Thoughts of driving cars at breathtaking speeds often occupy the minds of young boys as they mimic engine sounds for their plastic toy race cars. Speed Racer, a live-action adaptation of the 60s animated series, captures the boyhood need for speed while incorporating a talented cast and dazzling special effects.
Even in his elementary school days, when he spent his class time imagining turns on a track and doodling cars on Scantron forms, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) exhibited a natural inclination for the wheel. This inherent ability endured through his teenage years.
Speed, the middle child in the Racer family, aspires to follow his older brother’s legacy by pursuing his own career in the World Racing League (WRL). He drives the Mach-5, a race car designed by the Racer family’s automobile company. The Mach-5 can jump over its opponents, drive horizontally, and eject the driver into a protective bubble in case of a crash.
The only thing inhibiting Speed’s ambition is the memory of his older brother, Rex Racer, who suffered a tragic death while competing in the annual cross-country rally reminiscent of a futuristic street race known as “The Crucible”.
Refusing a contract with Royalton Industries, Speed discovers that greedy business tycoons have been fixing WRL races, including the renowned Grand Prix. With his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), at his side and the support of his family, Pops Racer (John Goodman), Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon), his younger brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and their pet chimpanzee, Chim Chim, Speed plans to expose the WRL’s fraud and save the reputation of his beloved sport.
After conquering the race that took his brother’s life and overcoming some bad deals and backstabbing, Speed receives a surprise invitation to the Grand Prix. There, new obstacles stand between the Mach 5 and the checkered flag, but Speed must defeat the fixed winner to rid the WRL of its corruption.
Speed Racer, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (creators of The Matrix Trilogy), employs unprecedented special effects. Although the movie first appeared to be a green screen catastrophe in previews, the Wachowski brothers presented the unrealistic effects in an entertaining way that made me look past the impossible.
The world of Speed Racer consists of futuristic, colorful megalopolises and countless race tracks that resemble pinball machines. Although the race car drivers often defy gravity and physics while traversing the tracks, sometimes driving vertically up the side of a mountain or maintaining perfect traction on dessert hills at 800 km/h, Speed Racer perpetuates enough reality to sustain the audience’s attention.
Though it seemed the entire movie was filmed from inside a single Hollywood studio, the stunning visuals catapulted the film into a successful take on the classic cartoon sans the bad dubbing. While the graphics occasionally boggled my mind, Speed Racer left my friends and I desiring speed while we drove home from the theater.
Because of the film’s revolutionary world and special effects, Speed Racer is the best PG-rated movie I have seen so far.
Speed Racer opened in theaters May 9 and is rated PG for sequences of action, some violence and language. For more Speed Racer reviews, visit Rotten Tomatoes. For show times and tickets, visit Fandango.
