Earlier this summer, street racing fans everywhere had a lot to cheer about when it came to Hollywood. Actually, more than a few of them took part in a piece of street racing history - The Fast and the Furious. Inspired by an article in Vibe magazine, called Racer X, Rob Cohen decided to bring this fascinating subculture to the silver screen. Starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, this movie caused many to wonder why more films haven't been made on this topic since such well known classics as Rebel Without a Cause and American Graffiti. Packed with action, plenty of hi-tech auto gadgetry, and a killer soundtrack, it's also no surprise that it grossed over $145 million at the box office. We know there's plenty or racing fans in our GZ crowd who were probably amongst those who saw the flick on the big screen, and if you haven't yet, the DVD Collector's Edition release should be a must-have on your home movie list.

Let's get one thing straight: I can honestly admit I've never raced one of these hot cars, but that doesn't keep me from enjoying movies and other forms of entertainment about the topic. When it comes down to it, most people are fascinated with speed - but often don't have the time, money, and/or guts to push those limits. Director Rob Cohen takes you on this journey through recreating the lives of the street racing culture - complete with a cast of real life street racers. It's one of the first things you'll learn on the Collector's Edition DVD, and the best is yet to come. 

First on the list of special feature on the DVD is "The Making Of The Fast and the Furious." While the title is self-explanatory, the making of the film is far from so simple to explain, and this compilation of facts and figures will bring the scope of knowledge (both in filmaking and in the car world) brings it all to life in a short and succinct format. As mentioned above, one of my favorite features of this portion is the revelation that Mr. Cohen did an open casting call for real street racing enthusiasts (and their cars). Hard to believe, but all these pretty cars and beautiful people weren't fabricated for the viewing public, they could be around your hometown!

Next on the list is the movie commentary option, allowing you to get a bumper-to-bumper (so to speak) narration of the film from Rob Cohen. An additional nicety is the fact that he also comments on the "Deleted Scenes" section, actually explaining why each scene had to be cut from the film. Some of the reasons might surprise you! They've also included the full text of Racer X, the article that started it all. 

Ever wonder how filmmaker's manage to get some of those awe-inspiring, up-close, and sometimes seemingly dangerously close to the action shots? Well this DVD's lets you in on those secrets with not only multiple camera angle play-throughs (there were 8 set cameras for the highly publicized final stunt sequence), but also some areas where special effects took on some of the more risky endeavors. The multiple camera feature is really well crafted for the DVD format, giving you a thumbnail view of all 8 camera angles on one screen, playing each view as you highlight it. This helped make the process quick and easy to see, without having to go back and forth into each file.

On the structural end, The Fast and the Furious DVD touches on storyboarding as an important element to even such a high-intensity movie. With the "Visual Effects Montage," you get an alternating view of what the filmmakers visualized on paper and how it was transformed into live action. There's also a "Storyboard-to-Feature" comparison which gives you a split screen view of the comic-book like sketches of the plot along the finished movie. Also included are production notes, cast & film-maker info and a really interesting featurette on how the team edited the film to earn a PG-13 rating. 

An often overlooked, an incredibly powerful force in any movie (or video game for that matter) is the soundtrack. Fortunately for the movie world, film-makers have become increasingly aware of the power a good soundtrack has in enhancing a movie-goers experience. The Fast and the Furious has a hard-edge techno feel, highlighted by Ja Rule in several tracks. The DVD not only gives you music highlights, pinpointing the portion of the movie that corresponds to a particular song, but also contains music videos.

But wait, there's more! Yes, we know you've been waiting for the big game tie-in right? Tucked into this already loaded Collector's Edition are plenty of wallpapers, screen-savers, and a demo of Activision's Supercar Street Challenge. So if you didn't buy it already, get a hands on look and feel for the game.

The more you learn about it, the more you get the feel for how Rob Cohen intended this film to be as much of a documentary as it was a form of entertainment. With the usual array of behind the scenes shots and documentaries, combined with the unique commitment to staying true to the street racing subculture and other interesting items sure to appeal to real-life as well as virtual street racing fans, you might just want to add this to your collection!