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MOVIE
REVIEW: SPEED RACER

05/06/08

You know how
theoretically there are an infinite amount of colors, well I
think I’m seen all of them in “Speed Racer” the new movie
by, the Wachowski brothers, the duo that brought as “The
Matrix”. The very colorful movie is based on the1960s
Japanese anime series Speed Racer. The brothers haven’t done
much since The Matrix Trilogy, except for producing the
outstanding “V for Vendetta”, but I still had faith they
could do a good job until I started reading all the negative
reviews. Honestly, I went in with very low expectations from
all the negative reviews I read. However, I’m here to tell
you what you’ve been told is a lie, the critics are wrong
because Speed Racer is pure unadulterated family
entertainment.
Speed Racer starts at the very beginning with a young Speed
Racer (Nicholas Elia) daydreaming about racing cars which is
turn shows an older Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) racing the
Mach 5 remembering his youth. The camera next pans to each
family member and a segment of each is revealed giving us a
nice breakdown of the back story. This was a very nice
technique and it shows the use of the new all in focus
technology where everything on the frame is in focus like a
cartoon. In this back story, it is revealed that Speed
Racer’s brother Rex (Scott Porter) died in a deadly race
known as The Crucible.
Speed wins the race and as the new rising star is called by
Royalton (Roger Allam) a man that controls all aspects of
racing and because of it has gain tremendous power and
wealth. Unlike this brother, Rex, Speed Racer sticks with
his Pops (John Goodman) and doesn’t sign a contract will
Royalton. At this point Royalton tells Speed that all the
races are fixed and that he controls the outcome. Speed is
disillusioned and leaves disappointed but not without
Spritle (Paulie Litt ) and Chim Chim causing some major
problems. Now Speed and the mysterious Racer X must race
together to bring down Royalton.
The cast could not have been better, but the casting of the
villain, Roger Allam as Royalton and John Goodman as Pops
was perfect. John Goodman is Pops and he plays the character
flawlessly. Roger Allam plays the villain so deviously here
like he did in “V for Vendetta”. Allam knows how to get
under our skins. Matthew Fox as Racer X has a flare of the
mysterious. Matthew’s ability to portray very little emotion
finally paid off and his monotone voice only added to his
character’s allure.
The special effects were good, however I prefer the special
effects where one is not sure if it’s an effect of if it’s
real. We that said, the special effect here look like you’re
inside a live action cartoon, not bad but a little
distracting. The best part of the movie were the fights
scenes and the comedy provide via Speed’s little brother.
The fight scenes are wacky and like nothing you have ever
seen before and even have the Racer family fighting off a
bunch of ninjas. The other thing that was also very good was
Chim Chim and Spritle. They were the comic relief and if you
think they would come off corny, you are way off. They are
actually very funny and I think that Chim Chim and Paulie
Litt deserve at the very least an MTV movie award
nomination.
The movie runs about 2 hours and 15 minutes and this is a
little too long. There are too many race scenes and at least
one could have been cut out or trimmed down. Overall, the
movie was fun, funny and provided an entertainment
experience that the entire family can enjoy. So this weekend
when you’re deciding whether or not to take the kids, take
grandma too. I’ll bet she’ll have a blast.
Review
By Milton Brayson
milton@smartcine.com
MORE MOVIE REVIEWS
>>>
Read The Speed Racer Review By Cine Marcos
>>>
People Review Speed
Racer
Kimberly |
80 |
It's actually really good. I enjoyed it
as an art piece. It is really different
from anything else I've seen. I love the
way it is edited… the characters and
props swiping the screen. It's really
unique. You'll need to put on your
fantasy cap. Isn't that what we want
though? To be a part of a fantasy on the
screen? I watched it and enjoyed it as I
would a piece of art on exhibit. |
Unknown |
90 |
Yes, I really enjoyed it. I never once
thought that it would be bad, actually.
And I wasn't disappointed. It was a
really enjoyable movie. The colors and
the way the storyline flowed were unique
and impressive. Despite being
exaggerated, the effects were also
awesome and exhilarating! |
hmmm |
none |
I thought the movie was horrible. We
took our kids and they were bored
through most of the movie. The only
exciting parts were the race scenes
towards the end. The flash backs were
confusing and the story line too
complicated for 6 year olds. Because the
end of the movie had some exciting race
sequences, it redeemed itself. That is
what the kids remembered. I almost
walked out of the movie. I was very
disappointed. |
Chantae13 |
100 |
I really enjoyed the movie. I didn't
know what to expect, but it was bright
and vivid in color. I especially went to
support Korean star Rain. I have been
following him for a long time now, and I
thought he did a beautiful job in his
performance. Way to go, Rain!!! I went
to see it on Mother's Day and it is
Thursday, and I'm still thinking of the
movie. Speed was awesome, and his little
brother was so funny. Everyone did a
wonderful job. What can I say? The movie
was great!! |
TIN_MAN |
40 |
I took my 7 and 5 yr old to see a pg
movie. H*** yeah, that was some D***
fine A** on those 2 girls had that
strutted by a 'waist high camera shot,
with a quarter cheek hanging out. And
the words that I just starred out were
used in the film. I lost count of the #
of times I heard A**. And getting to see
the little boy, Speed Racer's litttle
brother, 'flip off'' the bad guy was a
great way for me to remind my children
that is not allowed for any reason.
Other than that, the graphics were
STUNNING! Extreme color, fast paced
action, a story that switched between
present and past fluidly. I liked it as
an adult, but it wasn't
Daddy's Speed Racer. I think the movie
was fine but, should have been pg-13. |
Allisan |
30 |
If you have any common sense when it
comes to what you want you children t
watch DO NOT take them to see this
movie. I cannot count he number of times
a character said a**, d***, and h***.
Not to mention a terrifying scene of a
character being tied to a chair and
beaten! My husband and I finally decided
to take our 5 year old out of theater
during a machine gun fight. The theater
manager kindly gave us vouchers for a
different movie at anothe time. I
definitely agree with "Tin Man", this
should have been rated PG-13! Yikes!
Good special effects and fun race
scenes, but overall I wasn't
impressed with the story and rating. |
Robin |
100 |
I love this movie enormously and can't
wait for my children to see it.
My only problem is parents who are so
uptight on little things like
the harmless "swear words" and the
scenes that are "violent". There is
such thing as being over protective. I
would rather my child see Speed
Racer or any other movies than the
immature crap being produced.
(Madagascar, Bee Movie, etc) I grew up
on a lot worst things than what's shown
in Speed Racer and it makes me sick
seeing people baby their children
now days. |
Anomyous |
100 |
That was AWESOME!!!!! I have always been
a big fan of the Wachowski
brothers and their work. They are well
known for their special effects. It it
was put in school, I would give it an
A++ |
Paul Ruiz |
30 |
I wanted to like this movie as an adult,
having grown up loving it as a kid, but
I was generally disappointed. I watched
it with my 7,9 and 11 year olds, and
even they thought it was only ok. It was
too long, got bogged down in the middle,
and as good as some of the special
effects were, you start getting a little
desensitized to them after awhile. I
thought the way it was edited to be like
the original cartoon in places was cool,
but not enough to make this worth
seeing. I'm pretty forgiving, but I give
this a C minus. |
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Director: Larry Wachowski
Andy Wachowski
Writer: Larry Wachowski
Andy Wachowski
Genre: Action
Duration: 2hr 15mins
Staring: Emile Hirsch
Christina Ricci
John Goodman
Susan Sarandon
Matthew Fox
Hiroyuki Sanada
Richard Roundtree
Producer: Joel Silver
Grant Hill
Andy Wachowski
Larry Wachowski
Distributor: WARNER BROS
Rating:
PG for sequences of action, some
violence and language
Release Date: May 9, 2008
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