Speed Racer
The Wachowskis break new ground with CGI in Speed Racer
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Wednesday, 07, May 2008 03:57
Directed by the Wachowski Brothers, out May 9th, starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, running time .
In a nutshell.
The Wachowski Brothers go manga.
What's it all about?
Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) has been destined to be a world champion driver ever since the tragic death of his heroic older brother Rex but as the young speedster's reputation grows, he attracts the attentions of Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam), the shady CEO of the hugely powerful Royalton Industries. Eager to remain with the family racing business run by his father Pops Racer (John Goodman), Speed rejects Royalton's lucrative offer. But when the dark, illegal truths behind the history of the racing world start to emerge, Speed realises playing dirty - with the help of his feisty girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) and the enigmatic Racer X (Matthew Fox) - is the only way to save the sport he loves.
Watch the Speed Racer trailer here on inthenews.co.uk
Who's in it?
Having built a promising reputation in the likes of The Girl Next Door and Alpha Dog, Emile Hirsch proved he was a talent to be reckoned with in Sean Penn's Into The Wild while Christina Ricci's determination for offbeat roles has seen her garner award nominations for the likes of Monster and Black Snake Moan while performing in family friendly fare such as Penelope.
Golden Globe-winner John Goodman has built up a CV that grows more impressive with every year while screen goddess Susan Sarandon and Lost star Matthew Fox provide performances that are stronger that the script might suggest.
And though their star might have faded somewhat with its underwhelming sequels, The Matrix saw Larry and Andy Wachowski announcing themselves as a truly innovative, visually groundbreaking filmmaking duo. Here they indulge their childhood passions by adapting a cartoon that sped back and forth through their young lives.
As an example...
"When I'm in a T180... everything just makes sense." - Speed Racer
"Was that a ninja?" - Trixie
"More like a nonja. Shocking what passes for a ninja these days." - Pop Racer
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
In terms of script and performance, there's not a slither of a chance and the movie's recent listing in the best summer movie category exhibits exactly the demographic the Wachowskis are gunning for. But for its undeniably stunning computer-generated images and the very real sensation of travelling at an unfathomable velocity as Speed zooms around the track, the movie must be rewarded for its special effects.
What the others say
"You might admire it as a Warholian blur of pop art, gawp and gasp at its Hot Wheels-for-real dynamism, or get a headache." - Ian Nathan, Empire
"Unlike a Pixar cartoon that embraces as wide an audience as possible, Speed Racer proudly denies entry into its ultra-bright world to all but gamers, fanboys and anime enthusiasts." - Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
So is it any good?
Iron Man isn't exactly a cerebral film but in terms of proving that a summer blockbuster can at least have some shred of intelligence, it's rather stolen the thunder from Speed Racer. With Indiana Jones' fourth screen outing just weeks away, it's tough to see how big an audience the Wachowskis' movie could pull in.
Unless you watch it with children, that is. While the racing scenes might smack of a neon, dystopian nightmare where the laws of physics are irrelevant, a glance at the faces of audience members under 13 will reveal the true target market of the film. This is a dazzling Technicolour world, where skies, colour palettes and car designs are wholly inspired by a desire to mimic the wonder of that first glimpse of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in the classic Roald Dahl adaptation. Flashbacks and digital wipes veer across the screen at record time - leading adults to think 'Some crazy man's been let loose with a digital editing suite!' - but it's all part of the Wachowskis' bid for an immediate manga aesthetic
The world-weary viewer can't fail to find fault with the film, with maddening switches in tone exemplified by the addition of a painfully-misjudged comic aspect to a ninja attack which undermines any notion of danger. Speed's younger brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and his simian buddy Chim Chim seem solely included to tell us when to be excited and if the corporate corruption that Royalton reels off in the movie's so-blatant-it-hurts exposition scene is a touch too complex for adult viewers, the younglings are even more likely to fail to grasp it.
But should you disengage the aged cynic within, it's hard to admit that few cinema screens will broadcast anything as exhilarating as Speed's participation in the grand prix, with the thrill of the race overwhelming as a guttural roar resonates through audience stomachs.
Iron Man has the power and Indy has the history but Speed Racer has the pure unadulterated - literally - excitement steaming from its exhausts with the might of a thousand F1 cars.
6/10
Lewis Bazley