Film Review: Speed Racer
April 30, 2008
Speed Racer
What’s it about:
Based on the hit Japanese tv series of the same name and directed by the Wachowski Brothers Speed Racer is a young hot headed race car driver. After a major sponsor threatens his family’s business he must enter a series of dangerous cross country rallies in order to spring an intricate trap that will expose the sponsors shady dealings.
Is it any good?
It’s great but it comes with a health warning. The entire film with the exception of the actors, Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman and Susan Sarandon, is made up entirely of CGI. When Speed Racer hurtles around several gravity defying tracks you are left with an overiding sense of “well, none of this is real is it” that’s not to say that the CGI isn’t particularly good, it is, but it’s obvious to the untrained eye that a considerable amount of computer trickery is involved which lessens the tension of key scenes.
You’ll remember this bit:
The first couple of races are quite impressive but as each race looms you get the impression that this is a pretty one dimensional film. However, lets not kid ourselves, we aren’t here for masterful performances from the lead, we want to be entertained by the screeching of tyres, roar of engines and the crashing of metal.
E.T.A: May 9 2008
….What does the fact that it’s CGI have to do with a “Health Warning”? What if it was traditionally animated, or a stage play…. what does have to do with the actual CONTENT?
Isn’t that what you meant to review?
Ohh…. I get it — HEALTH WARNING:
—- code phrase for
“Too Different”.
You know — like Toy Story.
Or the Matrix.
Those movies were….. “weird”.
(..but gee – they sure were Fun/Cool/Profitable.)
*blinks*
Review The Movie.
Don’t be mad at candy for being candy.
It’s a SUMMER ACTION FLICK. Geez.
If people don’t know it has CGI, what summer action flicks have they been watching for the last 5 years?
Look man…
- Was it cool?
- Did it make you go- WOW! ?
- Did you get a few good laughs out of it?
Mission accomplished.
Review the movie and leave that “adult” in you behind. It was supposed to be fun, wild and spectacular. It was intentionally unreal. It was openenly cartoony and playful. You didn’t get that from the trailers?!
If you expected anything else,I don’t think you were being fair.
Or … did you think it was going to be Days of Thunder?
Hm.