SPEED RACER review
For many years, Hollywood had been threatening to unleash a big-budget live-action adaptation of the iconic 1960s cartoon “Speed Racer”. Everyone from Johnny Depp to Nicolas Cage was rumored to be involved at one point or another. Now, at long last, the film has arrived, touting the unmistakable star power of… John Goodman?? Okay, to be fair, the cast of this film does a remarkable job of bring out the heart and vital family dynamic of the Racer clan. But the fact that the cast may lack marquee value doesn’t matter, as the true stars of this film are its makers, Larry and Andy Wachowski (of the Matrix trilogy fame). And in accordance to the visual whirligig that is this film, not once do they let you forget it. Dare I say it; they’ve opened door into some kind of new live action visual experience.
Already semi-controversial for its manic, color-crazed visual style, “Speed Racer” is a film that’s not going to appeal to everyone. I suspect that it will, however, appeal to far more people than some negative box office predictors are indicating. The spark is such in the fabric of this film that it could very well catch on with the kids in that slow burning “National Treasure” sort of way. But don’t take that as a judgment on the quality of the movie itself (although it was a compliment) (but I haven’t seen “National Treasure”). While it’s interesting that the heretofore R-rated Wachowskis have seen fit to make what they dub “a family movie”, it’s even more interesting to process “Speed Racer” in the context of their other work.
Heavy on anime flourishes, a sequence of kung-fu, and even a beneath-the-surface “chosen one” theme, it has all the same points of interest as the Matrix trilogy (wherein the hero rises to meet his destiny of squaring off with a monolithic enemy, and thereby forges a new reality – an idea which applies here, since the reality of these characters is exclusively auto racing), but actually allows for more heart due to the relatable nature of the acting (something the Matrix films tended to lack). That heart is the only thing that ultimately separates this film from the “Speed Racer: The Movie” video game, (which I’m not even going to bother checking to make sure it exists) as much of the film does look like a video game, certainly more so than the actual Speed Racer cartoon. The brothers seem plugged into that fact, however, unlike Ang Lee, whose attempt to make “Hulk” a comic-book-come-to-life was, while cool to watch, NOT a comic-book-come-to-life. This is not the old “Speed Racer” cartoon come to life, but it’s pretty evident that wasn’t the intention.
One fairly clear intention seems to be the Wachowskis’ continuing examination of the ideas of reality as artiface/artiface as reality, which is pushed in the very depiction of the day-glo/neon futurescapes of “Speed Racer”, as opposed to the literal diatribes inflicted on us repeatedly in the Matrix films. A drawback of the constant (and some are saying revolutionary) nonstop pinball machine visual narrative technique used here is that it can be, at times, over-stimulating. Early on, I found myself thinking “Wow, this is a big bizarre eyesore!”, but later, I realized that despite the crazy visual nature of the film, I could still follow the specifics of all the action, which is a testament to the direction and editing, and not something I could say for the intense action scenes in, say, the Best Picture winner “Gladiator”. Yes, at times “Speed Racer” might as well be called “A.D.D the Movie”, (my theory is that if you give kids pixie stix and caffeine during this film, and their heads will explode) but it works all the same.
While there’s no question that “Iron Man” is the superior summer blockbuster, “Speed Racer” has curiously grown on me since I’ve seen it to the point that if given the choice, right now I’d probably go watch it again on the big screen. It is a fun film that dares to try something different in its approach. The cross generational appeal of this movie speaks for itself – adults who grew up with the iconic cartoon want to see it, and their kids will want to go because it’s so darn bright and cool looking. Plus, if the teen girl sitting next me at the screening was any indication, the “Emile Hirsch is dreamy factor” will give that particular demographic a buzz. Even “Lost” fans can go to appreciate Matthew Fox as the mysterious and ever-cool Racer X. (Keep your ears open for a classic line of “Lost” dialogue that is hurled at him at one point.)
Like I said before, this isn’t going to be for everyone. But if you ever enjoyed the original “Speed Racer”, or a Wachowski brothers film, you need to see this. It’s hard to deny that at least fifty percent of the cartoon’s appeal was its theme song and music, but nonetheless, the show carried a certain charm that was wrongfully mocked during the show’s ironic revival in the 1990s. This is not an ironic film by any means, which is to its credit. The score by Michael Giacchino (also of “Lost” fame), is terrific throughout - the only related disappointment is the denial of the famous song at the outset. You have to wait for the end credits for that, although it is sampled and hinted at throughout. Of course the version of the song at the end is a newfangled, amped-up techno-rap number, but it somehow matches the amped-up tempo of the film itself.
“Speed Racer” crosses the finish line as a feel-good trip; some may even find it exhilarating. If all this sounds good to you, it’s all very simple: go to “Speed Racer”, go!
- Jim Tudor
