धूम मचादे धूम

A lot of people think that I love the "Charlie's Angels" movies because I think they're "so bad, they're good", when that's actually not true. On the contrary, I think they are pretty smart (especially in the precise way they constantly reference pop culture in clever and heartfelt ways). And yes, they are totally silly and unrealistic and goofy, but what I like about that is that it's completely intentional (which is what most people don't get, and is so obvious to me).

"Torque", on the other hand, is a perfect example of a movie that is TRULY so bad, it's good. Or at least enjoyable in a surreal, lunatic sort of way. This movie seriously doesn't have a brain in its head.

In every sense a B-movie, it most resembles those gleefully exploitive, low-budget movies that Roger Corman and Russ Meyer made decades ago, where biker gangs did battle with their switchblade-toting girlfriends at their side. And it's every bit as silly as it sounds, which could be either good news or bad news for you, depending on what kind of filmgoer you are.

Personally, I knew it was crap the whole time, but still had a blast watching it. The story is ridiculous and the dialogue is ludicrous (these characters exist in a world where when a girl says "Nice bike", the guy says "Nice a**" and she LIKES it). But I cannot fully resist a movie in which two improbably beautiful biker chicks stare each other down on their bikes in a photogenic, deserted alleyway (both of them in front of huge product logos, for extra giggles), one of them yells "Bring it on, b****!", the other whips out a switchblade, and then they charge! As a classic B-movie enthusiast, I offer no apologies for having fun watching a scene like that.

It's really not all bad, either. Martin Henderson and Monet Mazur have some genuinely nice and tender scenes together, and the great, color-conscious cinematography makes everything look so shiny you could eat off the screen. Jamie Pressly is an absolute hoot as the evil biker chick, and Adam Scott scores some laughs as a conceited F.B.I. agent.

Also, several of the action scenes are pretty amazing, once you get over the idea that this movie is obviously not taking place on planet Earth, but rather some video game universe or a 12 year-old's dream.

I wish Ice Cube was off doing the kinds of good movies he used to make (like "Three Kings", the original "Friday", "Boyz N The Hood", "Higher Learning", "Ghosts Of Mars"...), but he contributes some laughs as one of the heavies here. I do wish he had changed his expression at least once, though. You know the one where he grits his teeth and curls his upper lip so that he look like he hates your guts and steam is about to come out of his ears? That's the one that he has throughout the entire movie.

Basically, I'm not gonna fight for this movie or anything, I realize it's of essentially no value. I'll just say that it made it easy for me to shut off my brain and I enjoyed it, and maybe you will too. I give "Torque" 3 stars the same way I would give "Switchblade Sisters" 3 stars. They're awful and cheesy, but a hell of a lot of fun, and that counts for something, doesn't it?

This movie has tones of high octane thrills it almost makes you forget about a storyline. Because the story seems to drag itself around. For its action moments that seems to come in every 5-10 minutes of the movie. If not for the action this movie would be dull. Martin Henderson seems to do allright, and so does Ice Cube. But it's Monet Mazur, who seems to have a great blend of beauty and toughness in her role. I think she can have a great career ahead of her. The action was awesome, but acting was dull. But then again I thought Fast and The Furious was no better. It does'nt try to be anything truly terrific, it just tries to be a movie you can enjoy with your friends.

Well, I've just killed 81 minutes of a Sunday evening watching "Torque".

And I enjoyed it!

The chase scenes got more ludicrous as the movie progressed, finally ending up with a CGI orgy that bore little resemblance to real life (in fact it was pure arcade game).

The plot was also fairly predictable, drawing plot elements & ideas from movies as varied as "The Fast & The Furious", "Tron" and "The Warriors", with the ever-popular "bent cop" thing thrown into the mix as well.

But the chicks were seriously HOT, the dudes looked cool, Ice T was at his sneering, snarling baddest best and the heavy-metal soundtrack drove the film along at a great pace.

The 3.0 rating here doesn't do it justice and on balance I'd say that if you don't sit down to watch this expecting any sort of high-brow entertainment and enjoy seeing good-looking girls in tight biker costumes and some fast-paced action, you won't be too disappointed.

When sitting down to watch a movie like Torque my expectations are down so low that they almost touch the earth's core. Maybe that's also why i actually found this movie to be mildly entertaining? The closest movie references here seemed to be the "Fast and the furious"-movies, at least before the movie started. But while the setting is not unlike those movies (criminal gangs racing each other in custom vehicles) there was still a big difference in how the movies played out. First of all i like the style of "Torque" a lot better. Granted, the over-the-top racing sequences with quite a lot of CGI tucked in to create the illusion of speed are too much many times. But still, there is a certain style and feeling here that actually makes it work pretty well.

The beginning of the movie almost made me give up though. The "hero" arrives at a biker meet where women with more silicone than natural tissue greet him and it almost becomes too much to bear. But when the obligatory naked skin passes by the action picks up, and so does the entertainment. Don't be mistaken, this movie is a hopelessly juvenile testosterone-fest. But in the genre it's not too bad.

So if you like fast bikes and fast paced racing this might just be your choice for the Friday night entertainment. Easily digested, easily forgotten, but a fun ride while it lasts. I rate this 5/10.

What's with the hate for this movie? Why can't people just take this movie for what it is? This movie is just simply good B-movie action entertainment. Its obviously no Oscar material, no but did you seriously expected it to be? At least it doesn't take itself as serious as both the Fast and the Furious movies did. You know that when you are going to watch a movie like "Torque" you are going to see a bad story with some second rate actors but with some nice action.

And this movie surely has some nice action. The motorcycle sequences are surprising good and tense. Most of the stunts were nicely choreographed and the movie has some nice camera tricks and nice editing. It's obvious when watching this movie that Joseph Kahn is a music video director but that certain style works perfect for a fast paced movie like this. Joseph Kahn seems like a talented and well motivated director, of which I'm sure we will hear more of in the future.

Yeah sure, the ending is pretty bad and fake looking but it didn't ruined the movie for me in any way. I was entertained throughout the entire movie by some nice action.

The movie has a bit of an awkward kind of humor, which they should had left out in my opinion. The script is not very well written but still the actors pull it of to make their characters likable and give them a personality. Would I mind seeing "Torque 2"? Most certainly not! I would rather see a "Torque 2" than a "The Fast and the Furious 3".

Really, just give this movie a chance, you might very well end up liking it.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/