Rated: PG
Runtime: 2 hrs 15 mins
Cast:
- Emile Hirsch
- Christina Ricci
- Matthew Fox
- Susan Sarandon
- John Goodman
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Review - "Speed Racer"
Reviewer: Charise Payne
Rating:
The 60s brought us a wonderful assortment of classics: The Beatles, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Japanese anime Speed Racer. As a youth, I loved getting up on Saturday morning and watching Speed and Trixie catch the bad guys; it was part of what made the 70s so great. When I heard that the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) were making Speed Racer into a full-length film, I was a bit skeptical. So many movies have been made lately that just didn't meet up to the standards of the original that, realistically, I didn't have high hopes for the film. Thank goodness my worries were unfounded.
Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a 17-year-old who was born to drive cars. His whole family is in the racing business: his father Pops (John Goodman) makes the cars, his brother Rex (Scott Porter) is a championship driver, and his mother (Susan Sarandon) and younger brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) cheer them on.
Racing is all Speed has ever known. He has dreamed about driving like his big brother Rex since he was a little boy. But tragically, his brother is killed in a car accident, and Speed is left devastated. With the help of girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed becomes one of the best racers on the driving circuit. But he now faces a tough decision: he can stay with Racer Motors, or he can sign with Royalton (Roger Allam) and get the funding and technology to become one of the premiere drivers on the racing circuit.
Something doesn't seem right with Royalton, and Speed declines his offer as sponsor. That's when all hell breaks loose — Royalton fixes all of Speeds races and forces him to lose. Speed is pissed. Royalton is ruining the sport of racing, and he ends Speeds chance to be a champion. He figures Royalton is due for a little payback, so he joins Racer X (Matthew Fox) and Taejo Togokhan (Rain) in an impossibly difficult cross-country race. If their team finishes first, Togokhan will turn in evidence that Royalton is a criminal.
I liked this movie a lot. I thought it was fun and imaginative, and the special effects are incredible. The racing scenes alone are worth your money. My issues with the film surround the plot. The characters aren't developed enough, and there is never a sense of danger. The tension never builds because you know Speed is an amazing driver, and he won't get hurt. My other issue is its length; in my opinion, 135 min was a little too long.
The Wachowski Brothers have created a world full of wonderfully vivid images and eye-popping visuals. Speed Racer is full of candy for the eye; the colors and images were astounding, and the live-action scenes were amazing. I instantly felt that, even though this movie is not for everyone, it will become a cult classic.
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