Mach GoGoGo! - Speed Racer Review

The film version of Speed Racer, a manga and anime franchise held up in our memories by nostalgia, had to stand up to nigh impossible expectations. Our recollection is vague, yet fiercely fond, and no big budget, Hollywood production cooked up by those kooky Wachowski brothers could live up to our beloved childhood cartoon. Couple those sentiments with early reports of a gargantuan price tag and an overly long running time and the film couldn't escape its bad rap. It is unfortunate because Speed Racer succeeds in providing solid family entertainment while skillfully playing on that old nostalgia.

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Reviewers decried the plot paper-thin, the colors headache inducing, and the physics too fantastic. However, re-watching the original cartoon on YouTube, it is all too accurate. Shrugging off the movie as suitable only for ten-year-olds is nonsensical; that's how old we were when we first started singing "Go, Speed Racer, Go!" and if we're too old and cynical to appreciate it now, doesn't that say more about us?

With that said, the movie was far from perfect; some of the lines did fall flat, few were genuinely funny, and the audience is hit at least one too many times over the head with the importance of family values. But, it was sufficiently visually stimulating that I didn't mind the length (a little over two hours) and the biggest plot point of the show was also the focus of the movie: the mysterious Racer X. The vivid, action packed racing scenes were cool, for veritable ten-year-olds and for those of us who are still ten at heart. And as predictable a movie about racing is, it manages to stay entertaining. I caught myself humming the theme song during the climax of the "dangerous race." (You remember, the one that spans two continents and includes volcanoes, a mountain range, and an ice path).

There weren't any earth-shattering performances but again, it's a family movie about racing. Emile Hirsch is a dead ringer for Speed, an excellent choice. John Goodman makes an excellent Pops and Christina Ricci is hot as Trixie. Korean pop-star Rain gets some US exposure and finds a way to appear shirtless more than once, something for which we can all be thankful. His English isn't half bad, either. And Speed's big brother, Rex *cough, Racer X, cough* is fine! Even Spritle and Chim-Chim are spot-on.

I enjoyed Speed Racer and I look forward to watching it again with my younger cousins. I'm glad I waited until everyone was finished talking trash to see it; contrary to most of the reviews, I found it to be a fitting tribute to the classic.