Here Comes Speed Racer
This is not a full review and it’s guaranteed 100% spoiler free.
So often, movies wither under the expectations you set for them. Either they simply don’t stack up or they take a different path than what you were hoping for. Every once in a while however, a movie comes along that turns out to be exactly what you want. The Wachowski’s Speed Racer was just such a movie. Halle-friggin-lujah for a bit of summer fun that showed me something I hadn’t seen before and didn’t piss me off.
Noisy? Yeah.
Busy? Sure.
Goofy? Guilty as charged.
Fun? Like nobody’s business.
This was live action with the plasticity and freedom of movement of animation. It was anime come to glorious candy-colored life.
One of my biggest fears going in was that Spritle and Chim-Chim would be as annoying as they were in the cartoon. I needn’t have worried. They were silly, but like the cartoon they were mainly used for comic relief and it worked.
My second fear was that the movie would be too long. I’ll admit it sagged for a little while after about an hour and they might’ve been able to tighten it up a little bit, but I was never really bored.
What I wasn’t expecting was much depth. I would’ve been happy with mostly eye candy, but Speed delivered a surprising and welcome emotional resonance by the end; not a lot, but enough for a summer movie.
Aside from the stellar visuals and crazy action, the best part was that the movie was a complete throwback to when I was 6 or 7 and there were few better things in the world than Lucky Charms and Saturday morning cartoons in your pajamas. There was no irony, no smirking self-awareness and no attempt to be hip with a bunch of clever pop cultural references. Speed Racer was a couple of hours of pure, wide-eyed innocence and one hell of a lot of fun.
Attention haters: the line to suck it forms on the left.
I’ll have a full review up soon.
Filed under: Miscellaneous
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You’re just in the tank like Dave Poland, Craig. Next we’ll be seeing your quote in the TV ads. “Craig Kennedy of Living in Cinema declares, ‘This was live action with the plasticity and freedom of movement of animation. It was anime come to glorious candy-colored life.’”
Not really, of course. Obviously they’d have to dumb that down to, “It’s really great!!!”
There, that was my phony smark, above-it-all response just to act like Edward G. Robinson as Dathan in The Ten Commandments.
In reality… You’ve convinced me to give this thing a try. I’m not in a rush, but I’ll check it out sooner or later. Too bad it’s not playing on any big screens around here (Iron Man is blocking it).
I am in Craig.
So in.
I doubt I will fit into the haters line.
“Attention haters: the line to suck it forms on the left.”
Haha, love it
Cool, glad you liked it. This just makes me more curious.
Spritle and Chim-Chim have one of the biggest laughs in the film, actually. I won’t spoil it, but it’s about midway through.
and yeah, it’s not an empty film like the critics are saying. It’s light and silly, but there’s a story.
My one problem with Speed Racer is the same issue I have with a lot of Wachowski films. They could tighten up their exposition a bit. It always tends to run a little longer than is needed.
Good to have you aboard, Craig.
I use a ABCDF grading system. In a nitpicky way, Speed Racer might be a very, very strong B, but I bumped it up to the A. You’re either in film writing to champion those things that innovate and push the art, or you’re in it to crack up at Dracula puppet musicals in Judd Apatow movies. I’m in the former. It was a statement time.
Ahahaha. Good for you, Craig.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I know this one meant something to you, being a childhood favorite and all. :-)
I’m sooo glad the SR champions were right and the haters were wrong.
In a way Alexander, I am kind of in the tank for SR. I really really wanted to like it
KB “You’re either in film writing to champion those things that innovate and push the art, or you’re in it to crack up at Dracula puppet musicals in Judd Apatow movies. I’m in the former. It was a statement time.” Yep, that about sums it up. There’s room for nitpicking, but there’s more room to give the benefit of a doubt with this movie.
Ari, yeah I’m sure they could’ve gotten from A to B a little quicker, but I’m not complaining to loudly.
Alison, disappointment sucks.
I haven’t read any of the bad reviews yet. Later, when I wake up a little I’ll catch the bad news. For right now, I can’t figure where the hate is coming from. Come on! There’s a monkey!
Craig~~
And ninjas. Ninjas make everything better.
Hahahah…yes they do.
I could have potentially given SPEED RACER a coveted 10 out of 10 rating, had only Chim-Chim been an orangutan rather than a chimp. The name wouldn’t have made sense, but I believe it was proven by a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that orangutans are the funniest primates of all. Or maybe it was the Lancet, I can’t recall which.
Do you recommend sugary snacks during a viewing of SR?
I get a sugar rush just from looking at the trailer and ads.
A lot of reviewers seem to be comparing the film to cotten candy. I only had cotten candy once in my whole life, at a carnival when I was really little and I quickly threw it up. Never tried it since.
I wish these reviewers would compare it to sugar cookies or a big, barely fully baked brownie or something along those lines. What dessert did it taste like to you, Craig?
K. Bowen, you probably aren’t getting along with Jim Emerson these days, as he’s fallen head over heels for anything Apatow has a hand in while his review of Speed Racer is quite scathing (I quit reading it after the first few paragraphs… after I see it, I’ll read more).
I hope film criticism can slowly morph into one huge conversation… Widespread critical reactions have become more herdlike, indeed, and less discerning and inspired. Gone are the days when Andrew Sarris would come out of Sunset Boulevard being a thorough enthusiast for it, and then later abandoning it because he was talked out of it by Truffaut.
(I’m not really bashing most critics per se, just lamenting certain aspects of the current critical universe. And for the record I’m a fan of Sunset Boulevard.)
Cotton candy is a cheap shot and not especially accurate. Speed is not a work of astounding subtlety, but it’s more nuanced than it’s being given credit for.
Anyone who sat through Cloverfield without getting a migraine and thinks Michael Bay is nifty, but complains about Speed Racer needs to be taken out back by the shed and beaten with a tire iron.
Whoa, Craig, drawing some lines in the sand…
To quote Ben Wade, I like this side of you.
“I hope film criticism can slowly morph into one huge conversation…” That’s what I love about critics with blogs.
I don’t know, I think there is a tendency towards doom and gloom and catastrophizing in the face of a good number of print film critics losing employment. There will always be film criticism so long as films are made, it’ll vary in quality and style, in some cases be corrupted by the distortions of commerce and in some not, and a portion of critics will be thought of as elite and as such most likely be paid. As Craig has noted more than once, this is an issue of how film criticism is delivered not one of its survival per se.
Hah hah…(in Ren voice) I’m tired….so tired.
My point is, there are legitimate reasons for certain people to hate Speed Racer, but there are also a lot of people who’ll sit though busy, empty crap like Cloverfield or Transformers and give it a free pass. At the same time they’ll stiff-arm Speed because it’s kind of dorky.
Craig~~
I’d go even further to say that they’re not just dissing SPEED because the movie itself is dorky, but because its inspirations are dorky. As lowbrow as the inspirations for CLOVERFIELD and TRANSFORMERS are, they’re still primarily cinematic and/or televisual- CLOVERFIELD was basically a reality-show version of a Godzilla movie, whereas Michael Bay has his roots in advertising. So while they’re not necessarily hifalutin’ inspirations, they’re things they know and grew up on.
Meanwhile, SPEED RACER finds its stylistic antecedents in comic books, Saturday morning cartoons and video games. Particularly for older critics, these are sort of terra incognita (witness Ebert’s infamous anti-video games rant a few years ago), so they’re sort of rudderless trying to explain what’s going on with SPEED RACER. This is the rare instance when you might be better off trusting the AICN/CHUD crowd, since that’s their background. Also, this is one reason why Glenn Kenny will be missed- even if this isn’t in his wheelhouse, at least he gave it the ol’ college try, unlike most other critics out there.
Also, SPEED RACER tasted like the world’s biggest bowl of Fruit Loops to me. Just wanted to get that out there.
I like “Fruit Loops” Paul, haven’t had them for a while now.
I think you’re right Paul, but I think there is going to be a healthy contingent of the internet crowd that smells blood in the water and happily piles on too. I don’t know why I think that. One negative review (out of two) at Cinematical and a host of scathing comments at HE based on the 7 minute clip I guess.
Mmmmm….Fruit Loops.
I also think with the emphasis on the crummy early tracking figures, it just opened the door for people to not give this thing the benefit of a doubt. It’s the easy way out.
What I’m wondering at this point is how it will play for little kids. I sprouted from the womb with a fully formed adult brain so I don’t understand children, but I have a feeling they’re going to be restless. You can forget about anyone too old to have enjoyed the cartoon also, so who does that leave?
To me, it feels like a kid movie for adults, if that makes any sense. Different than say, Ratatouille which to me was an adult movie disguised and sold as a kids movie.
I ramble. Lack of sleep.
Well, as a child who has never really been a child, I too was born with an adult brain but childish emotions, and I have never really been into the cartoon - but I just know ONE thing….I like colours. I like speed. I like Emile Hirsch. I love Christina Ricci. I like movies. I am getting a little bored of always finding something to like in a film {does not even matter on the film, I am sunny side up all the way}, I cannot wait for something to come along that I can give some “scathing comments” on, but I don’t think Speed Racer will be that film.
I am SO SICK of people not going into films with an open mind. I know that is not fair, but in order to fully appreciate a film, preconceived notions should not be taken too seriously. Having read NONE of the Speed Racer reviews, I know nothing on its critical reception other than what I am reading here. Is the film colourful? Yes. Will it get my mind off mid-year exams? I hope so. And that is as far as my hopes/expectations/preconceived notions go.
Sleep is good for a person, apparently, - but I wouldn’t really know.
I’ll be in line this afternoon to suck it up myself. In lieu of Luycky Charms and pajamas, I’ll settle for a bowl of green and my leather jacket. What seems unspoken by critics is how totally fuckin’ stoner trippy this thing looks, like a psychedelic anime.
Christian~~
Yes, I can imagine that happening as well, like when the hippies would second-act 2001 to trip out during the climactic light show. Too bad this one’s getting savaged and probably won’t last too long- it’s going to be a huge hit for the hi-def crowd, I think.
Craig~~
I’d say that has as much to do with herd mentality in the critical communities. While the critical tastemakers aren’t as powerful with the masses, they’ve got more clout than ever within the cinephile ranks, so when someone dismisses it that’s enough for others (particularly those who are just beginning to form their own tastes) to give the movie a pass altogether. Sad, really.
Holy freaking crap. I have never, ever had so much pure, unadulterated, sheer, brilliant, amazing, giddy fun in a movie theater. I cannot stop smiling - I am grinning like a demented cheshire cat as I write this.
Hell, I’ve never even seen the cartoon! But Speed Racer, for me, has just become the picture of the year, and I cannot for the life of me possibly imagine that anything else will even come close to topping it. And no, I’m not joking in the slightest. I don’t know what happened, what trigger went off in me, but I loved every f*cking second of that movie. I felt — I feel! — like I’m 12 years old right now, playing with G.I. Joes and Hasbro cars, defying the laws of the known universe with nothing but my imagination as they fly and soar and accomplish incredible feats of skill in my hands. Rules? Rules are for old codgers, frowning down their noses at the naive kiddies, upset that they’re having so much ‘fun.’
I know I can probably never see it again, and I don’t know if I want to. Those two hours in the theater, somehow, became absolutely perfect for me, perhaps the most perfect theater going experience of my lifetime. And no, I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. I wish - wish - that everyone could have sat where I was and seen it through my eyes. Films, like all art, are subjective, and we bring in our prejudices and likes and dislikes, what we ate for dinner right before the film, what we’re expecting and hoping for, and sometimes everything coalesces into a moment, a single, beautiful moment, and the world makes sense and is perfect, just like when Speed is behind the wheel of the Mach 5. I’m not sure what subjective elements went into this becoming the practically divine experience that it was for me, but I’m afraid it can’t be replicated, and I don’t think I ever want to give up what it felt like to leave that theater thinking I could take on the world and that no one could ever tell me my dreams were stupid or unrealistic or naive.
I called my friend immediately after the movie, and he thought I was pulling his chain, that there was no way it could as absolutely magnificent as I was making it out to be. I’m sure he’ll go to see it, and I doubt very strongly that he’ll enjoy it at the level I did, and you’re probably reading this wondering how many shots of espresso I took before seeing the film and writing this completely stream-of-consciousness comment, but I don’t care. I don’t care in the slightest. I loved that movie, and heaven help me I love the Wachowskis for making it, for distilling the innocent sense of anticipation and wonder of a 12 year old boy who truly believes the world is his oyster, distilling it and putting it on film.
I’ll write a review for it later, but right now, this, this tiny, insignificant comment that I’m leaving, is probably more important than my review will be. This is like a diary entry, a snapshot of my frame of mind right after seeing the movie, something I won’t be able to get back, and something that I won’t be able to truly replicate when I write my review later. As such, I apologize Craig for using your site as my journal, but damn, Speed Racer is so infectious, so virally contagious in its giddy adolescent joy that I can’t help myself.
GO SPEED RACER GO!!!!!!
And children don’t care what Rex Reed has to say about SPEED RACER. Parents love to take their kids to a kid film. If audiences would turn out in droves for MADAGASCAR and SHARK’S TALE, there’s no way SR won’t be a sizable hit.
Wow Evan. Sold!
Nick, I think you’re going into it with the exact right attitude. No guarantee you’ll like it in the end, but you’re approaching it the right way.
Christian. You too…though I worry about you a little. Of anyone I know, you have the most invested in the original cartoon. It’ll be interesting to see how that messes with your expectations and how well the movie lives up to them.
Evan. Yeah! I’m trying not to say too much, saving ammo for my own review, but I also kept noticing I had this big, dumb, involuntary grin on my face the whole time. And I was wired afterwards too. In a good way.
I’m not too invested. As long as they include the flying death cars, we’re kewl. And also in episode 24…
Everyone seems to think it’s empty. One thing that’s being lost is the film’s radicalizes the use of space.
I mean, how many times a year do you walk into a film and think, Wow, this is totally out there?
The TRAILER for this gives me a headache.
Dude, someone get Evan a web site. Oh, does he have one already? :)
Well, I may give this a shot. I never watched the cartoon - just never got into it. But it sounds like the movie could be entertaining and I do like the lead actors. It’ll have to be next weekend, though. This weekend is Mother’s Day and if we go to the movies I can guarantee that with my Mom it won’t be Speed Racer.
“K. Bowen, you probably aren’t getting along with Jim Emerson these days, as he’s fallen head over heels for anything Apatow has a hand in while his review of Speed Racer is quite scathing (I quit reading it after the first few paragraphs… after I see it, I’ll read more). ”
Alexander, you know, i’ve probably liked more Apatow films than I’ve disliked. But the last two have bitten. And as the creative oxygen gets more and more sucked up, the misogyny gets more and more open.
Hahaha Alison - I am in a similar situation! My mom does not want to see ANYTHING on circuit here, but I really want to drag her off to see Diving Bell - but she loved Made of Honour {she is so conventional} so I doubt she will let me.
K.Bowen~~
Agreed on the use of space. Not to mention that parts of it are cut like a Resnais film. Would be interesting to see a double feature of this and LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD.
K. If the trailer annoyed you, there’s a real chance the movie will also…probably wise you stay away.
KB “I mean, how many times a year do you walk into a film and think, Wow, this is totally out there?” Almost never.
Alison. You can watch the first seven minutes on line. though I’m not convinced it’s the best way to decide whether or not to see the movie. It takes a few minutes to warm up to this weird world they’ve created.
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/speedracer.html?showVideo=1
I saw it again. Honestly, I’d say the film is pretty genius. I can’t get enough of it. And on subsequent viewing you pick up on small details in the background and visuals. It’s madness….and I love every damn second of it.
I haven’t been this crazy for escapism in a while. It does exactly what fantasy should do: it removes you COMPLETELY from the real world and takes you inside a dream. God the critics are so ridiculously wrong on this one. Shameful.
Bingo, Ari. Can none of them remember what it was like to be a kid? I just feel kind of sad for the naysayers.
Typically I would couch my thoughts in terms of, “Well, maybe its not for everyone” or “I loved it, but you may not,” but I can’t do that this time. Speed Racer is awesome and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.
Haters to the front of the suck it line for real, Craig.
OK, so is it too soon to start a Muriel campaign for SPEED RACER?
I’m steering clear of most of the negativity for a while. I’m just bathing in the warm glow of enjoying the movie. And I keep watching the cheezy music video over and over and over.
Like Ari, I loved the millions of details and little visual gags. My favorite of the latter involved a boy, a monkey and two pairs of pajamas…
Any movie that has dialgue featuring the words “hubba hubba” and “kewl beans” spoken with a straight face that does not make me want to punch someone in the neck is doing something gloriously right.
Methinks Speed is going to need all the time and help it can get to earn any respect at all, Paul.
Perhaps you should create the Best Live Action Anime Film or Best Kids Film For Adults categories…
hahaha. indeed, Craig.
and interestingly enough, there is a critic who liked it. Here’s a piece from TIME magazine’s review:
“It is, as Mom says of Speed’s mastery behind the wheel, “inspiring, and beautiful, and everything art should be.” That’s what the Wachowskis are aiming for, and, I think, what they’ve achieved.”
Wow. High praise, eh?
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1738558,00.html
How about Best Film Of All Time? :)
Ok, I exaggerate a wee bit there. But yes, it is going to need all the help it can get. My theater was nearly empty. Iron Man is sure to win the weekend a second time.
Ooh, and it’s Corliss, who I usually have absolutely no respect for, Ari.
Evan: You never know. Not everyone goes to the movies on Thursday. Saturday and Sunday afternoon should bring parents and kiddies in.
I’m resigned to this thing stinking up the box office. Luckily I don’t talk much about box office around here.
It’s always a shame when a good film gets tagged as a loser, but I think when the dust settles Speed is going to be fine. Domestic will be low, but I wouldn’t be suprised if international is very high and DVD will be big.
I’m going to predict right now that the French will be all over this. I’m not sure why I think that.
Alison~~
I respect Corliss much more than Schickel. Schickel always comes off like a fuddy-duddy, while Corliss has always been about championing Asian genre movies, which is cool and kind of unexpected from a guy who writes for such a mainstream mag as he does.
Craig~~
Yes. I think it’s going to be used on a lot of hi-def TV displays.
Craig, whenever I fall madly in love with a film that most (or at least a very significant number) of the critics despise, I always say, “The French are going to love this.” I’m almost always correct.
Corliss makes a good point about this summer’s heroes being ones who make themselves heroes and who persevere through their own wits and dedication. Iron Man, Speed Racer, Indiana Jones, The Dark Knight and the sure to be a piece of immortal cinema Get Smart all have that in common. ;)
Paul C: Being a big film of Asian genre movies, I feel that championing them is truly cool. But I don’t particularly like Time Magazine, including Corliss and Schickel.
But at least Schickel had the good sense to like TWBB. ;-)
Alexander: That is a very good point. None of the heroes in that group are people with special powers. Even the Dark Knight is a guy who’s a genius at gadgetry, rather than a superhuman.
As for the French, yeah, they could very well take to this. They loved Jerry Lewis, and while I couldn’t stand most of the movies he made way back when, later he proved himself to be very effective in more dramatic supporting roles, such as the uncle in Arizona Dream.
Alexander, whereas these days some would argue that a film being championed in France is a bad thing, of course I meant it in a good way.
The French have an appreciation for stuff that’s a little out there, particularly if they percieve it going over American heads. David Lynch is a fine example.
I downloaded the Speed Racer music video in 1080p HD and am watching it on my 46 inch Samsung.
It’s….so….beautiful…….
I can’t stop watching it. I hope there aren’t subliminal messages buried in it…
Do you find it takes more than one viewing to simply process the whole thing? I’m guessing the movie is the same way. There’s just so much going on.
I’ve already spent $500 on Speed Racer merchandise since seeing the movie 4 hours ago.
Oh, Craig, I’m sorry, what was that about subliminal something-or-other?
I also downloaded the song from iTunes and am listening to it incessantly.
I take back what I said about not wanting to see it again. I have to see it at least a second time, if not more. I feel almost compelled.
ahahaha…madness!
See, this is what summer movies should be all about.
We may have to use exit counseling and other de-programming techniques on you guys.
I think I have PTSD
Sartre, I was just about to write the same thing. I hope you can help these gentlemen.
More like PSRD - Post Speed Racer Disorder.
Alexander, it would take a whole team of psychologists.
That’s what I feared. PSRD, aha…
I should add that symptoms include: hyperactivity and restlessness when not driving; an angry and, if pressed violent, reaction to anyone discrediting Speed Racer; obsessive ruminations about the film and associated compulsion to re-watch it and/or listen to music from the film; refusal to wear anything but a racing driver suit and helmet; redecorating ones apartments in very bright, vivid colors; and absentmindedly making that embarrassing vvvrrrrooommmm and crowd cheering noise with ones mouth irrespective of the social context.
Gol dang it, Evan and Craig, just give me 24 hours - you guys are blowing my mind! Seriously, my heart rate ratchets up about 30 bpm with every mention of SR - just me?!
I have a feeling I’ll be suffering from PIJKCSD thirteen days from now.
I really need to buy a whip.
Sorry Daniel, we were kinda feeding off of each other there, weren’t we?
Evan, I only just caught up with your exuberant comment. That was a pleasure to read. I’m not sure Speed Racer would have a similar impact on me but its thrilling and uplifting to be reminded how it feels when this art form we love delivers in just the right ways.
“I’ve got a headache, and the only cure is MORE SPEED RACER!”
@Sarte
Guilty as charged. I had the Fire Engine Red paint out and brush poised above the living room wall when my wife walked in and caught me.
And yes, while driving home from work today I kept looking for the button that would flip my car over the freeway and rocket me through traffic. If I’m not careful, speeding tickets are a very real danger in my future.
I just want you guys to know that Armond White is declaring the death of cinema at the murderous hands of Speed Racer. You accessories after the fact, you…
I do have a bit of my pain in the gulliver after watching SPEED RACER, which strikes me as a 11 year old boy toy fever dream.
Still working on my review, but my friend loved it tho the Grove was not too packed. I expect families to be going on the weekend.
I enjoyed it and knew the Wachwoski’s would have heart and an always welcome anti-corporate message (which the critics are knocking — hey big brains, it’s to warn CHILDREN not to sell out their dream). The movie is so pure, so lacking in pop smugness, that it may be doomed to failure.
My biggest problem is a big one: the the cars are too lightweight, too neon, and didn’t have that unique design spin that made the cartoon so memorable. The Mach 5 should have been its own character, but I never felt the car’s iconic gravity. And I really got tired of the flying heads towards the end — especially during the final race. This movie needed to be 90 minutes.
But I had fun and it is visionary. Plus, there’s a monkey.
Tom Maurstad of the Dallas Morning News gives it an A.
http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?_pageid=33,97283&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&item_id=64784
I think the chimp should be up for the lead role in the screen adaptation of BJ and the Bear.
Agreed on the use of space. Not to mention that parts of it are cut like a Resnais film. Would be interesting to see a double feature of this and LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD.
{POSSIBLE SPOILERS]
Like the stretch drive in the Grand Prix. That was so trippy and unexpected. And I loved the way they used the faces to wash away the scene and wash in a new one. And I loved the movement of perspective in the Casa Whatever race, with Trixie, Speed and Racer X coming to the foreground when they spoke.
*minor spoilers* (maybe)
The way the Grand Prix ends is a thing of psychedelic pop-art beauty. The way it’s edited, the way the tension and excitement builds, the way the imagery can’t even contain itself…..it’s glorious. And every time I watch it I feel elevated by the sheer exuberance of it.
Seriously, I love this fucking movie.
Just got back from it, unfortunately I’m going to have to take a little of the air out of this party. I enjoyed it but at the same time it felt like a synthetic mishmash of Beatty’s Dick Tracy, Super Mario Kart, and a Chomsky lecture. I hope I never see Roger Allam give his Wachowki Bad Guy (TM) performance ever again - the message(s) of the movie were heavy-handed and stifling.
But everything involving Spritle and the monkey were gold as far as I was concerned.
Oh man. Speed Racer rolled Dick Tracy up and smoked it for breakfast. It was like Super Mario Kart if you were IN Super Mario Kart..
I didn’t find the message heavy-handed at all because I wasn’t really going into it for a message. Like Christian said, the message was largely aimed at kids.
But at least we agree on Spritle and Chim Chim.
I see what Christian is saying about the cars, but I kind of felt it was more a choice than a flaw. They were more concerned with motion and color than the tactile qualities of the objects…or maybe that was just me.
The Mach 5 definitely didn’t have the focus of the original cartoon…you’re right, it should be kind of like the Millenium Falcon…but I wasn’t bothered by that too much.
I wasn’t going into it for a message either…but the Wachowskis sure did beat me over the head with it. I would dare say that on that level the movie is a little bit…pretentious?
Usually that kind of thing bugs the crap out of me, but in this case it just didn’t. Maybe I was numbed by the pretty pictures.
I thnk most kid movies have an amplified message. This film is aimed at children who will parse the theme or not. It’s actually about art versus commerce, and that message never gets old to me.
And the importance of family. Don’t forget that.
There was a guy in my audience who audibly gasped a couple of times when Trixie was on screen. This guy had been dreaming of a live action Trixie since he was 7 years old and I think he may have soiled himself.
Also, after the big race when Speed jumps out of his car and strikes an aproximation of the iconic pose and the audience cheers…whatever else you thought of the movie, that was cool.
“It was like Super Mario Kart if you were IN Super Mario Kart..”
That is a perfect summation. I wished I had thought of that so I could put it in my review.
On the message, I never once felt it was heavy-handed, even though it was delivered that way. Pretty pictures aren’t enough to make me fall in love with a film, and the emotions running underneath everything were pitch perfect. When Speed’s mom is telling him she’s impossibly proud of him, that he creates art, I almost started crying I believed it so much. The sense of family that this film exudes is palpable. It is simplified and everyone is an archetype, but it worked beautifully.
I interacted with this film like a child would - my reaction could only be called child like. I went to the mall afterwards and kept trying to convince every 10 year old that I saw to see the movie (I actually talked to 3 of them and their dads). I never do that with a film! I also finally understand why merchandising works. All of a sudden I wanted every single thing that had Speed Racer on it - shirts, coffee mugs, DVDs, and Happy Meals from McDonalds.
It is amazing how this film has caused me to revert to adolescence. I feel like a kid again.
Sorry to be the cranky guy, but the movie only worked for me on the kinetic/visual/comedic levels. I didn’t feel much of these underlying emotions because they felt so forced and predictable and unorganic. But don’t hit me, okay?
“Also, after the big race when Speed jumps out of his car and strikes an aproximation of the iconic pose and the audience cheers”
Funny because I don’t recall Speed doing that pose, and I couldn’t believe it. I thought if ever a moment cried for duplication, that was it, replete with bullet time effect. It seems he just stood and was lifted by the crowd. Really?
Oh no, Speed Racer did all of 5.8 million yesterday. Even Vegas beat it out with 6.5. Iron Man will win the weekend again, and Speed is going to be considered a critical and commercial failure.
I’ll have to console myself by going to see it 8 more times.
Like I said Christian, it was an approximation. Not sure why they didn’t make it more blatant.
Box office, shmox office. It’s going to kill overseas.
Evan, Saturdays and Sundays are always stronger for big family movies than Fridays. Even if the opening weekend isn’t super strong the holdover for the genre also tends to be more than respectable.
[sartre suddenly manhandled by LiC monkies]
Please call your thugs off Craig, I promise never to violate the “no box office” byline again.
hahahah. The comments section is a free speech area Sartre. You know that.
It’s just disappointing to me that discussion of a terrific movie is going to get buried in a horse race mentality.
Yeah, I realize that box office numbers mean absolutely nothing, but the rest of America doesn’t realize that, which is always a bummer. I feel bad for all the families that are going to skip this one simply because Entertainment Tonight will say its a bomb.
Eh, maybe y’all are right and the families will come out in droves over the weekend. Guess we’ll see.
That is indeed one of the worst by-products of the box office horserace thing- nobody wants to see a ‘loser’ movie and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
On his blog, Roger Ebert provides his insight concerning the herd mentality of critics. This seemed like a good thread to post it on. :-)
I saw SR this rainy afternoon in a massive theater downtown - there were maybe 10 people in attendance.
I love your enthusiasm, Evan. I also find myself sometimes unable to recapture it when writing a review, so I’m glad you let loose with your most immediate thoughts.
I’m going to have to fall in line with Christian and Jeff, however, in the decent-but-not-necessarily-outstanding group. Not to put words in your mouth guys. I felt it a little long like you Christian, and I was attracted to the same aspects as you, Jeff. The racing sequences, especially the rally and the grand prix, are unprecedented. On that we (and the critics) should all be able to agree. Everything Lucas was going for with the pod race - but good.
I loved the cast, especially Goodman, and I liked the fight sequences. Where I became restless was the down time in between the action. Not that it wasn’t necessary, because I agree with Craig’s ID of the family aspect, but I just found it bland. I don’t know - still processing. I could watch those races over and over again, but I don’t know if the film as whole would do much more for me with repeated viewings.
Thanks for that link, Alison. I keep forgetting to make a habit of checking that regularly.
I loathe how the box office of a film seems to determine for so many whether or not they wish to see it these days. The “horse race” aspect is nauseating. And it is indeed a vicious cycle.
Critics move as a herd, I suppose, because they are people and people often move in herds.
Not to sound like a broken record, but I just wish Speed Racer was playing on a big screen around here. If I’m going to see it, I want those bright, seizure-inducing colors to simply wash over me. Arriving only a week after Iron Man has been unfortunate for it.
Daniel, thanks for those thoughts. The sheer jubilance that was this thread is gradually being replaced with more tempered, even negative, takes. I hope to write my thoughts in a few days, after seeing it with an open mind.
Having seen it a 2nd time now, the draggy spots are a little more obvious. I still love it though and it’s too bad it’s getting killed.
For the record, I’m not even a Wachowski apologist. I was dragged to the first Matrix kicking and screaming. Enjoyed it thoroughly, but always felt it’s depth was a little overrated…an opinion that was born out when the sequels tried to plumb those depths and came up empty.
Wow, Craig, how often do you go see a film a second time in theatres? And the second time being just a couple of days after seeing it the first time?
Sounds like Speed Racer is a movie you’ll need to keep in mind for your Top Ten of the Year.
it’s funny, I saw it again today with a full audience of children and parents, and the film blew everyone away. They loved it - cheers and laughs throughout the entire movie. And a ton of “ooohs” and “ahhhs” I didn’t even notice the few slow bits I had a problem with before.
I think the highest compliment I can give the film is that I envy the 7 - 10 year-olds who get to experience this.
It doesn’t mean much, but Richard Roeper loved this. Hey, at least not ALL the critics are down on it.
Watched this on Blu-ray last night and let me say that beyond the nagging issue of no HD audio track available, it’s one of the best looking Blu releases I’ve seen. They spared no bandwidth in delivering the full visual experience of the film to this BD-25. The audio track, for Dolby Digital, is pretty great too.
As for the movie, I know this will shock some but I pretty much have to agree with Craig. I came in with exceedingly low expectations (I expected to not like it) but I mostly enjoyed the movie. It was too long for me, a little too much repetitive exposition and action in the mid-later parts of the film, but it was a lot of fun and one of the best live-action cartoons I’ve ever seen. I also could have done without the drifting (a style of Japanese auto-racing) but luckily it didn’t get in the way of the stunts.
The Wachowskis deserve a lot of credit for finding numerous ways of being completely true to the spastic insanity of the original cartoon and yet still making an involving and relatively intelligent film experience. My hat is off to them. They truly nailed Speed Racer, right down to the “pogo” sound effect of Speed’s car when it’s hopping into the air. I haven’t seen much of the cartoon since I was 7 or 8 years old, but I had many deja vu moments watching the movie.
The acting was great. Sarandon and Goodman give the movie an emotional core for everyone else to play off and the under-appreciated character actor Roger Allam is awesome as the main black hat. Hell, I even enjoyed Spritle and Chim Chim, something I never expected to happen.
Great movie. I’m honestly shocked how much I enjoyed it. Who could have known that the Assassination of Jesse James Under-appreciated Masterpiece of the Year award would go to a Summer movie about a Japanese cartoon?
It warms my heart to hear you say all that Joel. Some of us are in the wilderness on this one and we could use the company.
I agree after seeing it a second time it felt a little flabby, but not terminally so. What I liked best about it though was how it remained true to the spirit, tone and style of the cartoon while updating it with modern technology and not resorting to pop-culture winking and smirking at the older kids in the audience. This was a kid’s art movie, or a kid’s movie for adults who still have a little kid inside of them.
I read somewhere (I can’t find it now) that the film was actually colored to look it’s optimum best in digital so I’m not shocked that the BR looks great. If that rumor is true, it probably looks better than it did in theaters except when it was projected digitally.
Interesting, I didn’t know that although it makes sense. Yes, I agree that the flab isn’t all that bad and it was really a minor criticism.
I couldn’t help but think that Speed Racer makes the Star Wars prequels look even worse than they did before, if only because Speed Racer uses an all-digital wonderland in a believable and engrossing way, where as the Star Wars prequels often felt bloated and unmanageable. They’re pretty, but it never felt like anything had any weight. Characters literally appeared to be walking in place at times. In Speed Racer, even though the movie often looks like digital cotton candy, there’s physics and weight to it. I never felt like I was watching someone else play a video game nor did I feel like I was watching one long, obligatory toy ad.
I kinda hated the Segways though and the three scenes they were in, but I got over it. Otherwise, the tech of Speed Racer was a lot of fun to look at. Heh, I loved the whirling saw blades on the Mach 5. I remember those very well from the cartoon.
I saw SPEED RACER last night for the first time and I hated it with a passion. For me it ranks easily among the worst films of the year, a discombobulated, mess, despite some admittedly imaginative visuals. In this case I am completely with the professional critics, who have given some of those impassioned vitrol against. My kids liked it though. Now that I have said my piece, I am wondering if the managers of LIC will move to have me expelled from the site. I have had my issues with the Wachowski brothers, but never this severely. I love the original cartoon and grew up with it.
I am with Craig completely however on his recent repudiation of the wretched TOWELHEAD, which I saw Tuesday night. And my opinion of YOUNG AT HEART improved on second viewing, even if it still doesn’t rate with the likes of UP THE YANGTZE, MAN ON WIRE and ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD.
More importantly, I have enjoyed the discourse here and commend Joel on his typical insight, and on Craig’s equally perceptive comments, not to mention the generally very favorable reaction to the film here at LIC, where nothing is applauded without being earned.
We’re in the woods, Sam is in the cabin warming his toes by the fire. Oh well…Craig, you bring any matches with you?
LOL Joel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually as far as LIC goes, I am the one who is in the woods, and I feel most uncomfortable there.
Sam I can’t say I’m shocked by your reaction, and I don’t mean that as a crtiicism against you at all.
The fact that your kids liked it speaks volumes since in a real sense it was made for them. For some of us, it made us feel like we were your kids’ age again and it’s a rare movie that accomplishes that.
That it didn’t work its magic on everyone is disappointing, but not exactly surprising.
Please tell me you at least liked it better than Towelhead.
My kids didn’t LIKE it, they LOVED it!
As far as SPEED RACER vs. TOWELHEAD, there is no question that Mr. Ball’s film is infinitely worse. It is a blight against humanity, and is my candidate for the worst film of 2008.
No Sam, I think we’re in the woods. Like Craig said, this movie really isn’t designed for adults. I’m not surprised you didn’t like it. I only got the in-jokes and references because I enjoyed the cartoon so much as a little kid. Otherwise, I think I too probably would have hated it.
It was insanely over-the-top and silly, just like the cartoon. Not a recipe for mass appeal, necessarily, but it has an audience and it will find a strong cult following on DVD.
What?! Towelhead is THAT bad? Ahhh, well now I almost HAVE to see it.
Dan, TOWELHEAD had its adherents, but Craig and I are surely not among them. LOL! I’d be most interested in what you think of it.
Joel, you do make excellent points there across the board on SPEED RACER.