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By
WADE GOSSETT
Just like that other let's-watch-hunks-racing-fast-machines flick, "Fast and
the Furious," "Biker Boyz" was also apparently based a magazine article. I guess
we're running out of books, and magazines and video games will from now on provide
screenwriters with inspiration.
The story follows a young man (Derek Luke from "Antwone Fisher") as he struggles
with making his place in the underground motorcycle racing world. He begins in
the shadow of his father, after the latter's accidental death, and he tries to
break out on his own and become the undisputed racing champion -- adding more
unnecessary melodrama
to the situation is the fact that he blames an ace biker (played by Laurence
Fishburne) for his dad's demise.
Fishburne somewhat elevates the otherwise mediocre material, but there's little else in
the film to recommend. The plot is predictable and trite, an excuse for the bike
racing. And the racing, unfortunately, is edited shoddily and lacks drama and
visceral thrills.
The image quality is not pristine: I noticed some mild edge
enhancement here and there; the sound, both in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1., is
appropriately bassy for the racing, although the
discrepancy in volume between dialogue (too low)
and the music and effects is disconcerting. Major
extras consist of deleted scenes, a making-of
featurette, filmographies, a photo gallery and
trailers for other DreamWorks and Universal
titles. |
