Feel the NEED FOR SPEED in this first teaser trailer

Video games and movies! They go together like oil and water, like fine wine on a brand new white carpet. In other words, badly. But Need for Speed, that’s an easy concept to sell. It’s a game that’s all about racing, being fast, first and looking cool. And here’s a first look at the film that’s coming, based off of that franchise.

Based on the most successful racing video game franchise ever with over 140 million copies sold, DreamWorks Pictures’ “Need for Speed” captures the thrills of the game in a real-world setting. An exciting return to the great car-culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, when authenticity brought a new level of intensity to the action, “Need for Speed” taps into what makes the American myth of the open road so enticing.

The story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country race against time—one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. In a last attempt to save his struggling garage, blue-collar mechanic Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul)—who with his team skillfully builds and races muscle cars on the side—reluctantly partners with wealthy, arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). Just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet (Imogen Poots) looks like it will save the business, a disastrous, unsanctioned race results in Dino framing Tobey for manslaughter.

Two years later and fresh out of prison, Tobey is set on revenge with plans to take down Dino in the high-stakes De Leon race—the Super Bowl of underground racing. To get there in time, Tobey must run a high-octane, action-packed gauntlet, dodging cops coast-to-coast and dealing with fallout from a dangerous bounty Dino put on his car. With his loyal crew and the surprisingly resourceful Julia as allies, Tobey defies odds at every turn and proves that even in the flashy world of exotic supercars, the underdog can still finish first.

Well that was artier than I expected. Car films are always an easy sell when it comes to marketing. Give me enough car porn to get me expelled when that stash of of rubber and glossy paintjob magazines are discovered, and you’ll have done your job. I’m not expecting an Oscar contender here, and if Need for Speed can deliver some high stakes racing and enough adrenaline to boost an elephant, then it’ll have done its job quite well.

Need for Speed is out next year March, and also stars Imogen Poots, Dominic Cooper, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malek, Harrison Gilbertson, Scott ‘Kid Cudi’ Mescudi, Michael Keaton and Dakota Johnson. Scott “Act of Valour” Waugh directs.

Last Updated: September 26, 2013