Initial D: Stage 3 - DVD Review

"Initial D" uses its influence in a dexterity of reverse engineering to "Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift" but with a more local feel to it. The element of honor unlike that of the Americanized version plays heavily into this structure. With "Stage Three" which functions more a a stand-alone movie, the similarities grow even closer. A young man who has some of what it takes including pedigree to make it on the drift circuit must prove his mettle by overcoming a course that has been claimed by certain riders. His strength is that once he drives a course, he can "see" the road and learn to adjust intuitively. A series of three races pits him both against the keeper of the fortress plus engulfs him in a family feud that shows what clan is considered the best. The other side plot, which keys in the female angle, comes from a girl who pines for this racer. Ultimately, though the hero only functions in shades of black and white where he can't see the intention at his side. While the plot progression is, in all predicaments, clearly a framing mechanism for the races, the lag time is minimal. The races, of course, emphasize more 3D elements (as is now the norm) because the actual physics of doing the sequences hand drawn would make the production a never-ending process (so there is a give-and-take scenario). In terms of an entry point "Stage Three" allows for a perception of the world without too much mythology and holds it own. Out of 5, I give it a 2 1/2.