Speed RacerFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Speed Racer is a 2008 live action film adaptation of the 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name. The film is written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, who also serve as co-producers. The film had been in development since 1992, changing writers and directors until producer Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers collaborated to begin production on Speed Racer as a family film.
Actor Emile Hirsch was cast as Speed, the hero of the animated series, and Christina Ricci portrays Speed's girlfriend, Trixie. Speed Racer was shot between early June and late August 2007 in Potsdam and Berlin, Germany at an estimated budget of $120,000,000. Speed Racer premiered on May 3, 2008 as the closing film at the Tribeca Film Festival, and was released on May 9, 2008
Synopsis:
Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is an 18-year-old whose life and love has always been racing. Racing is "in his blood": his parents, Pops (John Goodman) and Mom (Susan Sarandon), run an independent business building race cars; and his older brother, record-setting racer Rex Racer (Scott Porter), was killed in Speed's childhood in the running of the Casa Cristo, an incredibly intense cross-country racing rally notorious for rough and foul play. Before his death, Rex was rejected by his father for his choice to run the Casa Cristo, and publicly defamed for appearing to cheat underhandedly in a race. Now, Speed Racer is quickly sweeping the racing world with his artistic skill, driving the Mach 5 (and later the Mach 6) of his father's design, but remains interested only in the art of the race and the well-being of his family.
When Mr. Royalton (Roger Allam), owner of conglomerate Royalton Industries, offers Speed an astoundingly luxurious lifestyle in exchange for signing to race with him, Speed is tempted but declines, knowing that his father would never wish Speed to sign with the very power-hungry corporations he so mistrusts. When Speed refuses Mr. Royalton's offer, Royalton reveals that top corporate interests, including Royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit, and then threatens Speed's career success and very life when he still does not agree to sign on. When Royalton later proves ready to make good on his threats, Speed teams up with his girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), his one-time rival, Racer X (Matthew Fox), and shifty racer Taejo Togokhan (Rain) to enter the Casa Cristo 5000 – known as "The Crucible" – in part of a plot to uncover the treacheries of Royalton and save the Racer business.
Speed begins to suspect that Racer X is actually his brother Rex in disguise, after they drive together and work naturally as a team. Despite his father's initial anger at his racing in the Crucible, Speed's family eventually joins up as well, as Speed overcomes Royalton's brutal team and many seemingly insurmountable obstacles to win the Casa Cristo 5000. It is, unfortunately, a sham victory, as it's revealed that Taejo's purpose was simply to make himself - and, by association, his father's racing company - look better, so the stock price would rise, and a proposed Royalton-arranged company buyout would be more expensive.
An angry Speed hits the old track his brother Rex used to take him as a boy, and the arrival of Racer X leads Speed to confront X, demanding to know the truth as to whether or not he is Rex. Racer X removes his mask, revealing an unfamiliar face, and tells Speed that Rex truly is dead. Speed returns home, and Taejo's sister Horuko (Yu Nan) arrives, giving Speed Taejo's automatic invitation to the Grand Prix, as she felt bad for what her brother had done and Taejo had declined to accept anyway. After 32 hours of family effort, the Mach 6 is rebuilt (having been destroyed in the race following Race's refusal to sign with Royalton), and Speed hits the Grand Prix for the greatest race of his life, with a bounty on his head from the other drivers, and pitted against legendary Hall of Fame driver Cannonball Taylor.
Speed's battle in the race succeeds in exposing Royalton, and returning racing to its true purpose. Furthermore, it is revealed to the audience at the movie's end that Rex did not really die (and also did not cheat), but instead underwent plastic surgery to re-emerge as Racer X, helping his younger brother finally save his family and his sport. He chose not to reveal his identity to his family, presumably for their protection. In the end of the movie, Rex is heard saying that even if he made a mistake hiding from his family it would be a mistake he had to live with.
New Theme Song:
In addition to the orchestral score, WB added an updated version of the "Go, Speed Racer, Go" theme song which plays during the end credits. Produced by Ali Dee and Jason Gleed, performed by Ali Dee Theodore and the Deekompressors. The film version has sections in English, Japanese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Box office results:
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $18,561,337 from around 6,700 screens at 3,606 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking third at the box office behind Iron Man (in its second weekend) and What Happens in Vegas... (a new release). In its second weekend, the film grossed $8,117,459 and ranked #4 at the box office. The results were well below studio expectations, given that production costs of Speed Racer are estimated to be about $120 million USD. Despite the low box office numbers, Warner Brothers remains optimistic about sales of associated products ranging from toys to tennis shoes. "We're still going to do very well with Speed Racer," says Brad Globe, president of Warner Brothers Consumer Products, acknowledging "a giant movie would have made it all a lot bigger.". According to Box Office Mojo, the movie has grossed slightly under $89 million worldwide, even though they are missing the Japan numbers. According to IMDBpro the film has grossed over $95 million, still missing the Australia and France openings.
DVD and Blu-ray Release:
Warner Home Video has announced that they will bring the Wachowski brothers film 'Speed Racer' to Blu-ray on September 16th, day-and-date with the DVD release. This three-disc set will feature the main feature and supplemental features on the first disc, the DVD game "Speed Racer Crucible Challenge" on the second disc, and a digital copy of the film on the third disc - the last two being exclusive to the Blu-ray release.
Speed Racer [Blu-ray]Directed by Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Average customer review:
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #59 in DVD
- Released on: 2008-09-16
- Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Formats: Color, Widescreen
- Original language: English
- Number of discs: 3
- Running time: 135 minutes
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
An over-the-top, sensory overload experience determined to replicate its frantic, television-anime origins, Speed Racer is wild enough to induce a headache or wow a viewer with one dazzling effect after another. Adapted for the big screen as a live-action feature, Speed Racer is written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the sibling team behind the intensely satisfying The Matrix and its busier, less interesting sequels. Where the rich mythmaking of The Matrix was entirely accessible, however, Speed Racer's overwhelming and gratuitously complicated story exposition is an enormous challenge to follow, let alone embrace. After a while, one simply surrenders to the unbroken din of dialogue concerning corporate chicanery, corruption in the sport of racing, and a value conflict between racing as a family business versus multinational cash cow. At the same time, the film's hyper-real equivalent of the old Speed Racer cartoon's great whoosh of color, motion, and edgy production design--such as inventive uses of scene-changing wipes, bold framing, shifting perspectives--are more overbearing than fun.
Emile Hirsch plays Speed Racer, younger brother of a deceased racing legend, Rex, and son of car designer Pops (John Goodman). The latter invented Speed's Mach 5, and is singularly unimpressed by an offer from a giant conglomerate that would lock Speed into exclusive racing services. Speed opts instead for family loyalty, incurring the wrath of the conglomerate's unctuous head (Roger Allam). With family honor on the line and the affections of girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) behind him, Speed hits the track in hopes of fulfilling his destiny as a master racer. The cast is largely enjoyable, including Susan Sarandon as Speed's mom, Matthew Fox as mysterious Racer X, and a pair of chimps as the irrepressible Chim-Chim. All well and good, but in a movie that lives or dies by the excitement level of races that look like computer-animated Hot Wheels action, Speed Racer is a dreary adventure. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
A faithful treatment of source material
Critics gave this film a bad rap. For those of us who grew up with the experience of Speed Racer as an Americanized Japanese cartoon with sometimes outrageous action and clearly defined characters with brilliant nuances, this film delivers on all counts! Everything a Speed Racer fan would expect is present and stylistically depicted in this remarkable treatment. The Wachowski brothers understood very well the appeal of this property and used their Hollywood clout to defy the norm to create a film that was just as eclectic as the cartoon. The English translation of the original cartoon made for an unusual type of story that could not shed its Japanese narrative. Instead of reinventing the story to accommodate the general audiences, Larry and Andy Wachowski chose to create a film version that contains the same nuances as the original cartoons. The major themes being represented makes this a joy for those who loved the cartoon and makes fans out of those who were curious about the film's origins.
Watching Speed Racer (the film) made me want to go back and watch the original cartoons again because of the dramatic special effects and character representation. Audiences will just have to give in to the fragmented storyline and understand that the theme of the film id consistent with the best episodes of the cartoon.
There is one unfortunate scene where Spritle, Speed's kid brother, gives the bad guy the finger. This is totally uncalled for and needless. I found it offensive to the cartoon, but overlooking this, the story and characters are very much what made the source material memorable. Fans will love it and those wishing to experience the original cartoons would be wise to enjoy the original cartoon and then revel in the brilliant achievement of this film.
A very underrated family movie with great action and a charming story
This is probably the best family film I have seen in years. I saw it during it's opening week, and I absolutely loved it. The movie has a good story with likeable characters, and has a lot of solid family values that I felt set it apeart from typical "flash and bang" movies.
However, that's not to say that the movie does not have lighting fast action scenes and some of the most creative visuals that I have ever seen in a movie. After you see this film, watching NASCAR will look like watching a turtle race. If you need a description, think of Star Wars Episode 1's pod race scene, but with the speed dial cranked up from 5 to 10, and mixed with the video game "F-Zero." Yes, I did compare an aspect of this movie to a video game, but I mean that in the most positive way it can be said.
Overall, this is a love it or hate it movie: if you love it, you will see all the great things the movie has to offer, but if you hate it, you'll just say: "this looks like a cartoon" and move on. The thing is though, that the movie IS a live action cartoon in the truest sense of the word, and the fact that the Wachowsky brothers were brave enough to take a risk and make it is commendable. I just wish that they had been rewarded for it, instead of being chastised by pop culture over the film's poor box office take.
FILM OF THE YEAR!! - A Classic for the Ages
The racing scenes were bleeding spectacular. I mean "spectacular" in a way that has never even been imagined. Honestly, it deserves an Oscar nod just for art design. What's so ingenious about the opening sequence is that it not only sets up all the characters with entertaining and emotional efficiency, but it also establishes how the cars work in this fantasy world. So despite the races being faster than anything you're ever likely to see, the main action beats are always delivered with a clarity and a style that will keep you thrilled beyond belief. Each race is perfectly crafted with the stakes and the challenges rising further and further with each successive scene...until we reach a final showdown that leaves you utterly breathless. Literally. And the "visual vocabulary" of the film is truly innovative. It's like the camera is no object. As an audience member, you've never felt freer. Unlike the stylistic approach of the recent 'Star Wars' prequels, which generally used locked off cameras and relatively tame tracking shots, 'Speed Racer' ducks into, under and around the action in a way that opens up the medium like no other film before it. Compared to other film in its greenscreen sub-genre, this leaves movies like 'Sin City' and '300' looking rather timid by comparison.
But at the heart of it, this is really a film about fathers and their sons. A coming of age story about hope, expectation, and the pain of loss. I found myself with a lump in my throat while watching the movie. Wait, let me rephrase. I found myself with a lump in my throat within ten minutes of the film starting. Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox and Scott Porter as the young Rex Racer all provide intimate and genuinely moving performances. Make no mistake about it, this film is the definition of joviality on celluloid. But the story is basically driven by the shadow of a lost family member from the very first scene in the film, and that's what really makes the film worth watching. As well as being immersed in a fantasy world of drop dead gorgeous visuals, of course.
In the same way that 'Sin City' was an exaggerated, impressionistic noir, and just as '300' was an exaggerated, impressionistic war movie, 'Speed Racer' plays as an exaggerated, expressionistic 1960s kid's show. Which is exactly what it is. It's campy. It's fun, And it's full of humour and heart. Of course, brooding characters and over-the-top gore is easier to sell than camp, colourful fun, but allowing oneself to become absorbed in the film's style makes for a rewarding experience. I've heard complaints about the film's exposition, but the only scene where I could perhaps understand that criticism was about half way through when Taejo's family troubles were being told. But even that zipped by very quickly and the audience still understands exactly what was at stake in the upcoming race. So if it is a flaw, it's a minor one at best.
The characters are warm and lovable, the villains are wonderfully hissable, the actors' performances are all suitably camp, and the morality tale at the center of it - the battle of family versus corporatism - gives the story a real spirit. And makes the races all that more enthralling to watch. It's infectiously charming, and even at 129 minutes the film glides like a T-180 on ice. I was convinced I was only in there for about thirty minutes, and when it finished I was left gagging for more.
So what's the verdict? While the story wasn't exactly the peak of literary greatness, it was very well told. Despite its two hour plus running time, the narrative was sharp, the emotionality was touching, and the plot turns were genuinely exciting. If the film was not such a special effects extravaganza, it would probably have been given a 4 star rating. But the film DOES have incredible special effects. And it DOES offer an absolutely sublime spectacle. Not only that, but the Wachowskis seem to have yet again set another industry standard - one that will likely be copied and mimicked for years to come. Until the Brothers reinvent the wheel for a fourth time, that is. And as such, the rating for this film is for something that could easily end up becoming highly influential classic.
Bring on 'Speed Racer 2'!
Speed Racer (Widescreen Edition)
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