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Speed Racer
Posted: May 07, 2008 in Movies
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The Wachowski Brothers -- they of the "Matrix" trilogy -- again look to revolutionize film in "Speed Racer," a 129-minute sugar rush that blends dazzling graphics with cartoonish camera tricks.
The plot is a minor annoyance to get out of the way: Speed (Emile Hirsch) is the middle son of a cookie-cutter, 1950s-era racing family, and he has a cute girlfriend, too (Christina Ricci).
When a wealthy, greedy team owner (Roger Allam) asks Speed to join his franchise, the last thing he expects is for Speed to turn him down. But reject him he does, making an enemy who vows to destroy his family and his team (the Racer team, natch).
There's also a subplot involving Speed's past -- a brother who died in a fiery racing crash -- and Racer X (Matthew Fox of "Lost"), a mysterious rogue racer/crime fighter.
The Wachowskis find interesting ways to structure the narrative, intertwining flashbacks with race action, and artfully folding the brother story into the race action without bogging down the film.
But you're not really interested in character development or narrative structure, are you? You just want the action.
In short, it's dazzling, dynamic, and completely unlike anything else I've seen in a film. The action is fast and furious (without the irritating souped-up Honda Civics) and a whirl of neon lights and explosions.
It's anime come to life, with bits culled from video games like "Mario Kart" and touches of films like "Tron," "James Bond" and "Rocky" for flavor.
The race tracks are literally roller-coaster rides, with loops, twists, turns and jumps that are impossible in real life, but are just another small challenge for Speed.
But wait: It's also part kung-fu movie, with Speed and Racer X battling ninjas (yes, ninjas) in one sequence. They also take on mob bosses who control the seedy underbelly of the racing circuit, fixing races for years.
One of the few complaints I have about this PG-rated, heavily family-marketed film is some relatively mild but unnecessary bad language.
Still, file "Speed Racer" under "must-see" for the summer. The Wachowskis have again succeeded in giving filmgoers a unique experience.
Sounds and looks like a pretty neat movie. I like Matthew Fox in Lost, and Emile Hirsch in Lords of Dogtown and Into the Wild...lets just hope they don't make sequels.
There's going to be an exhibition of Speed Racer art At Evan Lurie Gallery In Carmel starting May 23
This sounds awful, thanks for the reveiw though Joe.
I actually liked this movie a lot...a lot of fun. I think it had a lot of energy of the old anime.
Heh. The reviews are bad for the most part. Everyone I've talked to who has seen it has hated it. I think I'll like it to a point, considering I'm a comic and anime fan, and I know the Speed Racer story already, however, the previews don't make me want to run out and slap down $20 to see it. I'll wait for the DVD.
Heh. The reviews are bad for the most part. Everyone I've talked to who has ...
It has gotten a lot of bad reviews, and I'll even admit there were things I didn't like about it. Spritle was ANNOYING for one, and the story was on the weak side. I mean seriously, it's Speed Racer. It's got a weak story, and the Wachowskis didn't really try to make it something it isn't.
But I have to say visually it's one of the most unique films I've ever seen, and to be fully appreciated it has to be seen not just on the big screen, but I'd argue on the IMAX screen. I'll go so far as to say that the film's opening scene was incredible storytelling, with Speed literally racing his late brother's memory and records, and using flashbacks told a lot of story and introduced virtually all of the characters in just a few moments.