Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift [HD-DVD / DVD Combo Format]

Unlike the first two films, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is presented as a Universal Combo Format release. One side of the disc features the HD-DVD transfer with an HD-30 platter. The reverse side is a DVD-9 DVD layer that features the entire film in standard definition. Comparing the two sides to one another shows how strong the high definition transfer is, as it easily trumps the standard definition release. However, the regular DVD format is still quite striking with "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" and one of the better standard definition releases I have seen in quite some time.

Sound:
"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" contains the same sound offerings as the first two films for its high definition side of the disc. Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 is supplied in English, Spanish and French. I´m not sure why the film wasn´t done in Japanese. The standard definition side contains the same options, but in basic Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel surround. This is another very aggressive soundtrack that completely envelopes you with its usage of all six channels. The .1 LFE track rumbles deeply when the cars are tearing through the garages and streets of Tokyo. The higher pitched sounds are very impressive and tire squeals and high-revving engines sound wonderful. I´m a huge fan of high performance machines and these films are music to my ears. There aren´t quite as many examples of explosions or gunfire in this film as there were in the first two films, but they exist and they sound great. Something else is found in this film – motorcycles. They sound incredible as well. The standard definition side sounds pretty good too, but just doesn´t compete with the higher resolution and greater available bandwidth of the HD-DVD side. This film is just as impressive as the first film in sound quality and leaves the inferior second film in its rearview mirror.

Extras:
"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is the first release featuring dual-layers on both of its sides. Previous releases were single layered HD-DVD, but "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" contains a full 30 gigabytes of storage. This allows for Universal´s U-Control features and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" contains some of the best material that Universal has showcased via U-Control. Picture-in-Picture contains various video snippets. This includes interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and other moments that are informative and nicely interwoven into the interactive experience. There are also Storyboards and Production Photographs that pop up on screen to investigate. High definition allows for pretty good resolution on these images when compared to the older photo galleries of standard definition. Two other interactive elements of U-Control are Tech Specs on the cars featured in the film and also a GPS map that highlights the location in Tokyo of where the action is occurring. With the various items available to the U-Control interface, this was easily the most fun I´ve had with interactive content on the newer formats.

The remaing features are as follows:

* Custom-Made Drifter
* The Japanese Way
* The Real Drift King
* Drifting School
* Tricked Out to Drift
* Feature Commentary
* Deleted Scenes
* Music Video

Another interactive feature is Custom-Made Drifter. This allows you to select a few options to create your own visual representation of a drift car and place it interactively into a scene from the film. The options are limited and the scene is short, but I had fun playing with this little feature. Being a fan of "Need for Speed: Most Wanted" and "Forza Motorsport," I was not nearly as impressed as others may be. The Japanese Way was short, but showed the numerous headaches that were created by trying to film a "Fast and the Furious" film in Tokyo. All I will say is that it isn´t the easiest film to create a major Hollywood blockbuster in. No wonder Godzilla smashes so many buildings. The Real Drift King is an interview with drifting legend Keichi Tsuchiay, the real "Drift King." The world of drifting is exciting and interesting to hear a real drifter comment. Another short feature is Drifting School, which was a humorous look at the cast learning to drift and drive high performance machines. Tricked Out to Drift is a feature that looks at the cars featured in the film and some of the modifications and physical requirements to create a drift car. My Z/28 would need some work to drift, that is for sure. The Feature Commentary featured director Justin Lin and was informative and entertaining, as were the Deleted Scenes that were easily the best batch of the trilogy. Finally, a Music Video is included.

Closing Thoughts:
I enjoyed "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" far more than I had expected. Especially after the disappointment of the second film. This film takes an interesting look at an American trying to fit into Japanese culture and also at the world of drifting. Most have not heard of drifting and do not understand that it is more of an art form that it is racing. It is exciting and the filmmakers made a wise choice in abandoning the North American backdrop and moving to the Far East. This is an entertaining film and a worthy sequel to the original film. There is even a familiar face in a great cameo at the end of the film. The film is technically awesome. It is a full featured HD-DVD disc that rivals any title in supplements, video and sound. As an added bonus, it also includes a DVD attached to the reverse side. This may be the most technically impressive HD-DVD to date, aside from the fact it does not contain a Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Before watching this film, I would not expect to be recommending this. However, if you enjoyed the first film of the series, then you will surely want to check this one out.

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