Alecc B. on "Speed Racer"

Let me start off by saying that I am not a fan of the Speed Racer cartoon. I don't have anything against it, I just never followed it. When I first saw the trailer for The Wachowski Brothers big-screen version, I thought to myself that this film looks very cartoonish for a live-action film, but I also thought that it worked.

Speed Racer is supposed to re-invent the family film. It doesn't. What this film does is razzle and dazzle you with crazy visual graphics while also keeping the dialogue very tongue-in-cheek.

PLOT

Speed always looked up to his now dead older brother, Rex. He races just as good as Rex, if not better. Racing is all he knows how to do, and he's gonna use that skill to put the hurting on the big sponsors who do nothing but corrupt the sport of racing. Go! Speed! Go!

ACTING

Emile Hirsch is probably the most reserved actor in this film. As Speed, he doesn't really hold the film up. Hirsch and the rest of the cast are all here to serve the special effects. Christina Ricci covers up that big forehead of hers to play Trixie, Speed's lady. She seems to have the most fun here, besides the monkey. Paulie Litt plays the annoying kid brother Spritle, but he's nowhere near as annoying as the kid who plays young Speed. Matthew Fox takes some time off from Lost to play Racer X. He's a bit bland here. Roger Allam hams it up as Royalton, the man behind the big racing sponsors. Allam chews up the scenery with much enjoyment. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon add some serious clout as Speed's parents. These two are class acts that can lift up any film.

WRITING & DIRECTING

Andy and Larry Wachowski with Speed Racer, after they destroyed the Matrix series. There knack for writing bad dialogue actually suits this film. The fact that it's corny on purpose makes the dialogue very easy to swallow. Don't expect to be blown away by the the story because it's all special effects in this flick.

Shot all in front of a green-screen, a la 300, Racer has a fun vibe to it throughout the entire runtime. The racing sequences are so over-the-top but they're also such a blast to watch. I recommend seeing this in a loud theatre, except the IMAX. I think if you watched this flick in the IMAX theatre, your head would explode from all of the eye candy on-screen.

So, Speed Racer turned out to be more fun than I thought it would. Remember, I'm not a fan, but from what I hear, it's very faithful to the show.

Overall Review: **1/2 stars

Best Lines:

Ricci: Oh my God, was that a ninja?

Hirsch: Get that weak shit off my track!