...it's all flash and little substance, but there's no denying that flash.
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When "Speed Racer" first appeared on the scene in the mid 1960s as a Japanese anime-inspired television cartoon series, I had already graduated from college and felt I was beyond such childish things. Since then, I've still not watched a complete episode of the old series nor any of the subsequent shows. As such, I came to the Wachowski brothers' 2008 "Speed Racer" movie with a clean and, I hope, unbiased slate (disregarding my familiarity with their "Matrix" trilogy), neither a fan nor a detractor but an innocent bystander. It was for the better. I admit I had a degree of resistance to the movie, but I tried to keep an open mind. As a result I came away more impressed than I thought I would be, at least with the look of the film. Maybe it's all flash and little substance, but there's no denying that flash.
The Wachowskis, Andy and Larry, updated the old cartoon by making their new movie a combination of live action and CGI animation. Even though the two styles don't always mesh, in the racing sequences they look impressive enough. It's like watching a neon-glowing, slot-car racing video game, full of bright lights, nonstop action, and crashes galore. In this regard, it ought to delight old fans of the series, and even I found myself fascinated by all the color and excitement.
In between the racing sequences, however, things are different. The plot is simplistic and intentionally clichéd. Apparently, all the familiar characters from the series are here, but the story line seems a mere afterthought to string the races together.
Emile Hirsch plays Speed Racer, the kid who grew up dreaming about cars. Hirsch looks the part and does his best with a boyish charm. Christina Ricci plays his longtime girlfriend, Trixie, and she's a doll. Indeed, with her big eyes and short, dark hair she not only resembles the cartoon Trixie but the older cartoon Betty Boop. And I mean that in a purely complimentary way; Ms. Ricci is wonderfully attractive in the role.
John Goodman plays Pops Racer, Speed's father, who designs and builds racing cars. Susan Sarandon plays Mom Racer, Speed's mother. Both actors lend a dignity to the movie and a needed heart. Paulie Litt plays Spritle Racer, Speed's mischievous little brother, who loves candy above all else. Scott Porter plays Rex Racer, Speed's older brother, who died in a horrible racing-car crash some years earlier. Matthew Fox plays Racer X, a mysterious do-gooder driver. Kick Gurry plays Sparky, the Racer team's mechanic. Richard Roundtree plays a former champion driver, now an announcer. And Roger Allum plays E.P. Arnold Royalton, the rich, greedy president of an evil corporation that wants Speed to race for them. There are other players as well, too numerous to mention in a cast that outweighs the production needs, all of it indicative of the film's overall bloat.
The actors do their part, but it's really the special effects, the CGI graphics that surround everyone all the time, that stand out in the show. In order to connect the dots, the script has the iniquitous corporations manipulating all the races and drivers, with the pure-hearted Racer family out to buck the corruption. To be honest, while it is all fairly simplistic, as I said, there were times in the film when I found myself lost in the plot web of money and power grabs. It was like the Wachowskis' final two "Matrix" films, where even though you knew basically what was going on, they kind of left you behind on occasion. Maybe the Wachowskis need to learn to tell a simple story more simply; I dunno.
The filmmakers link the new movie to the old TV series by anchoring it to the past and the future at the same time. Clothing, hair, and furniture styles remain in the mid 1960s, while cars, architecture, and technology look to some indefinite time to come.
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[release]24439[/release]