Filled with roaring engines and vroom! breathtaking visuals, Speed
Racer is the perfect movie for video-gaming kids--but for others it
may cause headache.This big-screen, live-action adaptation mostly
captures the look and feel of the '60s cartoon many of us grew up
watching. It could have used a few more occurrences of our favorite
line, "Look out, Speed! AH!" but oh well. As it goes, Speed (Emile
Hirsch) has grown up with motor oil pumping through his veins, helping
his Pops (John Goodman) make racecars and idolizing his older brother
Rex (Scott Porter), a top-notch driver. Then tragedy strikes when Rex
is seemingly killed in an accident. Heartbroken, Speed is determined
to take his place, showing some serious skills on the track. His
girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) thinks he's the bomb, as do his
mom (Susan Sarandon), younger brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and pet
chimpanzee Chim-Chim. But Speed is soon in for a rude awakening when
he is introduced to the corrupt world of auto racing, forcing him to
team up with the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) to make it right
again. Go, Speed, go!
The usually somber Hirsch--who is best known for his indie work in
films such as Alpha Dog and Into the Wild--seems, at first, an odd
choice to play Speed. But his seriousness works well against the
campiness surrounding him, especially in the more emotional moments.
Same goes for Fox as the stoic Racer X. Still, one can't help but
think of him as his Lost alter ego in a dark glasses and a mask. The
rest of the cast just has way too much fun, including Ricci as the
cute-as-a-button-but-full-of-moxie Trixie, Goodman as the blowhard
Pops and especially young Litt as Spritle. Out of all Speed's animated
characters re-envisioned, Litt does the best job, capturing Spritle's
cartoon mischievousness. The monkey ain't bad, either. Chim-Chim, AH!
Oh, those Wachowski brothers (Andy and Larry). They sure do like to
come up with as many inventive ways to visually stimulate you as they
can, don't they? Their Matrix series set CGI on fire--and now Speed
Racer, which quite literally takes you inside a video game the Wii or
Xbox could only dream of ever creating. The film is virtual eye candy
from start to finish--a mixture of Tim Burton-esque colorful sets,
wild adrenaline-filled special effects and constant camera movements.
They may actually need to post a warning for those who suffer from
motion sickness. However, Speed's main problem, which is the same
problem the Matrix franchise suffered from, is its tendency to
overanalyze the plot. The Wachowskis love to preach, turning a scene
about the racing world's corrupt beginning into a 15-minute diatribe.
They try to combine the campiness of the animated TV series with
serious undertones, but it only weighs the film down. You can feel the
kids in the audience tapping their feet, waiting for more action. So,
let's just give the kids what they want: fast-paced excitement,
wrapped up in a colorful package.
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