Speed Racer has been hyped ever since it was announced that the Wachowskis [of Matrix and V for Vendetta fame] were helming the adaptation of this classic Anime. So was the result worth the hype? Equal parts yes and no.
I have to say that I am mixed on the work of the Wachowskis, I loved the original Matrix, but the sequels felt more like an attempt to cash in on their original success than realy furthering the story, and in many ways felt like a regression. V for Vendetta was a masterpiece, they stuck to the original source material and created a compelling, haunting vision of what the future could hold. So it was with a slight trepidation that I went and saw Speed Racer on opening night.
The story follows the one in the Anime to a large extent, Speed Racer [Emile Hirsch], is a young boy who can dream of nothing else than racing cars and being like his older brother Rex, who is tragically killed in a mysterious racing accident after leaving the family racing team to go his own way. When Speed grows up he eventually asscends in the family team run by his father "Pops" [John Goodman] and begins to carve his own path, when an unusual racing Tycoon, Royalton [played masterfully by Rex Allam] comes into the scene Speed must decide between doing whats best for his family, and fame and fortune.
The visual presentation screams Anime, the colors are bright, vibrant and oversaturated, the cars are every bit as crazy as they were in the TV show, and the characters and environments have that wonderful larger than life feel [when you see Royalton industries you will understand] There are also some wonderful touches to the show that harken back to its Japanese roots, you will see row upon row of cherry trees in full bloom and the writing is almost all in Japanese, its a lovely touch that shows the Wachowskis reverance for the material.
The action scenes are second to none, while obviously computer generated its hard not to get caught up in the environments and their majesty, from the rally race to the main race tracks their is an over the top insanity that manages to still stay realatively grounded in reality. You will laugh at the absurdity at the weapons used, but find the scenes draw you in and not let go. The sense of speed is amazing, and I don't doubt that some will get motion sick watching this film.
So if you add that all together, then what was my issue that left me thinking this was anything less than perfect? My problem comes down to the casting, primarily the use of all the Australian and British actors, for a story that is supposed to be set in Japan you see very little of the Japanese, the actors they hired are amazing, but the film felt jarring with them in it, I wasn't prepared for the constant barrage of British and Aussie accents, it felt out of place.
Those thematic issues aside the cast did a very good job headlined by Rex Allam as Royalton and Matthew Fox as Racer X, those two along with John Goodman as Pops, Susan Sarrandon as Mom, and Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer gave convincing performances as both family and foe, the journey was fun to watch for all of them, each playing off the other with the delicateness that the script required. The comedic performances by John Goodman and Christina Ricci [Who honestly looks like an Anime character given life] were price of admission alone.
Crowds have been mixed, as opening weekend numbers show, its certainly not the Matrix, but it wasn't meant to be, it was meant to be a fun family film harkening back to a simpler time, and it does that in spades. While the true Anime fan is going to have some niggles, even they won't be able to resist it charms and have a great time.
Final Conclusion 8/10
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