When you place frightening up-and-coming action star Vin Diesel ("Boiler Room") with Paul Walker ("Joy Ride) a poor man"s bad actor, add cool cars and hot mamas, stir in the director of "The Skulls," you"ve got yourself the perfect McMovie, ready for painless mass consumption. The resulting flick, "The Fast and the Furious," will not win any awards this season, and the dialogue and plot were apparently written for people who found "Days of Thunder" too compelling.

That said, this is an okay-to-decent movie when accompanied by eight buddies and a few beers. DVD is the only way to see "Furious" in your own home. The sound and picture are superior, highlighting the intricate cutting and "let"s get in the engine" stylings of director Rob Cohen. The paper-thin story has something to do with Walker as an undercover cop trying to find out about some robberies or something having something to do with the sub-legal world of drag-racing. He gets in the good graces of Dom Toretto (the only name I can think of that sounds faker is Vin Deisel) and quickly figures out that the "real" bad guys are the local Asian biker gang. Then Walker"s character falls for Dom"s sister and there are a lot of cool car races. That"s about it.

The real story, though, is the DVD"s extra features. Cohen includes a spirited commentary track, as well as "making-of" featurette. Neither adds a lot, but fans will enjoy the behind the scenes shot and watching Michelle Rodriguez (who was excellent in "Girl Fight) attempt to justify playing Dom"s girlfriend Letty. Deleted scenes, also with Cohen"s commentary, are nothing special, but they certainly don"t hurt.

Film buffs will be more interested in the stunt breakdown of a crucial scene, showing how many cameras and angles it takes to pull off a car flipping through the air. Also included are a visual effects montage, story-board-to-feature comparisons and "Racer X," the original magazine article the film was based on.

For those that don"t like to read while they watch DVDs, there is also a small featurette concerning editing a film for the Motion Picture Association of America.

"The Fast and the Furious" is a fine DVD, with plenty of features and a so-so movie to boot. Let your enjoyment of brainless action be your guide.