New on DVD Sep 15 2008 @ 07:23 am
REVIEW: Speed Racer
Directed By: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Written By: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Starring: Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Christini Ricci, Matthew Fox, Paulie Litt, Roger Allam
Running Time: 135 minutes
Rated PG for sequences of action, some violence and language
This review was originally published May 10th, 2008.
This isn’t going to be a review so much as it’s going to be a sermon.
I have never experienced a film like Speed Racer before in my life. It is an exuberant, giddy, unabashed celebration of the wide-eyed wonder that shines in the eyes of little boys who believe with every ounce of their being that a 2 inch Hot Wheels car can accelerate at 500mph through a loop-de-loop, flip majestically into the air over the competition, and soar into the stratosphere with a jet-propelled rocket (which is obviously strapped to the back). Physics? Gravity? What are those things? I left the theater with a shockingly goofy grin plastered all over my face, fully believing that nothing was impossible and that no one—no one!—could tell me what I could or couldn’t do. That is the raw power of this film: to transport you to a place where the world is an epic adventure waiting to be seized, where dreams and possibilities are as big as you can imagine them, and where the crushing mundanity of adulthood is left eating the dust of the sleek, physics-defying Mach 5 driven by a boy named Speed. This is the stuff little boys’ dreams are made of, and heaven help me, I loved every thrilling second of it.
A gentler, kinder version of Blade Runner.
The world the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix trilogy) have crafted might best be described as what would happen if you taped a box of Crayolas to a grenade and pulled the pin. It is a vibrant, whimsical universe where the sky is never cloudy, the cities are bubblegum popping Asian megatopias that hint at what L.A. might have looked like in Blade Runner if Scott had gone the ‘cute’ route, and every house in suburbia has a gleaming racecar parked in front of it. Into this world steps Speed, a boy with a drive and genius for one thing and one thing only (three guesses as to what that is). Idolizing his older brother Rex, he and his family’s world is rocked when the elder Racer abandons the family business to drive for corporate interests and is subsequently killed in a vicious cross country race called The Crucible. Speed, embracing the Racer mantle on the fast track to racing success (played by equally fast rising star Emile Hirsch of Into the Wild), is courted by the corporate machine, represented by the grandiose E.P. Arnold Royalton (played with delicious villainy by Roger Allam, the propagandized news anchor from V for Vendetta), who tells him that racing is rigged, has always been rigged, and that if he doesn’t get with the program he won’t win, he won’t place, he won’t even finish the race. Those are fighting words, methinks, and the rest of the film is spent cheering Speed on (which I did out loud, numerous times) as he attempts to make Royalton eat his proverbial shoe by winning the race that took his brother’s life.
I’ve never seen the original Japanese cartoon this was based on (debuting in the ’60s, it was a bit before my time), I have no nostalgic attachment to the car or the characters, and my limited knowledge of it comes from pop culture parodies in shows like The Family Guy and Robot Chicken. I went in with few expectations other than tasty eye-candy and a story that didn’t insult me. To my (happy) surprise, not only were the visuals gaspingly grand, the story was emotionally resonant in a way that stirred me. At its heart, Speed Racer is about the value of family, the importance of always doing what you know to be right, and that you never, ever sell out your dreams. Clichéd and oversimplified? You betcha, but the Wachowskis have crafted a film for kids and as such the message is delivered with a younger audience in mind. The values are pure, unambiguous, easy to grasp, and ultimately inspiring. It’s a throwback to the moral simplicity of the ’50s, but that’s not a bad thing: we could use more Leave it to Beaver and less Married With Children these days.
John Goodman and Susan Sarandon imbue Speed’s parents with a relatable heartwarming tenderness, and when she tells him that what he does behind the wheel of a car is “art” and how she’s “impossibly proud,” your eyes practically tear up along with hers. Spritile (Paulie Litt) and Chim-Chim (a monkey), filling out the rest of the Racer family, consistently steal every scene they are in, including one faux-anime sequence that had me gut-busting with its wink-wink nudge-nudge shout out to the original cartoon. And finally, Christina Ricci (who was apparently born to be a live action anime character) is Speed’s forever-girlfriend Trixie. While she adds a sweet dose of romantic interest, the film is ultimately more about boy-meets-car than boy-meets-girl.
Emile Hirsch as Speed, wiping the frame in classic anime style.
The opening sequence beckons us into the frenetic world of Speed Racer by blending multiple flashbacks with the present, organically introducing characters in the midst of a blistering race, and rejecting traditional cuts for anime inspired wipes. It is expositionally intense, eye-poppingly gorgeous, and a revelation in editing technique, a glorious cinematic hybrid of digital wizardry and Eisenstein’s montage. The races, likewise, are breathtaking, both in look and in action. Pinball-esque half-pipes corkscrew through the air like rollercoasters on crack, grand coliseums hold labyrinths of spikes and pillars, and dusty orange sand clouds whip across deserts that look like they’ve been filtered through the mind of Salvador Dali. Through them all zoom whip-like Speed’s virginal white Mach 5 and his sinister competition. As in The Matrix the laws of physics have been firmly shredded, and cars spin and flip and twist through the air in acrobatic displays of vehicular superheroics. Equipped with James Bondian gadgetry, the racers attack one another with morning stars, saw blades, purple oil slicks, and even (in one hilarious instance) an angry beehive. The races recall the dizzying magic and frantic energy of Harry Potter’s Quidditch matches, and as a colleague of mine astutely noted, “It’s like Super Mario Kart if you were IN Super Mario Kart!” The Wachowskis are changing the rules and innovating the world of film like psychedelic revolutionaries. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the last time this happened was in ‘77 when a guy named Lucas came out with a little independent film called Star Wars.
Nascar would be so much cooler if the tracks looked like this.
The critics, however, are ripping into Speed Racer like starved coyotes pouncing on a crippled rabbit. Typically I’m quite forgiving of differing opinions; film is art at its most subjective, and one man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Showgirls. But the gloves come off with this one. The critics’ middle-aged rabid cynicism is boiling to the top of their pathetic little pots, and their diatribes against Speed smack of the all the graceful rantings of an old codger stewing on his porch, telling the kids to get the hell out of the sprinkler. They are, unequivocally, wrong. Mistaking the giddy visuals for garish bombast and discrediting the inspirational story for heavy-handed pretentiousness, they’ve missed out on the whole point: to convince children that their dreams are worth fighting for and to convince adults that they can still be children. The film succeeds magnificently on both counts, but the critics are having none of it. Your ability to enjoy this film is directly proportional to your ability to dump your cynicism at the door, and the critics are clinging to theirs with all the subtlety of a corpse’s death grip. Enjoy your vitriol, boys. Maybe you’ll choke on it when next you’re out kicking puppies and punching newborns.
Screw gravity!
Speed Racer is a return to the innocence and unashamed idealism of childhood, the wide-eyed wonder you unknowingly embraced until adulthood and stress and responsibilities and the harsh realities of life sapped every ounce of it out of you. It is the first time you rode a roller coaster, when you started down that first impossibly high drop and your stomach plunged while your adrenaline rocketed, and at the end you sprinted to the end of the line to ride it over and over and over again. It is the pure, naïve fun you had as a child when you built architecturally unsound castles from blocks and your G.I. Joes battled one another among the ramparts, noble good and wicked evil locked in epic combat, with the good guys always, always triumphing despite hopeless odds. It is the look of sheer joy my daughter gets in her eyes when she sees a puppy and everything fades into the background except petting and playing and being licked in the face until she can’t stop laughing. At that moment, no one can convince her that puppies aren’t the most wonderful things in the entire world.
As Speed Racer approached the finish line in the final, breathtaking race, I felt my chest swell with anticipation and excitement. I wanted him to win—no, I needed him to win! Often times a film is so good, so immersive that I forget I’m watching a movie and lose myself in the story, but never before like this. It was a borderline religious experience, and I’m almost certain I involuntarily yelled out a guttural cry of joy in the climactic moment, utterly oblivious to the people around me. My enthusiasm knows no bounds, I’m still on a cinematic high 24 hours after seeing it, I’m counting down the hours before I can see it again, and my inner child doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. Speed Racer is the picture of the year and one of the greatest films I have ever seen.
GO, SPEED RACER, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
on May 10 2008 @ 3:30 pm 1. Luke Harrington said …
…so, you liked it, huh?
on May 10 2008 @ 5:25 pm 2. christian said …
“if you taped a box of Crayolas to a grenade and pulled the pin.” Exactly.
Great review. I hope the Wachowski’s read it.
I hope families go see it. I hope.
on May 10 2008 @ 5:58 pm 3. Evan Derrick said …
Luke, I imagine the star ratings would be much, much lower if you and I had traded films this weekend.
Christian, I hope families go see it as well, but it looks like its on track to do around $20 million this weekend which would put it in the “box office bomb” box with everyone. Fingers crossed it finds a life on home video and becomes the cult and family classic that it deserves to be.
on May 10 2008 @ 6:43 pm 4. Craig Kennedy said …
Evan, I try not to read other reviews before I write my own, but I couldn’t resist breaking off a piece of your enthusiasm while I sit here trying to decide whether to see it again today.
Your review I think pushes me over the edge. I want to see it in IMAX.
Honestly I feel like my brain has only processed about 1/3 of the visual information the movie was throwing at me. I think I might enjoy it even more the second time because my brain will actually understand what it’s seeing.
Maybe.
Anyway, all beside the point. Nice review. When Monday morning rolls around and Speed finishes 3rd at the box office, I’ll be happy knowing there are a few people out there who liked this one as much or more than I did.
on May 10 2008 @ 6:59 pm 5. Sean said …
I called it. I told my roommate that you would be giving it 5 stars. I am expecting a lot tomorrow Evan. A hell of a lot.
on May 10 2008 @ 7:06 pm 6. Josh said …
Wow. Didn’t really give this one much of a thought, other than possibly a goofy Netflix rental in the future. Great review — it changed my perspective on the film entirely.
on May 10 2008 @ 8:13 pm 7. Evan Derrick said …
Craig, glad my enthusiasm was palpable. I feel like I’m exuding good will for this film out of my very pores. I am looking forward to a second run at it and catching all the bits and pieces I missed the first time around. And yes, I feel slightly privileged to be in the company of a few critics who unashamedly love this film. It’s like we know a secret that all of the mainstream film critics have missed.
Sean, glad I’m so easy to peg.
You know that kind of rabid enthusiasm that comes into your eyes every time you mention Superman? That kind of childlike zealous wonder you get for the big blue boyscout that I don’t even completely understand? Bring that to this film and watch it like a 10 year old. Its kitschy and cheesy and over-the-top but its a wonderful, wonderful ride.
And Josh, if you get a chance to see it, you’ll have to let me know what you think.
on May 10 2008 @ 8:20 pm 8. Evan Derrick said …
By the way Craig, I called you a ‘colleague’ and referenced your Mario Kart line. Hope that was ok, but it was so good I had to have it in my review.
on May 11 2008 @ 4:29 am 9. redison said …
I liked this movie more than Iron Man. Which is a total surprise. Nice review. I also can’t wait to see it again!
on May 11 2008 @ 4:48 am 10. redison said …
hi, sorry, I’m back. I just had to come back and post what I posted in a message folder a few hours ago regarding this movie:
—————
The Wachowski’s deserve alot more credit for this movie than what they’re getting from critics.
If you liked the trailer, you’ll like the movie. I liked the trailer, didn’t want to see the movie because the reviews were so awful, but saw it anyway (it wasn’t my night to choose), and I loved it. It could very well end up on my never-to-be-materialized Top 10 list for this year, which, although it was great, Iron Man won’t. The Wachowski’s treat the material with an infectious, gushy fanboy endearment that prompted me to buy a Speed Racer car at Vons afterwords. OK, I didn’t actually go into Vons with the intention of buying it. We were there for ice cream sundae ingreds, and after seeing them on the shelf there was no way I was leaving the store without a Mach 5 Hot Wheels Speed Racer. I had no idea what that was before the movie. Now thanks to the Wachowski brothers and my friends who dragged me to this movie, I kind of care and I have my very own Mach 5 on my desk as I type. It’s all white and red and can be wound up and let go. I feel like a 5 year old , and I’m lovin it.
I’m probably utterly alone on this verdict, but it’s huge thumbs up from me!
——–
It wasn’t more than an hour later that I found a review (yours) that encapsulated that way I felt about this movie! Thank you Evan for existing! Ah!
on May 11 2008 @ 8:08 am 11. Evan Derrick said …
Redison, thanks for stopping by. Your comment made my day.
After the film I went with my family to the mall to find a Speed Racer t-shirt (which I couldn’t find, so I’m still looking). While there I convinced no less than 3 strangers that they had to see it. And yes, I also got online and was looking for Speed Racer toys. I’m so jealous that you have a Mach 5 on your desk (I, too, had no clue what that was before I saw the movie) and I plan to buy one as soon as possible. And a coffee mug. And a keychain. And a poseable Speed action figure.
It’s great to feel like a 5 year old again, isn’t it?
on May 11 2008 @ 9:45 am 12. Arctain said …
Evan,
I think I have read almost every critic’s shredding(Bombastic, indeed!) of ‘Speed Racer’ and wondered whether they saw the same movie as I did.
I grew up on the ‘Speed Racer’ cartoons - emulating Speedy with my Matchbox set, dreaming of the day when, I too, would be behind the wheel of my own Mach 5. My go-cart - both the homebuilt one that steered with rope, and the later one that actually had a lawnmower engine on the back - was named the Mach 5. Speed Racer was my hero - always did what was right, always won the race, always looked forward to the best, always took a stand against cheaters and general never-do-wells. To say I expected a lot from this movie would be an understatement on the scale of, say, the Universe.
And then I read the initial reviews… I was disappointed. I was worried that the Wachowski’s had permeated ‘Speed Racer’ with all the dark, vapid, pseudo-mythology of the later ‘The Matrix’ films. My enthusiam for going to see the movie was infected.
Thankfully, I went and saw it anyway. This movie IS on the scale and spirit of Star Wars. I watched it with the same Oh-my-GOD! This-is-the-best-movie-EVER!, 9-year-old zeal that I had back then. I had wide-eyed wonder, and came out grinning like some Wonderland cat.
Thank you for your review - you got it spot on! Brilliant!
on May 11 2008 @ 10:43 am 13. John Lingelbach said …
Been searching the web for a positive review that captures at least some of what I felt about the movie. I left the theater with a smile on my face and a bounce to my walk. It struck me as genius in its abstraction from space and time, and its moving between, and blending of, “reality” and fantasy. I was taken away.
So I had no qualms with the plot or script. Interestingly, my son was hung up on various plot loose ends and weak sections of the script. And he couldn’t let go of his desire to nail down when the movie takes place.
A reversal of movie-going roles. For him it was a movie, not a TV cartoon, so it needed to abide by movie rules and meet movie expectations. For me it transcended such expectations.
Until I found your review I was expecting to be in a camp of one, unaware of others who shared my experience of the film. I still doubt many/any of my friends will find it as transformational of the medium as I do.
Glad you did. Thanks.
on May 11 2008 @ 4:49 pm 14. Pops Racer said …
I was that boy.
Great father/son movie.
Go see it !
on May 11 2008 @ 7:07 pm 15. Evan Derrick said …
Arctain and John, it’s wonderful to find other people who responded to the movie the way I did. It’s amazing to me how so many critics have missed the boat - you can just see how they are incapable of approaching the film as a little boy would. The film is such a transcendent experience that I just feel sad for all the people who are going to miss out on it.
And Pops, my son is only 3 weeks old, but I kept wishing that he was 5 or 6 so I could take him to see it with me. Can’t wait to introduce it to him later in life!
on May 11 2008 @ 10:17 pm 16. Ari said …
There’s a purity, innocence and exuberance on display here that I find impossible to dislike. It brings to mind the glorious hope of Frank Capra’s fantasies and the sweetness that attracts me to Astaire/Rogers musicals.
There’s a visual ambition and radical experimentation here that SHOULD please anyone who cares about daring, singular filmmaking. This new CGI imagery pops for the digital age the way technicolor did in the ’50s.
That the Wachowski’s did this for the escapist film is what makes Speed Racer a little miracle for me. I’m not into this kind of stuff that much anymore, but this film reminded me of everything great about being a young dreamer. It is terribly, terribly underrated.
on May 12 2008 @ 7:38 am 17. Anil Usumezbas said …
I was planning to see this for a long time, actually it’s in #4 of my ‘Most Anticipated’ list for a while now. But I was disappointed with the fact that neither critics nor fans of the original show, nor the remaining audience seemed to like it.
Your review encourages me once again, for which I am grateful. Even if I don’t like the movie myself (which is probable) I think your points are all valid and I am planning to put a link to your review, along with Roger Ebert’s, under my own as a recommendation for further reading.
Good job
on May 12 2008 @ 9:06 am 18. Nick Plowman said …
Screw you and thank you, Evan.
Screw you for seeing this film WAY before me and actually loving it to pieces.
Thank you for a FANTASTIC review that makes me want to see it as soon as possible.
on May 12 2008 @ 5:00 pm 19. Joseph said …
Just got back from watching it (I do love matinee prices!) It was a lot of fun and I absolutely love their transitions, both in real-time and for changes in time.
I didn’t like it as much as Evan, but it’s definitely worth checking out.
In short, “Mario Kart meets Death Race 2000″
on May 12 2008 @ 7:30 pm 20. colleeny said …
Mario Meets Death Race 2000!!!!
Damb it, now I am going to have to take a half dozen gravol and head done to the theatre. Someone just had to play the Death Race card! Just about my favorite B-Movie ever. God Bless you Roger Corman
on May 12 2008 @ 7:46 pm 21. Luke Harrington said …
I guess we better not tell you about the upcoming Paul W. S. Anderson remake…
on May 12 2008 @ 9:56 pm 22. A Summer Day and Speed Racer « Cinexcellence said …
[…] Racer at the local Regal. I wasn’t planning on seeing it, but Evan Derrick’s glowing review of the film, which I’d read the night before, instantly won me over. So here’s a quick […]
on May 12 2008 @ 10:08 pm 23. Fox said …
So, I came in late to this discussion, but I still wanted to give you props for a great review… and for making me want to see this now.
on May 12 2008 @ 11:53 pm 24. Luke Harrington said …
Just got back from seeing this one (with the man himself, Evan Derrick). Let it be known that despite my previous skepticism, this one is a winner.
Reminds me of everything good about Treasure Planet, that other underrated movie that no one went to see.
on May 13 2008 @ 12:11 am 25. Evan Derrick said …
As Luke said, I double-dipped at IMAX tonight. It was, almost to the tee, as good as the first time I saw it (I was afraid it wouldn’t be). The length shows itself a bit (the Wachowskis could have trimmed a bit here and there), but otherwise the climax was just as powerful as it was the first time. Gosh, I love this movie.
Anil, look forward to reading your review on the film, glad I nudged it a bit in a positive direction for you.
And Joseph, enjoying it as fun spectacle is the least one can expect. I think what shocked me the most about the critical reception was that it wasn’t even being regarded as ‘fun.’ Most slammed it as tedious, boring, heavy-handed, and way too many pretty lights. What the heck? It is at the very least, as you said, worth checking out.
on May 13 2008 @ 10:55 am 26. 300 Words About: Speed Racer said …
[…]Because I love passionate reviews, I have to direct you to Evan Derrick’s at MovieZeal, even though I don’t fully share his enthusiasm for this particular film. Get ready to ride…[…]
on May 13 2008 @ 10:56 am 27. Daniel said …
Seriously, this is a review for the ages, Evan.
on May 13 2008 @ 11:16 am 28. Craig Kennedy said …
Evan. Mario Kart is yours, especially if it helps convince someone else to see it.
Luke, glad you liked the movie. Apparently, except for a few pockets of enthusiasm here and elsewhere, no one gives a crap. Even my prediction that it would be big in Europe was way off the mark.
Oh well, I’ve still got a big goofy smile on my face.
on May 13 2008 @ 11:40 am 29. HallsyHatesU said …
Hmmmm…interesting. I had no desire to see this, even before all the reviews started coming in. But I might check it out now if it’s playing here. I definitely don’t want to see it on the small screen.
on May 13 2008 @ 3:53 pm 30. Evan Derrick said …
Well Hallsy, I’m not sure if my review made this clear, but I’m going to go ahead and recommend that you see it.
I can’t count the number of conversations I’ve had when I tell people that they have to see Speed Racer and they screw up their face and go, “Really?”, as if I’d just told them that they have to check out the new soda machine in the Wendy’s down the street. I wasn’t really paying attention, but apparently the marketing on SR was horrendous, because no one thought it looked even remotely good.
on May 13 2008 @ 4:17 pm 31. Luke Harrington said …
The trailer turned me off to it completely. It just made the whole thing look garish. In a bad way.
on May 13 2008 @ 9:48 pm 32. K. Bowen said …
And I thought I was enthusiastic about it.
Pancakes are love!
on May 15 2008 @ 11:22 am 33. Luke Harrington said …
Patrick, I’m pretty sure you just nailed it.
on May 16 2008 @ 2:55 am 34. matt said …
I think Speed Racer works extremely well on certain levels and fails utterly on others. I enjoyed it more than I didn’t and I think, like you, it’s because I could sit back and let the spectacle and the excitement wash over me without being encumbered by nostalgic memories or expectations for the Next Big Thing. With that being said, I think I’d have enjoyed the film much more if I were a young child because the Wachowski tandem obviously pushed for the younger crowd and certain aspects, like Sparky for example, were way off the mark for older, more discerning viewers.
on May 16 2008 @ 1:47 pm 35. F said …
Really speed racer failed on all aspects. The story line did not mach the original series. There was never a Mach 6, it was only and always the Mach 5, No other car. Speed racer the series, was a fantasy cartoon, and nothing had to be believable, nor did it have to have any real life actions instilled into it. The producers of this film missed the mark, they tried put in actual life events into a cartoon story line, all the while changing the original story line. Take for example the Mach 5 and how the CIB made the modifications. The CIB never had anything to do wit the Mach 5. it was all Pops. Pops Racer was the brain behind the Mach 5 and not the CIB. The Modifications were done strictly by Pops in the cartoon. Also in the cartoon, The Mach 5 was the only race car, not the Mach 6. Every race was raced with the Mach 5, there were no other cars period. If you take away the glitz and the glamor of the Special effects and get down to the story it flies in the face of the original. The Movie plainly missed it.
on May 16 2008 @ 2:13 pm 36. Evan Derrick said …
F, sounds like you were a bit too attached to the original cartoon.
on May 16 2008 @ 3:42 pm 37. CC said …
I really enjoyed this movie. It was a good extention of the series. The film captures the campy cheesiness of the anime. Lots of fun. Not for those who can’t handle bright flashing colors.
on May 17 2008 @ 3:08 pm 38. Week in Review | thimbly things said …
[…] Seeing Speed Racer with the siblings (I love this movie and don’t care what old fogey critics think! It’s pure fun. I especially love monkeys who wear little boys on their pajamas. Watch the music video and try to pretend you’re bored. I dare you. :) And here is Evan’s very very very positive review.) […]
on May 18 2008 @ 12:30 pm 39. HallsyHatesU said …
It wasn’t so much the marketing that failed to get me excited (I haven’t seen the trailers and have only caught brief glimpses of tv spots) but rather the whole concept. A live action reimagination of a cartoon that I wasn’t even interested in as a kid?
If it does show up at theaters here I will go check it out. I live in the Cayman Islands, so we don’t have the greatest selection and movies sometimes arrive months after the US release.
on May 19 2008 @ 9:53 pm 40. Rosie said …
I am an old fan of the cartoon SPEED RACER and was leery of the idea of seeing this film. But the strings of childhood tugged and I went to see it anyway.
Damn, it was good! It was nice of you to point out the cast . . . although I have to add that Matthew Fox was deliciously sexy, yet compelling as Racer X.
I have noticed that people who have actually seen this film . . . really liked it. Hopefully it will become the cult classic that it deserves to be.
on May 20 2008 @ 6:55 am 41. Evan Derrick said …
Glad you loved it, Rosie. Yes, I know I didn’t mention Matthew Fox in my review, but I attempt to keep things as succinct as possible when I write, and the sucker was already getting pretty long.
But yes, he was great. The whole cast was. They brought gravity to kitschy roles that most actors would have gone at with a wink-wink nudge-nudge attitude. It works because they play it straight, rather than for laughs.
on May 20 2008 @ 7:17 am 42. Luke Harrington said …
…and really - what could be better than John Goodman beating up a ninja?
on May 20 2008 @ 7:20 am 43. Evan Derrick said …
A monkey with human boys on his pajamas, that’s what.
on May 20 2008 @ 8:34 am 44. Daniel said …
“More like a nonja…”
on Jul 02 2008 @ 5:38 pm 45. Brandon Tysinger said …
I will happy to join the Speed Racer religion. Where do I sign up?
on Jul 02 2008 @ 6:08 pm 46. Evan Derrick said …
There’s a one time, $50 entry fee that you can make out to me personally. Then Speed will officially become your savior.
Glad to find another person who loves this amazing film, Brandon. Hope you’ll stick around these here parts.
on Jul 16 2008 @ 11:19 pm 47. Nathan Keltner said …
Internet drug spam FTW!
on Jul 17 2008 @ 12:45 am 48. Evan Derrick said …
Ok, I’m going to leave that spam comment in here, just so you don’t look totally insane, Nathan. You can thank me later. With pancakes.
Also, I still love this film. Immensely. I have a little Mach 5 sitting in front of me as I type this. Speed Racer will likely be my #1 film of the year.
on Jul 17 2008 @ 9:31 am 49. Nathan Keltner said …
Do you have the powers to edit? You should remove the link to the website if you do. If not, go ahead and delete it.
I can always blame it on my net drugs.
on Jul 17 2008 @ 12:21 pm 50. Luke Harrington said …
Heh…so I went in to remove the link and accidentally hit “delete” instead of edit. Sorry guys…you can all beat me up later.
on Jul 17 2008 @ 2:12 pm 51. Nathan Keltner said …
Internet drug spam sans spam FTW!
on Jul 17 2008 @ 3:12 pm 52. Julia Harrington said …
Hmmm. Nathan, I think you should consider laying off those internet drugs…
on Jul 27 2008 @ 8:53 am 53. Andrew Paris said …
I was very happy to be able to see Speed Racer in the theatre in Belgium.
Because the movie didn’t do very well in the US it was announced that Speed Racer would go straight to DVD overhere. (cancelling the planned june theatrical release)
Out of the blue it opened anyhow on july 16th. (with zero publicity - and in three cities only)
I saw it on it’s first weekend evening (8PM-july 18th) screening in Metropolis-Antwerp with my 12 year old daughter. We both loved it. Sadly however only 7 other people were present in the rather large theater.
I really wanted to see this movie again before it would disappear. On tuesday evening (8PM-july 22nd) I took my wife, 7 year old daughter, sister-in-law and 6 year old nephew along to see this film. (Sadly only 1 other person was present in the theatre)
We all loved the movie. The kids went wild at the end. Jumping down the aisles (over the seats) to a victory dance in front of the screen end titles.
It turned out Speed Racer only lasted for one week in Metropolis-Antwerp.
However in Kinepolis-Brussels he’s riding his second week. (Also in Liege he’s allowed to race another week - albeit dubbed in french)
I’m looking forward to seeing it on dvd.
Didn’t get any action figures, but ordered the 2 soundtrack cd’s.
(the proper soundtrack and the CD-single with the end-titles theme song)
on Jul 27 2008 @ 1:29 pm 54. Evan said …
Thanks for dropping by, Andrew. Speed Racer continues to be my favored #1 film of the year. I will admit that The Dark Knight is a close second, and may even take it over by years end, although we’ll see what the fall brings to the table.
How disappointing that it received even less attention in Belgium than it did here. It seems that the studios are cutting their losses and not risking anything on what is a wonderful, entertaining, uplifting film. Perhaps in a few years we’ll be able to look back and better understand the circumstances that killed Speed Racer.
on Jul 28 2008 @ 6:50 pm 55. tivius said …
S.R. — Best action movie of the year, thus far. I agree.
It brought a joy out that I haven’t experienced from a film in ages.
GO SPEED GO !!
on Sep 24 2008 @ 7:27 pm 56. joel said …
Great review, Evan. Your enthusiasm actually outshines Craig Kennedy’s, which I didn’t expect to see happen.
I’m not expecting it to qualify as my fave of 2008, but Speed Racer will likely sneak into my top ten of the year. Man on Wire is still at the top of my list (so far).
Speed Racer was a cartoon I loved as a child. I wanted to be Speed, own the Mach 5, and race against Racer X. I had elaborate fantasies of Hot Wheels that could fly, emit whirring saw blades, or pogo out of harms’ way. I finally got to see the cartoon again sometime in my 20’s when it resurfaced on MTV and I was sorta shocked by how surreal and abstract it all was. I didn’t enjoy the cartoon much as an adult and the Speed Racer trailer really turned me off, so I skipped the theatrical release.
Fast forward to the DVD/Blu-ray release and I was kicking myself all weekend for not seeing this on a big screen when I had a chance. Wow, fun times. A good solid two hours of deja vu and childhood nostalgia ensued, something you captured quite accurately in your review (even though you had no nostalgia for the cartoon to pine for).
Glad to see folks championing this film. It really is one of the best art films I’ve seen in years and definitely the best use of an all-CGI world I’ve ever seen in any movie.
I’d love to see it win the Oscar for best visual effects but I’m guessing that will go to Iron Man instead, which doesn’t hold a frigging candle to Speed Racer.
on Sep 24 2008 @ 11:22 pm 57. Evan Derrick said …
Thanks, Joel, for the comment. It’s difficult to accurately convey the experience I had in the theater with this film, which was completely unexpected. The MovieZeal writers all divvied up the summer blockbusters, and I got saddled with Speed, so I mostly went out of obligation. But when Speed is racing down that final lap, I almost exploded - literally. How do you explain that?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it yourself, even it was on Blu-ray (which is still a great experience in and of itself). I agree - I’d love to see it win for SFX, but that is unlikely, since most winners aren’t saddled with critical scorn. Look at last year, when Click lost Best Makeup to La Vie En Rose. Guarantee you Click’s makeup was more impressive, but Oscar couldn’t sleep at night if it gave an Adam Sandler comedy an Oscar for anything, even something as slight as Makeup. So Speed will probably be nominated, but I bet you’re right - Iron Man wins (or maybe Hellboy 2, and while HB2 is a longshot, it isn’t as much of a longshot as Speed is). Oh well. That’s life and politics and film.
on Sep 25 2008 @ 1:24 am 58. Jandy said …
Evan, returning to this review now that I’ve seen the film. And you’re 100% right - it’s fantastic, visionary, and one of the few films lately that’s had me glued to my TV for the whole running time. I don’t think I could be cynical and dismissive of it if I tried (though I do think the younger brother and chimp could’ve had some reduced screen time without any loss). I believe that Speed Racer will end up being a cult favorite, and maybe more, twenty years from now. Perhaps sooner.
I foresee it being one of my first Blu-ray purchases once I, you know, get a Blu-ray player.