← Back to Reviews
in
Speed Racer
Me and my younger brother are currently planning on buying our own car so I thought it would be fun to review a film today that features cars quite prominently. That film is Speed Racer, the 2008 racing movie based on the Speed Racer cartoons that unfortunately wasn't the success it deserved to be. I never saw the Speed Racer cartoons but the film is pretty neat and much more enjoyable to watch than it had any right to be (the trailers for it were horrendous).
Speed Racer follows the story of motorsport racer Speed (Emile Hirsch) whose dream is to win a cross-country car racing rally called 'The Crucible': the same racing rally that saw the death of his brother Rex Racer (Scott Porter). His family - Pops (John Goodman), Mom (Susan Sarandon), brother Spritle (Paulie Litt ) with pet chimpanzee Chim Chim, mechanic Sparky (Kick Gurry) and girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) - run a motoring company called Racer Motors. Owner of conglomerate company Royalton Industries Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) offers Speed the opportunity to live in luxury if he agrees to race with him. Speed initially declines due to his father's distrust of big companies however when he accidentally ends up in a crash in his brother's car Mach 6 (unknown to him orchestrated by Arnold) and the family business is threatened with legal action over copyright infringement he agrees to team up with Racer X (Scott Porter) to compete in the Casa Cristo 5000 race in a deal made with racer Taejo Togokahn (Togo Igawa) that if he agrees to do it she'll provide evidence that will free the family business from legal action.
My synopsis makes it sound quite heavy on legalities but I can assure you it isn't. The legal stuff does play a major part in the film's plot but there is more emphasis on races than legal matters. And even though the film is rated PG, it certainly isn't your typical family film. It has more of an early Harry Potter feeling with elements of darkness disguised through bright visuals and an entertaining plot. I never got the impression watching this movie that it was made purely for families. Yeah, there are one or two moments clearly geared towards kids like the pet chimpanzee but overall this is a very fun but also very grown-up film that happens to be rated PG.
One of the things I love about this film is just how wacky it is. The cars feel as though they came straight out of an episode of Wacky Races, with weapons protruding from the vehicles. These include things like saws and 'Jump Jacks' that allow the cars to jump over obstacles. It's like a nice mixture of the magic and wonder of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with the manic car-related slapstick of the Herbie series. The visual effects by company BUF are some of the very best you'll see in cinema and as you would expect from the directors of The Matrix Lana and Lilly Wachowski literally draw-dropping in their execution.
Whilst some would say this film would have been perfect for 3D, I'm actually glad it wasn't made with sterescopic 3D effects. I am a huge fan of 3D (it's my number one viewing choice for any film) but in the case of Speed Racer it would definitely have been too much. I saw this in IMAX and the way the camera's constantly panning around characters with David Tattersall's cinematography and the constant movement in the picture already feels engrossing enough into the racing world of the movie. If 3D had been added on top of that, I would probably have thrown up. And I don't think I'd have been the only one. The cinematography's so strong that you forget it's a flat image and feel like you're actually in the world of the film. This film's cinematography is not given enough credit and in my view it's one of the most beautiful movies in cinematic history.
The races themselves are also excellent. There's a constant motion to them and everything is expertly directed by the Wachowskis. The film never becomes dull; the pacing is superb and it's a shame the movie wasn't successful enough to warrant a sequel as it definitely left me wanting more. Everything in Speed Racer has this wonderful combination of cartoony and videogame-esque visuals that blend together nicely to create a world that on Bluray is one of the prettiest things you'll ever see. You don't get enough of these kind of films currently that are bright, cheery and colourful; unfortunately most films nowadays tend to be all dark, gritty and 'look how dark the world is' and I wish more films would be released like Speed Racer. It even has a catchy theme song ('Go Speed Racer' by Ali Dee and The Deekompressors) during the credits.
The acting is also generally very strong. I love Emile Hirsch as Speed; he is a very charismatic lead and a strong choice for the role of Speed Racer. Scott Porter is another highlight as Racer X/Rex Racer; he has a lot of screen presence and you could imagine him fronting his own movie at some point rather than being merely a supporting character. If there's any weak point, it's probably Paulie Litt as Spritle. Occasionally he can have the tendency to be annoying, especially with his pet chimpanzee. It never destroys the film but it seems like the only reason for his inclusion is for the children in the audience rather than because he really needs to be there. If he had been axed from the movie, it would have made little difference to the plot. He's basically just there.
Overall, Speed Racer is a vastly under-rated film that really should have fared better at the box office. The cinematography is beautiful and the direction by the Wachowskis slick. It never grows dull; the movie is perfectly paced and despite its PG rating feels more grown-up than just another family movie. Speed Racer is like a compelling mix of cartoons and videogames, with a distinct Wacky Races feel to the way the cars operate on the race tracks. The only negative I can find is Paulie Litt as Spritle, who can have a tendency to be irritating and just feels like he's there rather than offering any meaningful contribution to the plot. The rest of the acting is excellent however, with standouts being Emile Hirsch as Speed and Scott Porter as Racer X/Rex Racer. Speed Racer is an under-appreciated gem that anybody from eight to one hundred and eight can enjoy. Go reader Go...and watch the one film that doesn't get the appreciation it deserves. You won't regret it.
Me and my younger brother are currently planning on buying our own car so I thought it would be fun to review a film today that features cars quite prominently. That film is Speed Racer, the 2008 racing movie based on the Speed Racer cartoons that unfortunately wasn't the success it deserved to be. I never saw the Speed Racer cartoons but the film is pretty neat and much more enjoyable to watch than it had any right to be (the trailers for it were horrendous).
Speed Racer follows the story of motorsport racer Speed (Emile Hirsch) whose dream is to win a cross-country car racing rally called 'The Crucible': the same racing rally that saw the death of his brother Rex Racer (Scott Porter). His family - Pops (John Goodman), Mom (Susan Sarandon), brother Spritle (Paulie Litt ) with pet chimpanzee Chim Chim, mechanic Sparky (Kick Gurry) and girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) - run a motoring company called Racer Motors. Owner of conglomerate company Royalton Industries Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) offers Speed the opportunity to live in luxury if he agrees to race with him. Speed initially declines due to his father's distrust of big companies however when he accidentally ends up in a crash in his brother's car Mach 6 (unknown to him orchestrated by Arnold) and the family business is threatened with legal action over copyright infringement he agrees to team up with Racer X (Scott Porter) to compete in the Casa Cristo 5000 race in a deal made with racer Taejo Togokahn (Togo Igawa) that if he agrees to do it she'll provide evidence that will free the family business from legal action.
My synopsis makes it sound quite heavy on legalities but I can assure you it isn't. The legal stuff does play a major part in the film's plot but there is more emphasis on races than legal matters. And even though the film is rated PG, it certainly isn't your typical family film. It has more of an early Harry Potter feeling with elements of darkness disguised through bright visuals and an entertaining plot. I never got the impression watching this movie that it was made purely for families. Yeah, there are one or two moments clearly geared towards kids like the pet chimpanzee but overall this is a very fun but also very grown-up film that happens to be rated PG.
One of the things I love about this film is just how wacky it is. The cars feel as though they came straight out of an episode of Wacky Races, with weapons protruding from the vehicles. These include things like saws and 'Jump Jacks' that allow the cars to jump over obstacles. It's like a nice mixture of the magic and wonder of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with the manic car-related slapstick of the Herbie series. The visual effects by company BUF are some of the very best you'll see in cinema and as you would expect from the directors of The Matrix Lana and Lilly Wachowski literally draw-dropping in their execution.
Whilst some would say this film would have been perfect for 3D, I'm actually glad it wasn't made with sterescopic 3D effects. I am a huge fan of 3D (it's my number one viewing choice for any film) but in the case of Speed Racer it would definitely have been too much. I saw this in IMAX and the way the camera's constantly panning around characters with David Tattersall's cinematography and the constant movement in the picture already feels engrossing enough into the racing world of the movie. If 3D had been added on top of that, I would probably have thrown up. And I don't think I'd have been the only one. The cinematography's so strong that you forget it's a flat image and feel like you're actually in the world of the film. This film's cinematography is not given enough credit and in my view it's one of the most beautiful movies in cinematic history.
The races themselves are also excellent. There's a constant motion to them and everything is expertly directed by the Wachowskis. The film never becomes dull; the pacing is superb and it's a shame the movie wasn't successful enough to warrant a sequel as it definitely left me wanting more. Everything in Speed Racer has this wonderful combination of cartoony and videogame-esque visuals that blend together nicely to create a world that on Bluray is one of the prettiest things you'll ever see. You don't get enough of these kind of films currently that are bright, cheery and colourful; unfortunately most films nowadays tend to be all dark, gritty and 'look how dark the world is' and I wish more films would be released like Speed Racer. It even has a catchy theme song ('Go Speed Racer' by Ali Dee and The Deekompressors) during the credits.
The acting is also generally very strong. I love Emile Hirsch as Speed; he is a very charismatic lead and a strong choice for the role of Speed Racer. Scott Porter is another highlight as Racer X/Rex Racer; he has a lot of screen presence and you could imagine him fronting his own movie at some point rather than being merely a supporting character. If there's any weak point, it's probably Paulie Litt as Spritle. Occasionally he can have the tendency to be annoying, especially with his pet chimpanzee. It never destroys the film but it seems like the only reason for his inclusion is for the children in the audience rather than because he really needs to be there. If he had been axed from the movie, it would have made little difference to the plot. He's basically just there.
Overall, Speed Racer is a vastly under-rated film that really should have fared better at the box office. The cinematography is beautiful and the direction by the Wachowskis slick. It never grows dull; the movie is perfectly paced and despite its PG rating feels more grown-up than just another family movie. Speed Racer is like a compelling mix of cartoons and videogames, with a distinct Wacky Races feel to the way the cars operate on the race tracks. The only negative I can find is Paulie Litt as Spritle, who can have a tendency to be irritating and just feels like he's there rather than offering any meaningful contribution to the plot. The rest of the acting is excellent however, with standouts being Emile Hirsch as Speed and Scott Porter as Racer X/Rex Racer. Speed Racer is an under-appreciated gem that anybody from eight to one hundred and eight can enjoy. Go reader Go...and watch the one film that doesn't get the appreciation it deserves. You won't regret it.