On My Shelf: Speed Racer (2008)
I was one of the handful of people who saw this movie in the theaters when it came out, as I hadn't yet become completely disillusioned by the movie industry and more or less went to see any movie that looked vaguely interesting (based on the principle that most of the movies I was going to see would be good. Oh, for those halcyon days!)
Plot: It's the future, where car racing is the most important sport in the world. Ten years ago, the eponymous Racer family's eldest son, Rex, tragically died amidst allegations of crookedness. Now, the younger brother, Speed, is old enough (and extremely talented enough) to take up his older brother's mantle as a race car driver. After an off-brand Tim Curry attempts to buy out the Racer family's business and (when rebuffed) plunges it into turmoil, Speed has to clear the family name and the reputation of the racing business by helping Inspector Detector take on the evil mega-corporation -- and by winning races, of course.
The Story
There's nothing wrong with the story of this movie, per se. In theory, it's a pretty simplistic, child-like plot (which makes sense, being based on a children's cartoon) but it's nothing an adult needs to feel embarrassed about watching. I should say, rather than calling it "simplistically" plotted, that it's clearly plotted. The film makes sense throughout -- with one minor exception. There is a point when Speed Racer takes part in a police-led plot to help another racer win a race (to encourage that racer to turn state's evidence on the crime bosses) -- and throughout that part, I'm thinking, "This doesn't make sense. It seems like this guy is buffaloing our heroes just so he can win this race." AND THAT'S WHAT IT IS. Which makes our heroes seem a little dumb because I don't know why that would never cross their minds. But outside of that particular instance, the story is pleasantly easy to understand without being so self-explanatory that there aren't any surprises. The "evil, Mega-Corporation" theme is a little tired nowadays, but it's okay for the purposes of the story. It straddles the fence at becoming a general "big corporations are bad" kind of thing, but doesn't become an over-the-top "down-with-capitalism" kind of thing (thank goodness).
You can tell he's evil because he's British and likes to wear purple.
Visuals and Computer Effects
For a movie that is at least 75% green screens... the actors do an excellent job of performing in settings that don't really exist, looking at things that aren't really there. Also, the CGI is used artistically (like what was attempted in films like 300 and Sin City) -- to the general advantage of the film, rather than its detriment. What I'm attempting to get across is that they use it in such a way that things are supposed to look fake -- cartoonishly fake -- on purpose, to achieve an over-the-top, accentuated reality effect (unlike the way CGI is typically used in movies, where things are supposed to look real and instead look fake by accident).
For instance - when child Speed Racer first sees his future love interest,
the lights behind her are suddenly heart-shaped. It's cute!
This movie is an OVER-THE-TOP-COLOR AND MOVEMENT EXPLOSION. It's a feast for the eyes, but it might, potentially, be a bit too colorful -- so colorful that when they have a rare "dark" scene, you suddenly have a sense of relief wash over you and you aren't sure why.
"THANK HEAVENS!" cry your eyes.
But I really do have to credit the Wachowski Brothers (the guys behind this film, and the creators of the movie The Matrix) for painting a set of amazing visual pictures in this movie. It looks like a living cartoon, in the best possible way that could be interpreted.
Performances
This movie was well-cast and well-acted -- the characterization being just-fleshed-out enough that you don't feel like you're watching a one-dimensional cartoon character, but simple enough that you pretty much get the point about who everybody is without thinking about it too deeply. The one character that I can't really handle is Speed's younger brother, Spritle, whose presence is, for the most part, extremely grating. "I'M THE COMIC RELIEF CHARACTER! BWAAAAAP!"
I'm not really blaming the kid actor -- he did a fine job with what he was given. And considering what he was given was the charge of bringing this character from the cartoon to the big screen...
...It really was fine. I think the problem is just that Spritle (in general) is an extremely annoying character. Luckily, there is just little enough of him that it didn't substantially harm the movie. It just grates at a few key moments.
The Adaptation
One thing I really have to give the Wachowskis credit for is that they didn't take any element from the cartoon and go, "That part is too dumb to include in the movie." To use a small example -- the detective's name is "Inspector Detector". This is something that I could see a Hollywood adaptation going, "Okay, the lead character's name is Speed Racer and that's dumb enough -- but we're not having the detective called 'Inspector Detector'. Change his name to something less dumb!" No, they went ahead with every silly element from the cartoon and kept it "as-is" for the film. And that's fine!
He even flings his arm around like he does on the cartoon.Honestly, in an adaptation of a cartoon, I would rather have them respect the source material (silly as it is) than have a subtle attitude of actually hating the source material (which I sense in most comic book movie adaptations. "I have to have Black Panther in a stupid black suit because I'm contractually obligated to have him look like his character from the comics -- but the contract didn't include the villains so I'm having The Claw just look like a regular person and I'm spelling his name Klaue and killing him off after five minutes because I HATE COMIC BOOKS AND COMIC CHARACTERS ARE STUPID!"). Whether or not you think the original Speed Racer cartoon *merits* respect is a whole other question -- but the Wachowskis definitely respect it.
The Main Problems
Although I have largely positive things to say about this movie -- it must be noted, the film was outlandishly expensive and completely bombed at the box-office. The reasons for this are two-fold:
1) Although it was technologically a good time to make a Speed Racer movie, I'm not sure it was the time in the sense of "fan demand" for a Speed Racer movie. If they were banking on billions of Speed Racer fans coming out of the woodwork to support the production -- it didn't happen. I have a suspicion they were totally banking on nostalgia to sell this movie -- but the original American fans of Speed Racer were children in the late 60's, early 1970's. The time to appeal to them would have been the mid to late eighties, when they were in their twenties and thirties (i.e. young adults with money to spend and beginning to have kids of their own) -- not in 2008, when they were in their 40's and 50's, and concerned with their jobs and paying off mortgages and their kids' graduation from high school and getting ready for the stock market to crash.
These guys, for some reason, didn't drop everything to rush out to see this movie.Too much time had passed and film execs simply couldn't bank on nostalgia -- they needed to work a whole lot harder on building a new audience instead -- and they simply didn't do it. All they did was throw it out there -- "Here's your Speed Racer movie!" and the world went, "... Um, why?" and went on with their lives.
2) Possibly the biggest actual problem with this movie is that it's TWO AND A HALF HOURS LONG. When the main thrust of your movie is a simple plot about fast cars and bright colors -- YOU SIMPLY DON'T NEED THAT LONG TO TELL YOUR STORY IN. They could have greatly tightened up the film (I'm going to bet they could have cut out at least thirty minutes, if not forty, without harming the plot) and it would have been a better, more digestible film because of it.
Did we NEED Speed to remember every single crucial line from the movie during the home stretch at the end of the race?
No. Maybe just one or two crucial lines.And that's where the fact that they respected the source material begins to be a bad thing rather than a good thing -- because they loved it so much, they couldn't cut anything out. This isn't The Ten Commandments, folks -- we simply don't need two and a half hours for this story. It fiercely needed shortening.
Ultimately...
I like this movie. It's one of the better live-action adaptations of a cartoon that I've seen... if not one of the best. I think it's a fine movie and would have no problem showing it to small or even medium-sized children -- or adult-type people looking for bright, colorful, light entertainment. That said... the person I show it to will probably get distracted about half-way through and go do something else, because it's a major time investment for a piece of light entertainment, and I really have to fault the filmmakers for that. That said, this movie's heinous reputation is really not merited, and I think you should give it a shot. Just, maybe over a couple nights, rather than just one.
RECOMMENDED(With Reservations)
Plot: It's the future, where car racing is the most important sport in the world. Ten years ago, the eponymous Racer family's eldest son, Rex, tragically died amidst allegations of crookedness. Now, the younger brother, Speed, is old enough (and extremely talented enough) to take up his older brother's mantle as a race car driver. After an off-brand Tim Curry attempts to buy out the Racer family's business and (when rebuffed) plunges it into turmoil, Speed has to clear the family name and the reputation of the racing business by helping Inspector Detector take on the evil mega-corporation -- and by winning races, of course.
The Story
There's nothing wrong with the story of this movie, per se. In theory, it's a pretty simplistic, child-like plot (which makes sense, being based on a children's cartoon) but it's nothing an adult needs to feel embarrassed about watching. I should say, rather than calling it "simplistically" plotted, that it's clearly plotted. The film makes sense throughout -- with one minor exception. There is a point when Speed Racer takes part in a police-led plot to help another racer win a race (to encourage that racer to turn state's evidence on the crime bosses) -- and throughout that part, I'm thinking, "This doesn't make sense. It seems like this guy is buffaloing our heroes just so he can win this race." AND THAT'S WHAT IT IS. Which makes our heroes seem a little dumb because I don't know why that would never cross their minds. But outside of that particular instance, the story is pleasantly easy to understand without being so self-explanatory that there aren't any surprises. The "evil, Mega-Corporation" theme is a little tired nowadays, but it's okay for the purposes of the story. It straddles the fence at becoming a general "big corporations are bad" kind of thing, but doesn't become an over-the-top "down-with-capitalism" kind of thing (thank goodness).
You can tell he's evil because he's British and likes to wear purple.Visuals and Computer Effects
For a movie that is at least 75% green screens... the actors do an excellent job of performing in settings that don't really exist, looking at things that aren't really there. Also, the CGI is used artistically (like what was attempted in films like 300 and Sin City) -- to the general advantage of the film, rather than its detriment. What I'm attempting to get across is that they use it in such a way that things are supposed to look fake -- cartoonishly fake -- on purpose, to achieve an over-the-top, accentuated reality effect (unlike the way CGI is typically used in movies, where things are supposed to look real and instead look fake by accident).
For instance - when child Speed Racer first sees his future love interest,the lights behind her are suddenly heart-shaped. It's cute!
This movie is an OVER-THE-TOP-COLOR AND MOVEMENT EXPLOSION. It's a feast for the eyes, but it might, potentially, be a bit too colorful -- so colorful that when they have a rare "dark" scene, you suddenly have a sense of relief wash over you and you aren't sure why.
"THANK HEAVENS!" cry your eyes.But I really do have to credit the Wachowski Brothers (the guys behind this film, and the creators of the movie The Matrix) for painting a set of amazing visual pictures in this movie. It looks like a living cartoon, in the best possible way that could be interpreted.
Performances
This movie was well-cast and well-acted -- the characterization being just-fleshed-out enough that you don't feel like you're watching a one-dimensional cartoon character, but simple enough that you pretty much get the point about who everybody is without thinking about it too deeply. The one character that I can't really handle is Speed's younger brother, Spritle, whose presence is, for the most part, extremely grating. "I'M THE COMIC RELIEF CHARACTER! BWAAAAAP!"
I'm not really blaming the kid actor -- he did a fine job with what he was given. And considering what he was given was the charge of bringing this character from the cartoon to the big screen...
...It really was fine. I think the problem is just that Spritle (in general) is an extremely annoying character. Luckily, there is just little enough of him that it didn't substantially harm the movie. It just grates at a few key moments.
The Adaptation
One thing I really have to give the Wachowskis credit for is that they didn't take any element from the cartoon and go, "That part is too dumb to include in the movie." To use a small example -- the detective's name is "Inspector Detector". This is something that I could see a Hollywood adaptation going, "Okay, the lead character's name is Speed Racer and that's dumb enough -- but we're not having the detective called 'Inspector Detector'. Change his name to something less dumb!" No, they went ahead with every silly element from the cartoon and kept it "as-is" for the film. And that's fine!
He even flings his arm around like he does on the cartoon.Honestly, in an adaptation of a cartoon, I would rather have them respect the source material (silly as it is) than have a subtle attitude of actually hating the source material (which I sense in most comic book movie adaptations. "I have to have Black Panther in a stupid black suit because I'm contractually obligated to have him look like his character from the comics -- but the contract didn't include the villains so I'm having The Claw just look like a regular person and I'm spelling his name Klaue and killing him off after five minutes because I HATE COMIC BOOKS AND COMIC CHARACTERS ARE STUPID!"). Whether or not you think the original Speed Racer cartoon *merits* respect is a whole other question -- but the Wachowskis definitely respect it.The Main Problems
Although I have largely positive things to say about this movie -- it must be noted, the film was outlandishly expensive and completely bombed at the box-office. The reasons for this are two-fold:
1) Although it was technologically a good time to make a Speed Racer movie, I'm not sure it was the time in the sense of "fan demand" for a Speed Racer movie. If they were banking on billions of Speed Racer fans coming out of the woodwork to support the production -- it didn't happen. I have a suspicion they were totally banking on nostalgia to sell this movie -- but the original American fans of Speed Racer were children in the late 60's, early 1970's. The time to appeal to them would have been the mid to late eighties, when they were in their twenties and thirties (i.e. young adults with money to spend and beginning to have kids of their own) -- not in 2008, when they were in their 40's and 50's, and concerned with their jobs and paying off mortgages and their kids' graduation from high school and getting ready for the stock market to crash.
These guys, for some reason, didn't drop everything to rush out to see this movie.Too much time had passed and film execs simply couldn't bank on nostalgia -- they needed to work a whole lot harder on building a new audience instead -- and they simply didn't do it. All they did was throw it out there -- "Here's your Speed Racer movie!" and the world went, "... Um, why?" and went on with their lives.2) Possibly the biggest actual problem with this movie is that it's TWO AND A HALF HOURS LONG. When the main thrust of your movie is a simple plot about fast cars and bright colors -- YOU SIMPLY DON'T NEED THAT LONG TO TELL YOUR STORY IN. They could have greatly tightened up the film (I'm going to bet they could have cut out at least thirty minutes, if not forty, without harming the plot) and it would have been a better, more digestible film because of it.
Did we NEED Speed to remember every single crucial line from the movie during the home stretch at the end of the race?No. Maybe just one or two crucial lines.And that's where the fact that they respected the source material begins to be a bad thing rather than a good thing -- because they loved it so much, they couldn't cut anything out. This isn't The Ten Commandments, folks -- we simply don't need two and a half hours for this story. It fiercely needed shortening.
Ultimately...
I like this movie. It's one of the better live-action adaptations of a cartoon that I've seen... if not one of the best. I think it's a fine movie and would have no problem showing it to small or even medium-sized children -- or adult-type people looking for bright, colorful, light entertainment. That said... the person I show it to will probably get distracted about half-way through and go do something else, because it's a major time investment for a piece of light entertainment, and I really have to fault the filmmakers for that. That said, this movie's heinous reputation is really not merited, and I think you should give it a shot. Just, maybe over a couple nights, rather than just one.
RECOMMENDED(With Reservations)
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