Review: Speed Racer

Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Writers: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Producer: Grant Hill, Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Hiroyuki Sanada, Richard Roundtree, Rain, Benno Fuermann, Kirk Gurry, Paulie Litt, Roger Allam
MPAA Rating: PG
Running time: 135 min

I can’t recall where I first saw or heard it but with the initial release of stills and trailer for the Wachowski brother’s Speed Racer came the term “eye melting”. Bright colours, cheesy dialog, over the top acting – it was all in the trailers but while most were writing the film off as a loser, I kept my chin up and stood behind my initial reaction: if nothing else, this would be a fun watch. Secretly, I hoped that the Wachowski’s would prove the critics wrong and that the film would be both a critical and financial success. Neither of my wishes came true. Instead, the film has become the latest victim of box office disaster and scrutiny, especially after the weekend numbers debacle not to mention that general consensus among critics is that the film is rubbish but there are a few critics out there than found something to enjoy in Speed Racer and to them, I extend my hand and join them because as far as I’m concerned, the Wachowski’s have given me one of the most purely entertaining experiences I’ve had at the movies this year.

Based on the 60’s anime, the film tells the story of Speed Racer, the middle son of the Racer family. All Speed cares about is cars, racing and his family. He’s an up and comer in the racing world and spotting talent, Royalton approaches him with a promotional deal – join my corporate team and make a life for yourself and your family. But Speed is more concerned about his family than making money and when he steps away from corporate sponsorship, things start to fall apart.

There’s your plot in a nutshell. Major themes of little guy vs. corporation, the importance of family and teamwork, fairness in sport, doing the right thing pays off – they’re all here and though they’re likely to bypass the young children in the audience but the 10 to 13 crowd will pick up on it. It’s all of this plot, what little of it there is, that brings the film down a notch or two. Sitting in a theater packed with children, it’s instantly clear what works and what bores them. Give them action and they’re glued to their seats but as soon as the film turns to a discussion, kids are up and about, running around and causing all sorts of havoc – until the next scene of action. The Wachowski’s one major flaw is their inability to build the plot and character without long discussions and arguments between the characters. Where as PIXAR is able to keep children’s attention though thoughts on criticism, the Wachowski’s haven’t mastered that art yet but beyond that, the film is exactly what I have come to expect from the amazing duo: brilliance.

The reason for Speed Racer’s success is its insistence on bending the rules. Rather than imposing CGI into scenes that are realistic, the Wachowski’s have completely gone the other way, embracing the technology and plotting their story within a virtual world. Rather than try to hide the fact that the world they’re working in is fake, they choose instead to revel in it and push it to extremes. This idea of creating their own universe isn’t anything new, they did the same thing with The Matrix but here, it’s even more extreme. Everything from the so called “eye melting” colour to the speed of light action sequences screams cartoon and within the world they create, it works; as does the acting.

With a cast that includes the Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Hiroyuki Sanada and Richard Roundtree, you’d expect some great things and frankly, within the Racer universe, they’re exactly what one would expect. Emile Hirsch works as the squeaky clean Speed and Matthew Fox manages what I would call his first good performance on film.

Just as Cloverfield wasn’t for everyone, neither is Speed Racer. Where Speed Racer seems to have failed is in finding its audience. Thought it’s surface screams kid friendly, it’s target audience is not the 10 year old as much as it is the anime loving hordes. This film did for me the same thing Paprika did last year – it blew my mind. Though Kon’s film dealt with adult subject matter in an adult way, the Wachowski’s film is slightly confused on whether it’s sending complex messages to kids or whether it’s trying to entertain adults. Though they may not have completely succeeded, they’re attempt is a mighty enjoyable one.

I loved every sugar coated moment of Speed Racer and I hope that with time, people will come to appreciate the Wachowski’s vision. In the meantime, I’ll stand with the small group of individuals, including The Good Doctor (who I rarely agree with), who found it within themselves to step back and let the candy coating, Bazooka Joe pinkness wash over them. I don’t want to brush my teeth any time soon.

Links:
IMDb profile
Official Site
Flixster Profile for Speed Racer