Speed Racer [2008]

See Larger Image	List Price: £15.99 Our Price: £9.98 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Starring: Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Christina Ricci, John Goodman Directed By: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski Average Customer Rating:


Audience Rating: Parental Guidance Binding: DVD EAN: 7321902216164 Format: PAL Label: Warner Home Video Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Warner Home Video Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2008-11-10 Running Time: 130 Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: 2008
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Editorial Reviews: 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 myth-making 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
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: The Wachowski Brothers mess up again Comment: This films like an old car. Has some major faults,its embarrassing but you find yourself liking it (some of the time). Its way over the top. Everyone in it is annoying. CGI racing is dull (you'd be better of playing Burnout). The races are spoilt by people or things flashing across the screen every few seconds. Its to long and it treats the audience like their dumd. All in all a bit of a mess. Its like a kids version of Death Race. Its worth a rent (only just though) but not worth buying. Customer Rating: Summary: Great visual film but poor DVD extras Comment: The film follows Speed Racer, a young racing whizz kid, like Lewis Hamilton, who is racing in memory of his older brother Rex Racer, who died in a dangerous road race. Royalton industries offers to buy Speed for his racing team but he refuses and joins forces with the mysterious Racer X to bring down the corrupt Royalton. The film itslef is very visual with lots of bright colours which put off a lot of reviews. However, this film is trying to be a live action anime, and it succeds and for that I can't fault it. As for the plot, its quite engaging with some very good turns from Matthew Fox as the mysterious Racer X and Emile Hirsch as Speed. I only gave this 3/5 stars because there wasn't enough of Racer X and his mystery wasn't built up enough. Also the Wachowski brothers have missed a trick by not making this a 3-D film, which really would have made this a psychadelic visual feast. As for the DVD extras, there aren;t many and given the extensive technology that was needed to make this, you would have thought there would have been more. Overall, a good film that could have been better in 3-D. Hopefully there will be a 2-disc version out soon and thats worth waiting for. Customer Rating: Summary: Primary coloured and neon lit Comment: Clearly, if the creators (The Wachowski brothers, directors of The Matrix) of the movie want you to remember anything about this movie - it's BRIGHT COLOURS. This is movie making from the pages of a comic book, with the colours, acting and plot that this entails. When it started, it was so garish and hyperkinetic that I prepared myself for the worst... however, I have to admit that as I watched it, it actually did start to suck me in to this bizarre pseudo reality, and I began rooting for Speed Racer (That's his name, not just his title..). Speed Racer is the car obsessed son in the Racer family, his father the designer of racing cars. When he starts performing in major races, a huge corporate sponsor woos him, but amazingly, it turns out that the big corporation has money, and not the best interests of the Racer Family, at heart. A few chases later, via a mysterious ally, an uneasy alliance with a rival Japanese driver, and ninjas, we reach the good versus bad confrontation. Nothing about this is real - everything is hyper real in a calculated way - remember, this is adapted from a Japanese anime. Yet the actors, even in a wide eyed cartoon style way, do gradually do make you accept they might just be believable. Even if on the podium the winners drink a hyper white milk, rather than any other sparkling drinks... The story linking the action scenes is actually passable, and is actually a welcome relief from the action scenes which could leave you woozy with an overdose of movement and primary colours which are pretty sickly after a while...just remember this is skewed young, yet the story does have a little depth for grown-ups too. The gimmick here is the effects, and though the effect may not be to everyone's cup of tea, the effects are seamless. This sort of cartoonish hyper reality may just be what cgi was meant for. The movie as a whole is not a complete success.. that's for sure. But neither is it a disaster.. this is at the very least innovative and imaginative cinema - you wont see another movie like Speed Racer this year, and the derision it received in some quarters smacks of close-mindedness. So if you can stomach the nausea inducing frantic movement of bright pink and red and yellow, and want to see something a little different, then why not give it a shot? Customer Rating: Summary: "You Think You Can Drive a Car and Change the World?" Comment: Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is obsessed with racing. Even as a boy (Nicholas Elia in these flashbacks), he couldn't concentrate on school but spent the day dreaming about cars. Of course, he comes by it naturally. Pops (John Goodman) designs race cars and older brother Rex (Scott Porter) is an up and coming champion. Things hit a bump when Rex and Pops fight and Rex leaves home only to die amidst allegations of wrong doing. But racing is in the Racer family blood (no surprise with that name), and Speed seemed destined to take the crown. After making a splash at a local race, he catches the eye of Royalton (Roger Allam) who is a big sponsor of other racers. He promises Speed the moon, but when Speed turns him down, he turns nasty, threatening Speed and his family. Now he'll have to team up with the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox). But can they work together well enough to bring the truth to light? I hadn't intended to see this movie, but after I read a rave review, I went to see it. And I'm glad I did because I loved it. This movie looks amazing. The racing involves cars in bright lights zooming by. That makes it hard to follow at times. But I loved how it looked. Even the stuff off the track was filled with vibrant color. It was just made for Blu-Ray. Now I will admit the story starts slowly and is predictable. But I got so caught up in things, I really didn't care. In fact, I was sorry to see it end. But when we reached that ending, I felt like standing up and cheering. The characters never get too much beyond one dimensional. But I loved them anyway, rooting for the heroes and booing the villain. Even though this movie was done by the Wachowski Brothers, it isn't one of their adult oriented epics. Yes, there is a moral to the story, but it isn't hit you in the face. And everything is in keeping with the PG rating. In fact, Speed has a younger brother who has a pet chimp, and those two steal every scene they are in. I loved them. This is a movie designed for a foremost to entertain. And it did that for me. I can't wait to see it again, and I'm really hoping we get a sequel. Customer Rating: Summary: Well, 3.5 stars, but still Comment: I really wasn't looking forward to watching this movie. The Buzz was bad, the reviews (with the exception of a few) were horrible, and the film looked too cartoony. Also the film did badly in the box office aswell (apparently made $48m with a budget of $120m. In simple words, major flop). However, i am a fan of The Matrix, and i have always felt that the Wachowski's have a unique vision. So with that in mind, i gave this film a chance, and watched it. In all honesty, i really enjoyed it. So it's cheesy (extremely at times), so the visuals are cartoony, and so the kid in the film (I'm talking the youngest brother) is a stiff actor. If you take this out of the equation, everything else about the movie is very good. It has a good storyline, good characters, and the wachowski's even manage to make you care for the family. That takes some doing, even from the best of director's.Also, the race scenes, though obviously CG, are quite astonishing, as are the intercutting scenes (nice touch, keeps the story moving). Also, i was never bored, which is good considering i have a concentration span of a goldfish. I know this film was bashed considerably, but i feel that if you get over the visual style, and excuse the cheese, it is actually an enjoyable movie, which can be watched with kids and adults. Also, on a final note, i can't remember the last time i thought Christina Ricci was cute, but she is in this film. Maybe it's a sign of better things to come. Overall, i feel, just give the film a chance, and you'll like it. More Reviews