Faster Vs. The Fast and the Furious: Brand Theft?

Submitted By: Niko De Jonge

Faster is a new action thriller movie, set for release on November 24, 2010. Just hearing the name of the movie immediately makes one think of The Fast and the Furious series. Both movies surely have one thing in common: speed.

Faster will have to meet the high standards of action-viewers if it plans to compare to The Fast and the Furious series. It will immediately draw fans from the series, as it takes a ride on The Fast and the Furious’ audience. Based on current synopsis and reviews, the movie does have the speed, the thrill, and the action that The Fast and the Furious has. The theme of Faster is centered on vengeance, an almost identical theme to The Fast and the Furious series.

Faster’s theme is about a “Driver” who is seeking revenge for his brother’s death after being sentenced to prison for 10 years. Driver’s imprisonment resulted from a botched bank robbery, the same robbery that Driver’s brother died, and you can imagine the amount of hatred and revenge one can build up over 10 years of jail time. During his pursuit of his brother’s killer, Driver is also being tracked down by two individuals, one a veteran cop, the other an egocentric hit man.

Similarly, the plot of The Fast and the Furious series is about a driver who seeks revenge for his friend’s death, while being chased by local law enforcements. Both movies center on the idea of the “hunter being the hunted”.

The themes are not the only things similar in the movies. Coincidence or not, the star and main character of each movie are almost identical. In The Fast and the Furious series, the rebellious driver is played by Vin Diesel, a super-built muscle man. Faster will be starring Dwayne Johnston, also known as “The Rock”, who is an ex-wrestler also resembling a super-built muscle man. If you pull up pictures of both actors, you will notice that they even look like twins.

The final comparison between the movies is the name. When movie lovers hear the word “fast”, “faster”, or “fastest” they immediately think of The Fast and the Furious movies. This series already consists of four movies and is putting out a fifth in the upcoming years. By choosing the name Faster, this movie could easily be using the brand of The Fast and the Furious series.

Overall, it does not seem to be a coincidence that Faster has so many similarities to The Fast and the Furious series. Faster seems to be taking the latter’s success for a ride, hoping for a big audience, and large revenues. Based on the synopsis and reviews of the movie, it does seem to be action-packed and thrilling for car and violence lovers. Although the movie might be carried off the success of former action-car movies, it most likely will deliver what fans are seeking: speed, guns, bullets, cars, violence, and girls.

Realistically, the success of Faster should not be of any concern, especially to the directors and producers of the movie. Rather, these individuals should be worried about a lawsuit from the creators of The Fast and the Furious series. From the name of the movie to the theme to the main characters, there is plenty of evidence to support brand theft by the makers of Faster. The courts will have to decide. Only time will tell.

Published At: Isnare.com