Speed Racer

By Karen Wilson

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MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of action, some violence and language

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Genre: Action/Adventure
Release Date: May 9, 2008
Running Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes

Plot Synopsis: Ever since Speed Racer was a little boy, his only interest has been in race car driving. When his elder brother Rex dies in a fiery car crash during a cross-country rally race, Speed and the whole Racer family are devastated, but the incident draws the family closer together. Royalton Industries begins courting Speed to be his racing sponsor but when Speed turns them down, the CEO vows to ruin Speed's career. Speed then teams up with the Inspector Director and the mysterious Racer X to fight back against the corruption in their beloved sport.

Sex/Nudity: The relationship between Speed and his girlfriend Trixie is humorously chaste. Even when Speed and Trixie do kiss, Speed's little brother Spritle offers viewers the chance to steel themselves against the cooties after witnessing the smooch.
Violence/Gore: Some scenes of hand to hand combat and cars running other cars off the track, though many of the drivers are able to escape from the wreckage with a bubble-parachute feature in the race car cockpits. A few of the very evil drivers are dispatched with more finality and implied death.
Profanity: Some mentions of "ass" and Spritle flashes evil Roylton the middle finger.

Which Kids Will Like It?
The eye-popping color palate, plus oh- and ah-worthy stunts and the inclusion of a naughty pet monkey should entertain elementary age and pre-teen audiences. A few menacing villains do perish in fiery car crashes, which might scare more impressionable viewers.

Will Parents Like It?
The nostalgia factor will be high for many parents who, like the filmmakers Larry and Andy Wachowski, might remember the TV show from its syndicated run or from the DVDs. The action-packed adventure should also entertain, though the formulaic "win the race and save the day" plot isn't particularly groundbreaking.

Kaboose Review: "With big box office returns comes great responsibility" is a maxim the directing duo of the Wachowski brothers know well. While they raked in $1.6 billion worldwide with their Matrix franchise, they also bore the brunt of criticism for the influence their brutally violent, anti-establishment action scenes had on teen viewers—including the trench coat-wearing Columbine shooters. Now in their newest summer blockbuster, Larry and Andy are aiming for a more family-friendly audience with a positively wholesome PG rating on their race car adventure, Speed Racer.

Based on the popular Japanese animated series that first hit US shores in the '60s, Speed Racer follows the adventures of a stupendous young motorist and his close-knit family. Their livelihood and passion is racing, a trait Mom (Susan Sarandon) and Pop (John Goodman) passed on to their middle son, Speed (Emile Hirsch). But the whole family is still recovering from the tragic racing death of their eldest, Rex, who was also an amazing driver, but left the family fold under mysterious circumstances. Now corporate sponsors are calling for Speed's attention, particularly the conniving Royalton (Roger Allam) who tries to dazzle Speed and the Racers with his flashy headquarters and unlimited resources.

"Flashy" is the pervading visual style of this Wachowski film. Every color is a screaming primary that pops off the screen like it's rocket-fueled. With a unique mix of live action, CGI backgrounds, and swirling fractals, the Wachowskis have paid homage to Speed's comic book origins. The actors weightlessly float through action scenes, and even the film's cars seem to exist under different rules of gravity; executing moves so daring they probably haven't even been tried by Matchbox champions. It's an eye-popping, painstakingly stylized spectacle, which only continues to build towards the movie's explosive climax. (A warning to fuddy-duddy adults: The ending is such a riot of blazing color, there should be a warning message for those prone to seizures--like before a strobe-filled live show.)

The characters have also been cast for optimum cartoon effect. It's not just the stylized costuming that makes the supporting performances by Goodman, Sarandon, Christina Ricci's Trixie and Matthew Fox's Racer X come off as drawings come to life; Their exclamation-peppered dialog and the dramatic life or death showdowns against corporate interests are the stuff of over-the-top fables. The stakes are set high just like young viewers like it, and with running time of over two hours the plot has room for some twists as well as lots of spectacular, cheer-inducing driving. Most of Speed Racer is Mach 5-level fanciful (except for perhaps the Wachowski's familiar theme of the all-powerful Bottom Line) but as a popcorn-fueled summer sprint, it crosses the finish line with checkered flags waving.

Directed by: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Cast: Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer), Christina Ricci (Trixie), John Goodman (Pops Racer), Susan Sarandon (Mom Racer), Matthew Fox (Racer X), Roger Allam (Royalton), Paulie Litt (Spritle Racer), Benno Fürmann (Inspector Director), Rain (Taejo Togokahn)

Karen Wilson is a freelance writer living in New York City.