Review: Speed Racer (2008), Spoilers
Aug. 1st, 2010 08:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalSummary: In an alternate world where automotive racing is such Serious Business that it makes the World Cup look like a backyard scrimmage, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsh) is ready to take his place as the greatest driver on the planet. But even as the forces of corporate greed that control the World Racing League threaten to bring him down, his real battle is with the shadow of his late brother Rex Racer (WhoUnbenownstToSpeedIsReallyTheMysteriousRacerX).
Review: Okay, you can't fault the Wachowski brothers for being disrespectful of the source material. Speed Racer is practically a love letter to the original Japanese cartoon, with the action cranked up to 11. Cars don't just race, they battle it out in a sort of "Car Fu" on speedways resembling nothing more than God's own Hot Wheels track. The villains are incredibly villainous, the heroes are painfully virtuous, and seemingly the entire world is painted in candy-colored neon. It's an incredible display of Pure Moviemaking, where every single image is not just artificial, its artificiality is deliberately made obvious to the viewer, something like Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids series, allowing them to forget about being taken out of the scene and just enjoy the ride.
So why does it suck so hard?
Part of it, I think, is the sheer earnestness of the thing. Not only so we have the world of racing to deal with, we're also saddled with a frankly dull as toast family drama revolving around Rex Racer's seeming fall from grace and disappearance and how it affects Speed. The opening race is intercut with scenes from Speed's childhood and relationship with Rex and his girlfriend Trixie, and frankly it sucks away all the excitement generated by the race. From the there the movie is unable to really get back on... er, track, even with the addition of Spritle (Paulie Litt) and Chim-Chim's antics (managing the neat trick of being an annoying kid brother without actually irritating the audience), and such wonderful silliness as a Viking themed racing team being bribed in furs and catapulting beehives at their opponents.
OTOH We do have Tom Goodman as Pops Racer, which is worth price of admission itself, and an extended cameo by the original American voice of Speed (the late Peter Fernandez) which just proves that Wachowshis are some pretty damned nice guys.
YMMV
Review: Okay, you can't fault the Wachowski brothers for being disrespectful of the source material. Speed Racer is practically a love letter to the original Japanese cartoon, with the action cranked up to 11. Cars don't just race, they battle it out in a sort of "Car Fu" on speedways resembling nothing more than God's own Hot Wheels track. The villains are incredibly villainous, the heroes are painfully virtuous, and seemingly the entire world is painted in candy-colored neon. It's an incredible display of Pure Moviemaking, where every single image is not just artificial, its artificiality is deliberately made obvious to the viewer, something like Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids series, allowing them to forget about being taken out of the scene and just enjoy the ride.
So why does it suck so hard?
Part of it, I think, is the sheer earnestness of the thing. Not only so we have the world of racing to deal with, we're also saddled with a frankly dull as toast family drama revolving around Rex Racer's seeming fall from grace and disappearance and how it affects Speed. The opening race is intercut with scenes from Speed's childhood and relationship with Rex and his girlfriend Trixie, and frankly it sucks away all the excitement generated by the race. From the there the movie is unable to really get back on... er, track, even with the addition of Spritle (Paulie Litt) and Chim-Chim's antics (managing the neat trick of being an annoying kid brother without actually irritating the audience), and such wonderful silliness as a Viking themed racing team being bribed in furs and catapulting beehives at their opponents.
OTOH We do have Tom Goodman as Pops Racer, which is worth price of admission itself, and an extended cameo by the original American voice of Speed (the late Peter Fernandez) which just proves that Wachowshis are some pretty damned nice guys.
YMMV
