the setting are all glossy and colorful, and there is a wide range of makes and models to drool over, all just a bit over the top in their appearance. The music matches the speed of the movie as well, getting the target audience fired up with rock, hip-hop, and electronic tracks in all the right spots. Simply put, this movie offers what it promises, and gets by on the rest. I'm one of those types who can look past the shortcomings for the vehicular excitement, so I loved it, despite the flaws.