The last decade of so has seen a huge rise in the popularity of motor sports. It’s not that it’s some new thing to suddenly spring into existence, but what was once considered to be a form of entertainment for hillbillies and rednecks has become huge business, so much that it has given rise to cable networks like The Speed Channel which is devoted to motor sports 24 hours a day (or at least until paid advertising kicks in.) The business isn’t going unnoticed by Hollywood either, and while films such as Days of Thunder looked at just one fraction, it’s not just about cars.

Supercross may sound like some made up Hollywood title, but in fact, it is an actual part of motorcycle racing, the Super Bowl of the industry if you will. I remember seeing previews for the film and thinking that this was just another X-Games type of film, but actually that’s not the case, though there are a few aspects thrown in for good measure. Instead, Supercross starts with humble beginnings. K.C. (Steve Howey) and Trip Carlyle (Mike Vogel) work cleaning pools, though their dreams are on the track, and after participating in a local race, KC has attracted the attention of a representative of Nami, an up and coming motorcycle manufacturer who has asked them to come and take a look at their facilities.

After showing their stuff on the track as well as going up against Nami’s hot star Rowdy Sparks (Channing Tatum) in the process, K.C. is offered a spot on the Nami Team and he accepts immediately. However, this brings about tension between the brothers since they both known that Trip really is the better rider, and even though K.C. might have full factory support, he’s discovering that his real purpose is to block for Rowdy and allow him to win. Trip eventually gains independent support, but is quickly taken out of the game and even his brother’s fate with Nami doesn’t look good.

I’m not necessarily a fan of any sort of motor sports, though when it comes to video games it’s a completely different story, and Supercross initially was a film that I had no interest in seeing, and in fact has taken me quite a while to even get around to watching (my apologies to the PR over at Fox.) This is a film that ultimately has to be approached from two different angels.

From the story end of things, this really isn’t a bad movie, though the outcome is somewhat predicable, falling into the usual brand of “underdog conquers all,” similar to the good triumphing over evil theme. The film is well cast, and one of the biggest surprises actually was the presence of Robert Patrick, an actor who I really feel is underrated for the most part and can just as easily take on a high profile title, like Terminator 2 or two seasons of The X-Files, and just as easily do well in a film that many people wouldn’t even dream of watching.

What Supercross brings to the table is an inside look at the world of motorcycle racing, not some X-Games branded stunts (but again, there are a few.) There were times that I thought that maybe the film had a bit to much product placement, but then the reality hit me: this is motor sports. Every NASCAR racer has their auto plastered with sponsorships and endorsements, so Supercross displaying the THQ logo (who does a number of extreme sports titles) or Monster Energy Drink isn’t nearly as bad as what blatant advertising is seen in movies like I, Robot. Showing a character like K.C. having to deal with being a part of a team where he really isn’t allowed to win becomes apparent from the moment he becomes a part of Nami, and we also can see the real reason that his brother wasn’t asked. Trip might be a good rider, but he’s too hot headed, too good, and is the type of racer that will show up Nami’s meal ticket.

However, the fact that the story really feels cut and dry early on is something that holds the film back, and there really isn’t much room for surprise. Knowing what the real premise of the film is, that being racing, you might think that there are some spectacular racing sequences, but I didn’t find that to be true. Instead, the film suffers from too much music video style editing combined with slow motion at times to try and emphasis the action, but instead it takes away the trill. Supercross also overuses multiple panel imagery, and while that style might work extremely well for a television series like 24, it doesn’t impact this movie as much as it detracts from it.

There were plenty of times that I really did want to like the film, but it just wasn’t happening. I started to realize that when it came time for a race, I actually was becoming disinterested, instead wanting the movie to simply go back to the rest of the story and see the inner workings of the industry as well as some of the inner conflicts the characters were trying to overcome. Supercross also really suffers from trying to almost put in too much story to such a degree that it feels like the script underwent some corner cutting to reach the ending. So much more could have been explored; in particular Trip’s entry into professional racing, but this isn’t the type of movie that can be three or more hours. That job apparently now belongs to Peter Jackson.

Supercross isn’t the type of film where extra features can be overlooked, and there are a number of different things that are examined. The feature does include commentary from director Steve Boyum, but there is much more than just this. There is a collection of shorts that look at the stunts from the film as well as the stunt doubles that performed them, and this really is important for this type of film. The story is discussed as well as the industry itself, and even the cast and crew have a short to focus upon them as well as opinions of their characters.

This isn’t the type of movie that is going to redefine the sport of motorcycle racing, and I doubt that it’s going to draw in a huge amount of newcomers to the sport. While Supercross isn’t necessarily a bad effort, and definitely tries to be a bit more real that some of the other overly fanciful Hollywood films, it really doesn’t quite manage to fully capture the viewers attention. It’s a movie that falls into last place out of the gate, manages to gain some ground in the middle, but close to the end Supercross stalls and burns out.
 

-mike-

 

Directed By: Steve Boyum   Written By: Ken Solarz , Bart Baker & Keith Alan Bernstein   Cast: Steve Howey Mike Vogel Cameron Richardson Sophia Bush Aaron Carter Channing Tatum Robert Patrick Robert Carradine Carolina Garcia Ryan Locke J.D. Pardo David Castillo Erin Bates

DVD Features: Audio:  English(Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 2.1 Surround, & Spanish Dolby Digital 2.1 Surround English & French Subtitles   Side 1: Full Screen Feature Commentary w/Steve Boyum Look at the amazing Stunts Meet the Stunt Doubles Theatrical Trailer Inside Look Side 2: Widescreen Feature Commentary w/Steve Boyum Behind The Industry Cast & Crew The Story Inside Look