I enter the theater with high hopes to see “The Getaway,” an action thriller centered on an ex-racecar driver, a kidnapping, and Selena Gomez. All promising factors, however, the movie only left me feeling car-sick and unenthused.

The first 20 minutes of the movie alternate between short flashes of the story’s set-up. The main character and former race car driver, Brent (Ethan Hawke), finds out that his wife was violently kidnapped. Brent then takes an intense mission through the streets of Bulgaria to save her.

Meanwhile, his wife, Leanne (Rebecca Budig), is as one-dimensional as a cardboard cutout. Though the main character is driven to commit crimes to save her when she is kidnapped, the audience does not feel anything for the character because the audience has not gotten to know her on a personal level. Her title might as well be the “stereotypical damsel in distress.”

Brent is given all of his mission directions by the semi-ominous, but completely obvious “Voice” (Jon Voight), the kidnapper. The “Voice” only serves as that, a voice, and has very little depth to his character. After only seeing his mouth for the whole movie, the kidnapper’s face is revealed at the end. However, this is not relevant as we still don’t know who the character really is. We never really understand why he needed Brent to do this job so badly that he took the trouble to have his wife kidnapped.

After 30 minutes of the movie, I was uninterested in watching police car after police car smash into one another. I began to believe the film may take a turn for the better when Selena Gomez barged in with a gun pointed at Brent, telling him to get out of the car that had evidently been stolen from her for his use.

Unfortunately the character, a rich and bossy computer whiz, just comes off as an annoying, less likeable version of Gomez. Halfway through the movie, Gomez’s character asks Brent, “You don’t even know my name, do you?” No. We don’t. Nor do we know anything about you besides the few character traits that you have announced to the audience.

The lack of character development could have been less noticeable had the plot exceeded its basic premise. Though the idea for the movie was appealing, the idea turned out to be the only interesting thing about this 90 minute car chase. If you are into watching creative shots of fast cars, then this movie is for you. If not, I suggest taking your popcorn elsewhere.

Karly Horn is an A&E Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.