Speed Racer (2008 Film): Fun in the Fast Lane

Hollywood seems to have a vested interest in reviving the past. In the last five years, various "old" franchises (mainly stuff I remember from my childhood) have been made into film adaptations. Transformers, Ninja Turtles, heck even Star Wars. I keep my eye on IMDB and Wikipedia, looking for movie news. Somehow, I missed the announcement that Speed Racer was in production. Needless to say, I was suprised when the advertisements hit my television. I really didn't know what to think.

Actually, I still don't know what to think.

On one hand, I'm thrilled that there is such an interest in the past. Well, it's MY past. I saw Speed Racer when I was very little. It was one of the first cartoons I saw. But I had forgotten about it over the years. So the film is good for me in that created interest in the original series again. It probably worked that way for others, too. But on the other hand, I was very skeptical. With so many of reinventions from the past, there has to be a line drawn somewhere. I have yet to see such a line. So I worry that Hollywood has run out of fresh ideas. But that doesn't mean the reinvention is a bad idea.

On to the film. The Wachowski brothers helmed this project. That was an interesting idea. The Wachowskis gave us incredible films like the Matrix and V for Vendetta, but these two films have something in common: they both feature incredibly dark subject matter. Speed Racer isn't really dark. The cartoon was bright, flashy, drug-trippy. So what are the Wachowskis doing here? After seeing the film, I'm glad it was the Brothers at work. They give this film a very unique visual look.

And visuals are where this film excels. The race sequences are spectacular. Those cars tumbling end over end, massive explosions, grinding into the walls, and Speed jumping from his car having crossed the checkered line. . .That made me remember why I loved the show. The scenes I found the most impressive where the sequences at the Casa Christo race. This race features three drivers talking with each other during the race, presumably through helmet communicators. The camera view starts at one driver, shoots back to the one behind him, then further back to another driver, forward the first, all while the track whips by with its curves and all. The drivers even turn to suggest making those hard curves. The final race with Speed in the Grand Prix is amazing.

Yeah, it's mostly CGI. But really, I don't mind. CGI is used to show us things we don't see in real life. Certainly, we see race cars and races, but nothing like this. The kind of pyrotechnics used in those explosions would undoubtedly raise hazards for both film crew and the actors. So we have CGI and fancy camerawork.

But it's so well-handled. We get the feel that we're not just watching a live-action film. We're actually watching something that's meant to be a cartoon. The backgrounds are move vibrant, like a cartoon. There's a sequence where a young Speed is in a classroom, and he imagines he's racing. The desk becomes a hastily drawn cartoon racecar, and the scenery becomes something like the inside of a kaleidoscope. It's definitely something we don't see everyday, and a good homage to the film's namesake.

But how's the plot? One word: eh. That's really all I can say. It's not great, but it's not that terrible either. I feel the opening is strong and the ending is qually strong. It does seem to drag in-between. But for the most part, it's straight-forward: guy versus the big corporation. It's nothing new. There are a few twists that I believe are unnecessary. The film presents Racer X as an enigmatic individual (which he is in the cartoon). You wonder throughout the film if he's Speed's presumed-to-be-dead brother. Hey, with a name like Racer X (Speed's brother was Rex Racer), it's bound to come up. So we finally get the confrontation where Speed forces X to reveal himself. The result: X isn't Rex, and Rex is really dead. Racer X is just a great racer who happens to have the same moves and techniques (and intuition into the Racer family). But at the end of the film, X tells us that he is Rex. He faked his death and had plastic surgery so nobody would recognize him. But Speed and the Racer family never see this. They're left in the dark, as X wants them. That's two twists for one person, and neither are handled as they could be.

There are some humorous moments with Chim-Chim and Spritle. I found it enjoyable, but I know others would be annoyed by it. All in all, I like them because they add to the family atmosphere.

Then there's Trixie, played by Christina Ricci. Wow. There's someone I didn't expect to see in this film. How do I feel about it? Well, I absolutely love Christina, but she hasn't done anything more family-friendly in a long time. I was both surprised and pleased to see this semi-return. The last time she was in something like this was Casper. Does she add a lot to the character, or is she the best Trixie they could've found? I don't know. Maybe not. But I feel she neither adds nor detracts a great deal from the film. She's Christina, and I'll let that go.

So is it a family film? I say yes, with some reluctance. There's more cursing than I care for in a family film, but not enough to say it's not. For the most part, it's conservative with the language, especially since we're in 2008, not 1990. The linguistic landscape has changed. For the most part, the film is generally "safe" for family, namely children's, consumption.

The bottom line here: this film breaks about even for me. It's not high quality entertainment, but it is entertainment. The film is a visual spectacle that keeps me watching just for the oohs and aahs. In fact, I find myself wanting to watch it again and again. The plot is not the best, even clunky in places. The characters could be fleshed out more, but the source material is a children's cartoon that doesn't have much character development anyway. It's not great, but it's not terrible. I'm glad I didn't spend my money to see it in the theatres, but I'm glad I rented it. It's a good weeknight film. Certainly enjoyable, a few laughs, and breathtaking visuals.

In the end, I can still say, "Go, Speed Racer, Go!"

And kiss Christina at the very end.