Based on the classic 1960's Japanese animated series, Speed Racer chronicles the aspirations of a young race car driver as he attempts to obtain glory, with the help of his family and the Mach 5, the advanced car created by his father.
This is an incredible, visually stunning film. It received poor reviews at the box office and I cannot see why! It must have been absolutely mind blowing on the big screen. This is one of the best films I've seen this century, the artwork, the vision and the style of the film are all fantastic. The way scenes are cut together, the high speed octane of the racing, the comedy elements supplied by the young brother of Speed and the family's pet chimp, Christina Ricci's looks, everything about this film is simply superb. OK the plot line is pretty easy to get hold of and the twists and turns in the plot are not particularly difficult or challenging, but that is not what this film is about. It's about family viewing, having a laugh, watching something eye catching and engrossing. It challenges the orthodox methods and styles of film making. I cannot praise the film enough!
Living legends the Wachowski brothers ('The Matrix') well scripted, visually stunning adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's 1960s anime is bound to split audiences faster that its titular hero laps competitors at the 'Casa Cristo 5000'. 'Speed Racer' charts the hyperactive, ADD adventures of teenage racing sensation: Speed (played straight by indie regular Emile Hirsch from 'Imaginary Heroes' & 'Into The Wild') who hails from a hard working family of honest-to-goodness race enthusiasts (Susan Sarandon & John Goodman are mom n' pops). And yet theirs is a troubled past, haunted as they are by memories of Speed's sibling: Rex Racer (newcomer Scott Porter) presumably killed in a crash on the notorious 'Casa Cristo' circuit like Brazilian driver Aryton Senna, only to be defamed in death like South African Cricketer Hansie Cronje for cheating. Speed maintains his brother's innocence (and even questions whether Rex may still be alive) but struggles to reconcile his views with industry plutocrats who seek to influence public opinion, and use corporate muscle or "The unassailable might of money" as one character puts it, to liquidate small businesses like the one run by his family. Bribed then threatened to sell out by 'Royalton' industry's CEO; played with smarmy brilliance by Brit actor Roger Alam, who some will remember as vitriolic propagandist / war criminal Lewis Prothero in 'V: For Vendetta' and as an English feudal lord in 'The Wind That Shakes The Barely'. Speed teams up with sassy girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), mysterious rival Racer X (Matthew Fox from 'Lost') and enigmatic racer Taejo Togokhan (young Korean actor Rain, soon to be seen in James McTeigue's 'Ninja Assassin') to take on the powers that be at the dreaded 'Crucible' a.k.a. 'Casa Cristo 5000'. Andy & Larry Wachowski do wonders with a property that's been kicking around Hollywood for well over a decade; a non-starter since 1992, 'Speed Racer' was once touted as a star vehicle for Johnny Depp, then Keanu Reeves (in fact, Hirsh does have an air of Keanu's blankness about him) and saddled with a string of high profile directors including Paul Thomas Anderson, Gus Van Sant and Alfonso Cuarón. In the end, I think it went to the right pair; for the brothers pioneering use of NAC Hi-Motion, Sony CineAlta F23 Zeiss DigiPrime Lenses and both Phantom HD Cameras, is as innovative a cinematic development as bullet-time was in 'Bound' and 'The Matrix'. This process works in such a way that the background remains as sharp and in focus as the foreground, hence achieving an altogether new level of sharpness & clarity: 'Blade' was the first movie to convey a sense of in-car hyper kinetic motion, 'The Fast & The Furious' built upon that whilst 'Speed Racer' takes it full throttle into new and uncharted territory. Now don't be put off, as I almost was, by the opening few scenes; for it'll take a couple of minutes for your eyes to adjust to the relentless audio-visual assault to come; yes its intense, yes it redefines excess and I'll admit to slight nausea and a mild headache in the second hour, but by then; you"ll either be having too much fun to notice, or simply won't be in the room, having walked out a long time ago. Some of the performances are a little too exuberant for a live-action movie (though they're dead on imitations of Hiroshi Sasagawa's Japanese 'Manga' style) and its about 20 minutes too long, still, 'Speed Racer' is an SFX landmark in modern cinema and boasts some of the most spectacular visuals you'll see for miles around. Go Speed Racer Go!
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play A young driver Speed Racer aspires to be champion of the racing world with the help of his family and his high-tech Mach 5 automobile
Matrix directors Andy and Larry Wachowski's updating of a cult 1960s anime. Born into a family of racing nuts, 18-year-old Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is taking the racing world by storm. Racing his father's designed 'Mach 5', a gadget laden speed machine, his combination of fearless talent and sheer aggression has led him to be the talk of the racing fraternity. Fiercely loyal to his family, Speed Racer's main aim is to emulate his late brother Rex's (Scott Porter) achievements, and win the tough cross-country rally, 'The Crucible,' in which his brother died. But when he turns down a lucrative offer to drive for rival Royalton Industries, he soon discovers that they fix the outcome of all the major races in the country. Now, with Royalton out to stop him at all costs, he realises he must win every race, including 'The Crucible', if he is to defeat Royalton and save the family business.
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