"SPEED RACER" Review
"SPEED RACER" Review
When I first saw the trailer for "SPEED RACER" . . . I simply cringed in my seat. Granted, I had been a fan of the Japanese cartoon when I was a kid. But looking at that trailer, my mind simply cried, "Hell no!" There was no way in the world I was going to see this movie.
But the more I saw the trailer, old memories of the cartoon kept welling in my thoughts. Soon, I found myself filled with nostalgia for the cartoon. I eventually decided to go see the movie after all. It might turn out to be a pile of crap, but I had to exorcise the ghosts of my childhood. Well . . . I just saw the movie. And I must say that it turned out to be a hell of a lot better than I had expected.
At a running time of two hours and fifteen minutes, "SPEED RACER" is about a young American (Emile Hirsch) with natural racing instincts. His goal is to win The Casa Cristo, a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex Racer (Scott Porter). Speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents Pops (John Goodman) and Mom (Susan Sarandon). Pops designed Speed's car, the Mach 5. The owner of Royalton Industries (Roger Allam) makes Speed a lucrative offer to join the company's racing team, but Speed rejects the offer, angering the owner. Speed also uncovers a secret that top corporate interests, including Royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit. With the offer to Speed denied, Royalton wants to ensure that Speed will not win races. Speed finds support from his parents and his girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) and enters The Crucible in a partnership with his one-time rival, Racer X (Matthew Fox), seeking to rescue his family's business and the racing sport itself.
The first ten minutes of the movie had me puzzled. Although I rather enjoyed how the story introduced Speed Racer's obssession with racing and the death of his older brother, Rex Racer; I must admit that I had been taken aback by the movie's visuals. It looked very cartoonish and I have not seen such bold colors since Warren Beatty's 1990 film, "DICK TRACY". But my mind adjusted to this new visual style and proceeded to enjoy the story. In fact, by the time the movie focused upon The Casa Cristo cross-country race, I found myself marveling over John Gaeta's visual effects and David Tattersall's photography. And quite frankly, I also enjoyed Larry and Andy Wachowski's screenplay. "SPEED RACER" must be one of the few movies based upon a cartoon, with a strong social message - namely one against corporations' involvment in the sport. I found it pleasantly surprising.
As for the cast, Emile Hirsch struck me as a little boring at first. But in the scene in which Speed rejected Royalton's offer, Hirsch's Speed Racer finally came to life. Christina Ricci gave a fun and charming performance as Trixie, Speed's girlfriend. Both John Goodman and Susan Sarandon were solid as Speed's parents. And I do not think that Matthew Fox had never been as sexy and enigmatic as he was as Racer X - Speed's rival and ally in the fight against Royalton. I especially enjoyed his fight against a ninja assassin, while wearing a towel. Richard Roundtree gave a surprisingly sly and funny performance as Ben Burns, a former racer who became a commentator. To my surprise, Roger Allam's slightly bombastic performance as the corrupt Royalton did not bother me at all. In fact, his character's over-the-top personality fitted perfectly with the movie. The biggest surprise turned out to be Paulie Litt as Spritle, the youngest Racer sibling. Perhaps I should not have been surprised. Regis Philbin once described the young television actor as a 40 year-old in a child's body. Perhaps he is right. But young Paulie was a bundle of energy with great comic timing.
"SPEED RACER" is not perfect. Either the movie is fifteen minutes too long or its pacing had dropped off a bit, following the Casa Cristo race sequence. And I was a little annoyed with the Wachowski Brothers interrupting the fascinating sequence featuring Royalton's revelation about the racing scene with comic moments of Spritle and his pet monkey, Chin Chin, trying to break into the businessman's candy storage. It just seemed out of place and it nearly ruined the marvelous scene between Speed and Royalton.
Judging from some of the reviews I have read, it seems as if many film critics disliked the film. I suspect that "SPEED RACER"'s unusual visuals may have seemed a little too mind blowing for them. A good number of moviegoers are paying attention to these critics. Which is a shame, in my opinion. I feel that it is an unusual and entertaining film. And it would be a shame if it bombs at the box office. But considering many moviegoers' recent habit of avoiding anything unusual, "SPEED RACER", like "THE GOLDEN COMPASS", might have to depend upon the overseas box office for success.