The Fast and the Furious - Tokyo Drift DVD: Review By jimmykeown

In recent years, children and adults have developed what was once a small hobby into an almost crazy empire of art and competition. This hobby is the customization of every aspect a car has to offer. Whether it's the engine, body, or paint, cars represent portraits of the artists that have created them. The Fast and the Furious series has really uncovered a once hidden art, and brought to the eyes of the world the newest mods and lingo.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is the third, and newest installment of the ever-popular series. The movie is about a troubled teen, Sean Boswell(Lucas Black), who is an adrenaline race junkie. Running from the law most of his life, and constantly acting as a nuisance to society and his family, Sean finally tests his limits. The teen is sent to a distant Japan to attempt to re-kindle any possible chance he may have with the aid of his father. He moves in a matter of days and attends a private school which just happens to be home to fellow Americans, like Twinkie(Bow Wow). With his newfound friends he begins to establish himself on the foreign "drift" scene. In little to no time he finds that drifting is an act of art, where car and driver become one to maneuver, not through sheer speed, but through sliding, and sometimes crashing around turns. The new type of racing offers Sean his release that he so desires, but also creates tension with family, friends, and the Japanese underground. Will Sean be able to get himself out of this super-charged situation, or will this be the final race, the race for his life.

The only entertaining moments in Tokyo Drift are during the race scenes, because there's no attempt at legitimate acting, and the ridiculous situations are unbelievable. I couldn't help but watch with embarrassment at the terribly far-fetched situations and completely irrational story. The movie could be broken up, pieced together, and put on a "world's craziest car races" show, and have the same effect as the movie. Racing in Japan as compared to the U.S. is not enough reason to create a separate movie. The purpose of "Drift" was not to create something new, but try to provide to the demand that the car hobby has created. The worst part of the movie is that it misses the fundamental aspects of achieving success as a film. All I can think of to describe the said film, in one word, is superficial. I can't believe that there was even a second installment to the Fast and the Furious series to begin with, but tend to enjoy movies that actually have impact, meaning and purpose, but maybe audiences that don't want any such experiences will enjoy Tokyo Drift.

The amount of special features on this DVD is pretty ridiculous. If you're into racing or personalizing cars, then extras will more than please. The DVD offers a few featurettes, deleted scenes, a music video, and commentaries. My personal favorite featurette was "Drifting School," because it partially taught me how I could learn drift, if I had a car that was capable. If you are a fan of the movie then the DVD extras are worth purchasing the widescreen edition.

Picture quality is the one saving grace of this movie. The colors and lighting are excellently done and coordinated during races and crowd scenes. I really felt like I was in Japan, and racing along with the drifters. The DVD is shown in widescreen 2.35:1 anamorphic.

The sounds of the movie are just as powerful as the picture, but at times the race sequences and crashes sound a little fake. The Dolby Digital 5.1 is used to it's great potential and will surround you with the roar of the RPM's and extremely crazy drifts.

The DVD comes in a foil slipsleeve, which really makes it stand out. The box makes the DVD look like a special edition and will add to any collection.

If you liked the first two FATF movies, then Tokyo Drift will suffice, but for those who enjoy an experience of good filmmaking, then this movie just isn't for you.