The Fast and the Furious (HD DVD)

You aren't getting much more than you have already seen, but damn in high-def The Fast and the Furious looks phenomenal and I am happy to say Universal has finally given viewers another HD DVD exclusive feature!

First to the movie, The Fast and the Furious is certainly a product of its time as it took major advantage of the rise in pimped out rides, neon and of course NOS. Yeah, he may be known for his part in such movies as Boiler Room and Pitch Black, but it was FF that Vin Diesel makes his most notable premiere as Dominic Toretto. Then there is Paul Walker who also made a small name for himself in such early film roles as Varsity Blues and She's All That, but it wasn't until FF that people really knew who he was as he is commissioned here to play Brian O'Conner, an undercover cop trying to get to the bottom of a string of thefts occurring on the highways as semis have been jacked for their goods.

Brian ultimately finds what he is looking for and then some, which includes the thieves, a friend and a nice little hottie named Mia played by Jordanna Brewster. Being the first major feature film to take advantage of the street racing generation this film really takes the bull by the horns as it blends street racing with a satisfying, not all that mysterious, criminal investigation. Vin isn't exactly anything more than a muscle head and Walker does little more than offer up the surfer style of acting he is best known for, but this movie is pure popcorn fun, and more fun than you may have expected.

For those of you that have already seen this movie this isn't any revelation and you probably like it or you wouldn't be here, you just want to know how it looks in HD and what this little Picture in Picture feature is. As for the look and sound of the film, I already started telling you in my first sentence, this movie looks nice! The Fast and the Furious uses so many different colors, bright colors, and damn do the look good in high-def. This movie really pops off the screen and coupled with the new audio it really is popcorn fun. It is theater madness in your home.

Universal's second attempt, to my knowledge, using the HD DVD exclusive video commentary style picture in picture feature is a'ight, but nothing major. The first time we saw this from Uni was on the Bourne Supremacy HD DVD and while that HD DVD needed it, since the original DVD never came with an director's commentary, it isn't as useful here. However, director Rob Cohen does seem to have a lot of fun talking about the project and it is a good substitute for the now old original commentary. As for the other features you have seen them all before as they have made the rounds from the original DVD release and most of all the Tricked Out Edition that hit the shelves just before 2 Fast 2 Furious hit theaters in 2003.

As an HD DVD recommendation I really like this movie and it has grown on me throughout the years. Quality mindless entertainment is not only a fucked up way to describe a movie it is also something that is hard to come by. There are plenty of popcorn pics, but not a lot of them are watchable multiple times. The Fast and the Furious is one of those popcorn flicks you can watch over and over and never feel too ashamed.