'Matchbox The Movie' Looks Like A Fast & Furious Ripoff But Still Better Than I Expected

I genuinely can't believe I'm saying this, but "Matchbox The Movie" actually looks kind of fun. Mattel released the trailer for its latest toy-themed movie at San Diego Comic-Con, and I begrudgingly admit that I want to watch it. It's basically just a Mattel-branded Fast & Furious clone that leans more into comedy than cars, but somehow it looks like it'll actually be a good time. Apple using Ludacris' "Rollout" in the trailer is definitely a little wink at the audience, too. 

Usually these product-based movies are just corporate slop designed to rake in money from parents trying to keep kids quiet for a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon. And while this isn't all that different, it actually seems like Apple TV put some real production bucks into it where it mattered.

The plot seems so vaguely related to Matchbox cars that it feels like a rejected Fast & Furious script that Mattel's shoehorned its brand into. It's about a group of friends who used to play with Matchbox cars as kids. One of the friends in the group, played by John Cena, went off to become a badass CIA agent as a grown-up. When Cena's character comes back to his small town to grab a few beers (not Coronas, if you were wondering), the "Matchbox Gang" all get drugged and kidnapped by baddies, forcing them into classic fish-out-of-water, globetrotting, action-packed hijinks. There's nothing original about the premise, but based on the trailer alone, it seems pretty well executed, thanks mostly to its surprisingly good cast.

John Cena has some proven comedy chops, but he's also joined by some really funny people in this, like Sam Richardson and Arturo Castro. Just seeing Richardson's name alone is enough to get me to watch. But Jessica Biel, Teyonah Parris, and Corey Stoll are in it, too. It's even directed by Sam Hargrave, who directed the Extraction movies and was the stunt coordinator for "Atomic Blonde," so the action should be fun and well coordinated. The cast is definitely good enough to elevate what would normally be a streaming special snoozefest into a fun two hours. 

No one is expecting "Heat" levels of action here. It's the Matchbox movie. It's going to have a predictable plot with a few fart jokes to entertain 14-year-olds (and 36-year-olds, who am I kidding), and Cena and Biel will end up revealing the crushes they always had on each other. But even the trailer has a few gags that actually made me laugh, like Castro's "Terminator 2"-style shotgun reload fail. 

There are some more interesting cars in it than I thought there would be, too. The six-wheeled Land Rover Defender in the opening is very cool, there's a sweet Triumph bike, and of course the obligatory car movie underground lair of supercars. Before the trailer, I would have rolled my eyes at the idea of going to the theater to see "Matchbox The Movie." After watching it, I'm kind of excited about the idea of a funnier Fast & Furious clone.