There wasn't much variety to choose from this year, but at any rate here's my nominations:
Most Inventive Car Chase:
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra
A pursuit scenario involving characters chasing a vehicle on foot is certainly nothing new, but equip them with supercharged accelerator suits and it's a wholly different story. It may look utterly preposterous as the protagonists charge down the streets of Paris without breaking a sweat, but it was undeniably an inventive and worthwhile spectacle.
Most Destructive Chase Scene:
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra
Considering it managed to obliterate
The Blues Brothers previous record by allegedly destroying 112 cars in the making of the film, there's no questioning 2009's most destructive car chase.
G.I. Joe's chase scene started as it meant to go on as the Hummer ploughs into a city bus, which was actually a real and unstaged accident causing injury to those involved. And then, as if the chase could become any more ludicrous with the
G.I. Joe team pursuing the villain's Hummer on foot via their accelerator suits, the vehicle utilises a customised plow which is used to mangle any unsuspecting cars in its path. It's a spectacular and riveting sight, as multiple cars perform pirouettes simultaneously through the air reminiscent of
The Matrix Reloaded. The chase even concludes with a highly destructive feat, as the Hummer gets struck by an oncoming train and vaults into the air with preposterous altitude, before culminating in an explosive high speed rollover. It may be far fetched, but it's hard not to revel in such alluring automotive destruction.
Honourable mentions
Fast and Furious
A heated street racing scene through densely populated traffic rightfully resulted in the demise of most of the competitors in a series of spectacular crashes.
Antikiller D.K
This lesser known Russian movie featured a surprising quantity of high altitude car crashes. Adhering to tradition, the protagonist is pursued by a fleet of matching black enemy cars and, also in tradition, they all get sequentially scrapped as the chase progresses. The resulting destruction is simply salivating.
The Tournament
A tanker truck jostling against a double decker bus on a motorway was bound to cause some accidents, and this was indeed true in The Tournament's chase scene.
Best Driving:
Fast and Furious
The latest installment in the long running racing franchise may have lacked the flamboyant drifting found in
Tokyo Drift, but the driving found in
Fast and Furious was still impressive in its own right. Each of the film's many driving scenes showcased a number of skills, from heavy duty pickups performing reverse 180s, to street racers weaving through dense traffic and charging around 90 degree corners.
Best Game:
Colin McRae: DiRT 2
Codemasters have garnered a reigning reputation for producing high quality driving games over the years, and
DiRT 2 certainly lived up to this track record. The balanced physics, exotic locations and impeccable presentation made for a continually captivating experience - careening down hazardous dirt tracks and edging perilously close to cliff edges has seldom felt so real. All in all, it was a sterling tribute to the rally legend and ranks as one of the most thoroughly enjoyable driving games to date.
Honorable mentions
Forza Motorsport 3
The
Forza series has been heralded as the most significant rival to Polyphony's
Gran Turismo series, and this latest addition is easily the most accomplished so far.
Gran Turismo 5 will have a lot of catching up to do by the time it's released some time in 2010.
Need For Speed: Shift
The
Need For Speed series has been severely lagging behind the competition in recent years, but
Shift fortunately acted as a reboot for the faltering franchise. Switching from the streets to renowned racing circuits, the core racing experience was a vast improvement, particularly with the inclusion of a realistic shuddering in car view coupled with an astonishing sense of speed.
Best Racing Scene:
Fast and Furious
Fast and Furious upped the ante by staging an enthraling racing scene amidst heavy LA traffic, as apposed to the comparatively tame closed street races of the past. The addition of traffic added a new dimension, resulting in some note worthy crashes as well. It's easily the most raw and exhilarating street race the series has seen to date.
Chase of the Year:
Fast and Furious
Fast and furious not only saw the return of Mr gravely voice but delivered a trio of pulse pounding car chase sequences. From the fuel tanker hijacking opening to the intense central street race and the final, multi vehicle desert showdown,
Fast and Furious provided a strong variety of car chases and each scene held their own with diligence.
Worst Chase of the Year:
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
In all honesty,
Revenge of the Fallen's effort barely qualifies as a car chase due to its pitifully short running time. Those who were hotly anticipating a comeback from Michael Bay in the extravagant car chase department were sorely disappointed. It's been all too long (5 years in fact since
The Island) since we have experienced a true trademark Michael Bay chase, and both
Transformers films rank as unforgiveable missed opportunities.
I hope my contribution was of use and that we can get the awards submitted a bit more timely this year. Will the people's chase voting poll be up soon?
