Obsessed With Film

Written & Directed by: The Wachowski Brothers

Based on the Speed Racer animated series created by Tatsuo Yoshida

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Benno Furmann, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rain, Richard Roundtree, Kick Gurry, Roger Allam, Scott Porter, Anatole Taubman, Nicholas Elia

Distributed by Warner Brothers

Film will be released in the U.K. and U.S. on May 9th 2008

Review by James Rawson

Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer, he’s a demon on wheels… Born as a manga series in the 60s, and then adapted for television in the much loved and oft-repeated anime series, kidults everywhere will be glad to know that Speed Racer is well and truly back. This time Speed and the gang have been resurrected by sci-fi gods the Wachowski Brothers, who write and direct the first ever live action version: bringing the joys of technicoloured automobiles and Japanimation to a whole new generation.

The Racer family, if you hadn’t guessed already, enjoy their cars. Eldest son Rex (Scott Porter) was destined to become one history’s great drivers, but left the Racer Motors Team to compete for rival teams on the WRL (World Racing League) circuit. With his career mired in controversy and scandal, Rex dies mysteriously during the notoriously dangerous Casa Cristo 5000. Accelerate a few years and Rex’s eponymous younger brother Speed (Emile Hirsch) has followed in his brother’s footsteps, and promises to be every bit the racer that Rex was. But unlike his brother, Speed stays true to the family team and his car the Mach 5 (no, not the razer). Unsurprisingly the rich and powerful E.P. Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) spots his talent and tries to lure him away with promises of glory and riches, but a family boy at heart, Speed refuses, much to Royalton’s chagrin.

Not taking no for an answer, Royalton warns our young hero that, with his vast power and influence, he will ruin Racer Motors Team, and Speed’s career with it. With the intention of proving him wrong, and exposing the Murdoch-esque bad guy, Speed teams up with the enigmatic Racer X (Matthew Fox in a gimp suit) and Taejo Togokahn (Asian popstar Rain) to defeat Royalton’s team in the race that cut short the life of his brother: the Casa Christo 5000. With feisty girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), and the rest of the Racer family at his side (most notably Susan Sarandon and John Goodman as Mom and Pops Racer) can Speed restore honour to a sport that has become ruined with corruption?

After the mixed reviews that surrounded the Wachowski written V for Vendetta and the positively abysmal response to the second and third Matrix films, the Wachowski brothers have stripped themselves of any philosophical pretensions and made an out and out good fun kids movie. And my God have they succeeded.

In a post-Shrek age, when every film marketed at under 13s feels compelled to provide older audiences with knowing winks, Speed Racer’s purity and sincerity are its most refreshing elements. As classic Disney has shown us: if you make a children’s film well, it will appeal to the child in all of us. A big heart, strong morals, family values and a fat kid teamed up with a mischief causing chimp make Speed Racer a winner. It’s much more effective than any of Shrek 3’s tongue-in-cheek Justin Timberlake jokes.

And to carry the story is the Wachowski’s ever-present knack for breath-taking visuals. The art direction might look tacky in movie stills or trailers, but taken as a whole it is practically a character in and of itself: when Speed passes the finishing line in the film’s final showdown, the expressionist bursts of colour and confetti are so euphoric they’re verging on the orgasmic. In a good way.

But as with any vehicle, there are a few minor glitches along the way, but all totally forgivable: Christina Ricci seems completely incongrous throughout (in interviews she has as all but admitted that she only got involved to make her more appealing to big studios), Royalton really isn’t well developed enough as a character, and the final narrative twist is pretty cringe worthy, and predictable.

So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I state, in conclusion: Go Speed Racer! Go Speed Racer! Go Speed Racer GooOOoo!