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All Movie Info
Starring:
Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Scott Porter, John Goodman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Richard Roundtree, Rain, Benno Fürmann, Roger Allam, Melvil Poupaud, Kick Gurry, Peter Fernandez, Yu Nan, Ariel Winter, Karl Yune, Moritz Bleibtreu, Anatole Taubman, Nicholas Elia, Peter Fernandez, Melvil Poupaud, Werner Daehn, Cosma Shiva Hagen, Christian Oliver, Nayo Wallace, Paulie Litt, Joon Park, Fi-Ber-Leader, Ralph Herforth
Directed By:
Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Written By:
Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Christian Gudegast, Patrick Read Johnson, Tatsuo Yoshida, John Lau
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Speed Racer (2008)
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Movie Review by Jarrod 
May 11th, 2008
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'Speed Racer' is a truly psychedelic experience. Its visual effects are spectacular, and its overall look is astoundingly unique, but it is narratively quite threadbare, which is to be expected from Andy and Larry Wachowksi, who wowed everyone with the Matrix trilogy, and each of those films were more about cool battle sequences and special effects than effective storytelling; I was only able to follow the plot of the original Matrix, after that, I no longer cared, and it grew so confusing that even the Wachowskis themselves lost control of it, and left it to the fans to sort out. 'Speed Racer' is based on an old 60s piece of Japanese anime, the first of its kind to appear on American shores, with a terrible English translation, largely forgettable, except maybe to anime enthusiasts and those who watch Cartoon Network. It stars Emile Hirsch as the title character, and yes his first name is Speed, and his last name is Racer, and he comes from a family of Racers (quite literally). His father Pops (John Goodman, who looks uncannily like Mario with his moustache, red shirt, and overalls) is a mechanic. Susan Sarandon is Speed's mother. He has a younger brother, Spritle (Paulie Litt); Spritle has a cute little chimpanzee sidekick, called Chim Chim. Speed's older brother, Rex (Scott Porter) died in a crash (supposedly), cut down in the prime of his racing career; he was obviously destined for great things. Speed is following in his footsteps, building up a solid professional reputation of his own. Christina Ricci is Trixie, Speed's gal pal. Speed receives a lucrative offer from the oily, super-rich owner of Royalton Industries (Roger Allam), which he turns down, because he realizes that Royalton is crooked and conniving. This angers Royalton, and he vows to ruin Speed and his family.
Enter the enigmatic Racer X (Matthew Fox), who dresses like some comic book reject, clues about his real identity and intentions are subtly dropped, if anyone cares to know what they may be. Speed eventually participates in a fierce competition known as The Crucible; victory there would prove his worth as a Racer, and it would also allow him to expose Royalton for the scumbag that he is. The racing scenes are well-done, the product of energetic editing and inventive camerawork. The Wachowskis should be congratulated for making something that is such a spectacle for the senses. It is a worthwhile entertainment, and action remains more or less at the forefront, even though the movie takes the time to focus on the values and lessons it hopes to impart, about maintaining one's integrity, and the importance of family. Hirsch, who was so good in Sean Penn's Into the Wild, is sort of upstaged and overwhelmed by the kaleidoscopic color scheme and flamboyant imagery that surrounds him.
Speed is a character it is easy to root for, a heroic and determined young man who never compromises his principles, but if one judges the performance instead of the character, Hirsch comes up lacking. Goodman and Sarandon make for a weird couple (but then maybe I am just not used to seeing Goodman married to anyone other than Roseanne), but have a likable and strong presence, even if they don't have much to do. Allam is delightfully and appropriately over-the-top, as his role demands. Ricci appears very comfortable in this strange world, and turns out to be the most convincing member of the cast. Matthew Fox probably fares the worst, dreadfully boring in spite of the fact that his character is potentially the most intriguing of all.
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