For a movie that starts in second gear, most of “Need For Speed” is as about as good as being stuck in traffic.

 “Need For Speed,” directed by Scott Waugh and based on the Electronic Arts racing juggernaut of the same name, has its moments, but is filled with plot holes that make the film laughable.

The movie begins in tiny Mount Kisco, N.Y., where Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) and his crew run an auto body shop. The group competes in off-road races in order to keep the shop afloat.

The amount of technology the team had to help Tobey was unbelievable. For example, Tobey’s pal Benny (Scott Mescudi) flew a Cessna and radioed in to Tobey’s car to help him make his next moves.

After the opening scene’s race, Tobey is confronted by Dino Brewster — Tobey’s old racing rival who made it big on professional circuits after cutting town.

In one large missed opportunity for the flick, Dominic Cooper was far too stereotypical of a villain as the antagonistic Dino, which made his supposedly cunning character come off as dry.

There was little background information about Tobey and Dino’s relationship other than that though, which almost made the beginning of the movie seem like it was a sequel to an earlier film.

Aware that Tobey’s shop is in dire straits, Dino offers Tobey 25 percent of the $2 million expected payout if his team can finish work on a souped-up Ford Mustang. Tobey begrudgingly accepts, and he and the youngest member of his gang, Pete (Harrison Gilberston), drive the finished product for Dino and Julia (Imogen Poots), who has offered to buy the car for $3 million if it can reach 230 miles an hour. Tobey gets the Mustang to 234 mph, showing up Dino.

Trying to save face, Dino challenges Tobey and Pete to a race, during which Dino fishtails the Mustang Pete is driving, sending him over a bridge railing. Dino flees, and Tobey is sent to jail for Pete’s death.

Waugh did a nice job of giving tribute to EA’s franchise, as several cars and areas highlighted were from the games. The camera work was fast-paced and engaging during the chase scenes, quickly panning between Tobey’s perspective and side or aerial shots of the cars. When there were crashes, the film went into slow motion, another aspect cleverly borrowed from some of the “Need For Speed” video games.

The movie ends up flashing forward two years, showing a Tobey determined to avenge Pete’s death, but hardly different otherwise. Aaron Paul, expected to carry the film as Tobey, was far from the form that won him acclaim in “Breaking Bad.”

Julia, who now has the Mustang, suggests that Tobey enter the De Leon, a high-end drag race. However, he only has 48 hours to reach California until the race begins outside of San Francisco. In attempts to keep Tobey from racing, Dino offers $2 million to anyone who stops him from entering the competition by any means necessary.

The rest of “Need For Speed” is filled with crazy chases and subsequent escapes from both the cops and Dino’s cronies.

In between the too few and far between chases and races, attempts to develop the characters fell flat. Most notably, the relationship between Tobey and Julia was stale, as it started off tense, but became amicable much too quickly and without much reason. It was clear that Paul and Poots had little on-screen chemistry.

Much of the cast was also largely unable to show off any of their skills, though crewmember Finn (Remi Malek) smartly delivered most of the film’s best punchlines. Additionally, it was fun to watch Scott Mescudi — he is Kid Cudi, after all.

Overall, between many of the action scenes, “Need For Speed” failed to fit together. But if you’re game for a movie you can laugh at, it works.

If not, take your foot off the gas pedal, and get off at the next exit.

Published on March 26, 2014 at 1:00 am