Today’s quick review: Speed Racer. Eight years after his older brother died on the track, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) has become one of the best racers in the world. But when Royalton (Roger Allam), a powerful corporate executive, tries to recruit him, Speed is exposed to the seamier side of professional racing. To restore his faith in the sport he loves and put an end to Royalton’s shady activities, Speed must outrace a field of nefarious opponents.
Speed Racer is a family action film based on the classic cartoon series. Sporting technicolor visuals, fast-paced car combat, and stylized direction by the Wachowskis, Speed Racer attempts to recreate the heart, excitement, and wonder of a kids’ cartoon with modern production values and filmmaking techniques. Unfortunately, Speed Racer trips over its own stylization and falls short of its goal, leaving it a movie with glimmers of potential and poor execution.
The racing is the film’s strongest point, a unique, physics-defying swirl of cars, colors, and gadgets. Omnidirectional steering, spring-powered jumps, and other cartoonish tricks replicate the feel of a child crashing toy cars together in a frenzy of imagination. The bright, artificial color scheme looks its best on the track, and the retro-futuristic cars and grandly proportioned tracks make good use of the film’s shiny CGI.
Speed Racer’s other major strength is its heart. Though tempered by subpar writing, poor delivery, and the various distractions the film has to offer, Speed Racer does have the makings of a strong emotional core. The tragic story of Speed’s older brother leads to the film’s few emotionally weighty scenes. Speed’s parents are torn between supporting their son and their fear of losing him, while Speed himself doubts what he should do.
These strengths are outweighed by the film’s weaknesses. Bad dialogue and a couple of goofy moments cut into the unbridled action of the races, while the emotional arc of the film is buried under Saturday morning sensibilities and weak acting. The heavy stylization gives the film an erratic feel that hurts its ability to tell a coherent story, from unnecessary reaction shots and poorly interleaved flashbacks to fantasy sequences that distract more than they entertain.
The characters deserve particular mention. The best performances in the film belong to John Goodman and Susan Sarandon, who play Speed’s parents reasonably well. Emile Hirsch makes for a decent if bland protagonist, but the Royalton is half the villain he could have been if Tim Curry had been playing the part. Spritle and Chim Chim, Speed’s younger brother and his pet chimpanzee, are more annoying than entertaining as comic relief.
Watch Speed Racer only if you are curious about its creative races and polished visual effects. The world is too cartoonish in the wrong ways to have much adult appeal, but the races, the spectacle, and a few choice moments in the story have the intended effect. Most viewers would be better off skipping it, but those with an eye for hidden gems will get some, but not all, of what they want out of it.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for fun action and visual spectacle held back by subpar writing, acting, and focus.