Contains just enough humor to scrape by
by Nav Qateel
Undercover cop Lucas White (Alex Ashbaugh), is tasked with infiltrating a gang of well-known illegal street racers, led by Vin Serento (Dale Pavinski). Only one man knows Lucas’ real identity after all his files were erased to protect him.
After successfully joining Vin’s gang, Lucas accidently kills his contact on camera, and now Detective Rock Johnson (Dio Johnson) is after Lucas, Vin, and the rest of his gang. Their only means of escape is to rob the local hood who tried to have them killed during a double cross.
Clearly, writer-directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, have timed their lackadaisical Fast & Furious parody Superfast!, to coincide with James Wan’s Furious 7, and with the passing of Paul Walker during its filming, interest in the franchise has never been higher. That said, this is far from being a new practice by the makers of parodies and mockbusters, who are looking to earn a coin or two, riding the coattails of others.
- Superfast!
- Written & Directed by
Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer - Cast
Dale Pavinski, Alex Ashbaugh, Daniel Booko - Release Date
3 April 2015 - Nav’s Grade: C
*****
In the past, Friedberg and Seltzer have released films like Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, and Meet the Spartans, with those first two having the distinction of making IMDb’s bottom 100 list. That in itself must be some kind of record. However, while Superfast! is hardly a groundbreaking comedy, it’s a vastly superior effort to anything the filmmakers have put together before. That’s not to say it’s by any means a great film, but it’s at least rather watchable, and even contains some genuine sparks of humor. Although, some of the gags felt as if they worked more by chance than design.
Each of the cast were obvious likenesses to their Fast & Furious counterparts, and even their names were a mix of real and character names. While some did have a passing resemblance to the actual characters they were playing, the closest, and by far funniest, was the Dwayne Johnson lookalike, Detective Rock Johnson, played brilliantly by Dio Johnson. While Dio didn’t bear a strong resemblance to Dwayne Johnson, the second he turned on his Hobbs/Rock Johnson routine, the likeness was suddenly uncanny … and hilarious.
There were also predictable movie moments, where Vin would call for characters like “Rapper Cameo,” “Cool Asian Guy” and “Beautiful Model Making Her Feature Acting Debut.” Okay, I’ll admit to actually laughing at the silliness of these scenes, but as mentioned, Superfast! had its moments. Like one skit where Lucas confesses to Vin that he’s so White that Pitch Perfect is his favorite movie, and he then proceeds to do the paper cup scene made famous by Anna Kendrick!
Overall, the acting is fairly even, and the writing, while still rather weak, is miles better than anything else the filmmakers have put together. It does feel like Friedberg and Seltzer have made a concerted effort to get this one right, or at least to improve on previous mistakes. At that, at least, they have succeeded. Every gag is a simple throwaway, and I doubt it’s something you’d ever sit through more than once. But unlike their other efforts, Superfast! is worth at least one tentative viewing. Being slightly inebriated may also help.
Recommended
