Speed Racer (2008) – Review

Brian Reinbolt - psicosismark@yahoo.com

I'll be honest, I went into this film thinking it was going to be nothing more than a big media corporation bonanza with money pouring from the celluloid itself, what I walked out with proved to be the result I expected but somehow I wasn't as offended as I thought I would be and it turned out to be a good catering to the masses (if there is such a thing), in that it delivered an array of visual effects never before seen on the screen and should be at least given a chance based on that fact alone.

This film defies categorization as the style used is definitely unique and very exclusive to this story; directors Larry & Andy Wachowski should take a backseat to the real craftsmen of the project; the editors, yes without them the Wachowski's live action vision of the sixties Japanese Anime would not have been able to come to fruition in the way it did.

The directing structure itself; it's all over the place, in the opening act it proves hectic and over juxtaposed but by the time we see Speed grow into a young adult it matures into a well balanced mix of pop art interspersing everything from news telecasts, dazzling retro billboard-esque imagery with CGI utilized broad sky backgrounds the likes of what you would see in the streets of Japan if you were to walk in it in day or night and view the electronic neon lights or clouds above and it all flies by at a rate comparable to the original animation characters' mouths.

Veterans; John Goodman, Susan Sarandon & Christina Ricci play their roles perfectly and the actor on display with the brightest future is the man playing Speed Racer himself; Emile Hirsch who delivers a good convincing performance and will probably go on to be the next mainstream actor. If you watched the anime like I did with English voice over during the mid nineties Cartoon Network airings or if you watched the original dating back to its syndicated U.S run, it stays true to the original story and shouldn't offend purists, in fact I see this as a victory to all fans of the original.

My only complaints would have to be the running time; clocking in at 135 minutes it doesn't necessarily move at a snail's pace but by the middle of the film you do start to realize you have been sitting for a bit; this was also one of the only flaws of the Wachowski brothers previous films such as "The Matrix" & "V For Vendetta".

The other gripe is the fact Susan Sarandon is playing the pre feminist role of the good mother who wouldn't dare defy any man in her way is a little tacky and proves that even if you involve people as un-commercial as the Wachowski's in the end you still have studio executives dabbling their fingerprints in certain places which is kind of hypocritical because the films main message is anti corporation with a do it yourself mindset but yet at times I couldn't help but notice the product placement.

All in all it is a good time to kill a few hours and in my case take in something that you wouldn't normally rush to view but after the fact end up pleasantly surprised.

***1/2 out of *****