The film Text copyright (c) Filmverdict 2006-present. Any film titles and artwork used are copyright of their respective owners.
The word that comes to mind when watching Speed Racer is "excess". There is just too much going on in the film - too many characters, too convoluted a story, too many flashbacks, too much colour, too much visual detail crammed into every frame. The last two points are the most immediately apparent. Speed Racer presents a world that is the real world with the colour saturation levels multiplied by 100. The colours burst off the screen, and the look of the film is made further distinctive by a new filming technique that means that everything in shot is in focus. It's a mad kaleidoscopic vision, a living cartoon if ever there was one - and that's the point, as Speed Racer is based on an old Japanese anime series that was popular in America but apparently not over here (I've never seen it). There is a copious amount of CGI in the film, probably in almost every shot, and going by the end credits every single effects house in Hollywood were employed to work on them, but for once they are not in (often vain) pursuit of absolute realism. Speed Racer never tries to look real, but in an odd way that means it's easier to accept the mad appearance of the film. As much as any film yet, this seems designed for the IMAX giant screen.
The use of CGI is actually very creative throughout, which, given that the film is directed by the Wachowski brothers, comes as no surprise. This is the siblings' first directorial outing since the Matrix sequels - although they did have considerable input into V For Vendetta, and were recruited by regular producer Joel Silver to work on reshoots for last year's sci-fi flop The Invasion - and despite all the narrative missteps that their previous two films made, it cannot be denied that they showed they know how to craft an adrenaline-pumping action scene with boundary-pushing effects. Speed Racer continues the trend, providing several kinetic racetrack face-offs and the occasional anime-inspired kung fu fight. Helping the pace immensely is Michael Giacchino's pulsating, retro score (not a million miles from his great work on The Incredibles, but considerably more frantic, like the film). Given the film's title and subject matter, however, its overall pacing is erratic, with the first half given over mainly to a lot of exposition, and the second to racing. The 135-minute runtime does seem excessive.
Despite - or because of - all these flaws, though, Speed Racer works. It's incredibly fun. The first half is occasionally stodgy but never dull, and its complicated plot reflects the nature of many Japanese cartoon series. The second half, where the majority of the actual racing happens, plays like the podrace in Star Wars Episode I (which was the best part of that film, along with the lightsaber duel) with everything magnified. There's also a likeable sense of humour, conspicuously absent in the Matrixes, which generates a lot of goodwill. There's no doubt that the film will generate love it/hate it reactions, with some unable to accept the psychedelically surreal world in which people named Speed Racer (yes, that's the name of the main character) live. But those that do buy into this crazy setting with all its strange idiosyncrasies are sure to have a blast.
The summary
Defying expectations, Speed Racer delivers adrenaline-pumping thrills with aplomb. Go with an open mind, and experience something new.
Agree? Disagree? Say so in the Guestbook!