Speed Racer (2008)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Directors:

Andy Wachowski
Larry Wachowski

Writers (WGA):

Andy Wachowski (written by) &
Larry Wachowski (written by) ...

Release Date:

9 May 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Family | Sport

Tagline:

Go

Plot:

The story begins with Speed Racer who is a young man with natural racing instincts whose goal is to win The Crucible...

Plot Keywords:

Pushed Out Of Window | Child In Peril | Stock Market | Suit | Car Chase

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Emile Hirsch	...	Speed Racer
Nicholas Elia	...	Young Speed
Christina Ricci	...	Trixie
John Goodman	...	Pops Racer
Melissa Holroyd	...	Speed's Teacher
Susan Sarandon	...	Mom Racer
Matthew Fox	...	Racer X
Ariel Winter	...	Young Trixie
Scott Porter	...	Rex Racer
Benno Fürmann	...	Inspector Detector
Gian Ganziano	...	Everyman Announcer
Peter Fernandez	...	Local Announcer
Harvey Friedman	...	Harold Ledermann Announcer
Richard Roundtree	...	Ben Burns
Sadao Ueda	...	Japanese Announcer

Also Known As:

Race Chasers (USA) (fake working title)
Speed Racer: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sequences of action, some violence and language.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Ireland:PG | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | Germany:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Malaysia:U | Venezuela:PG-13 | USA:PG (certificate #44193) | Netherlands:6 | Argentina:13 | Hong Kong:IIA | Norway:11 | Sweden:7 | Brazil:10 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Portugal:M/6 | Taiwan:GP (original rating) | South Korea:All (DVD rating) | New Zealand:PG | Austria:10 | South Africa:10M (theatrical rating) | South Africa:13V (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

According to producer Joel Silver, this movie was largely shot in green screen.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When first visiting the Racer family, Royalton says one line in German - "Pfannkuchen sind Liebchen" - and translates it to "pancakes are love." "Liebchen" is a very old fashioned German word for lover, the correct German sentence would have been "Pfannkuchen sind Liebe."

Quotes:

[first lines]
Race Announcer: All drivers to your cars, please. All drivers to your cars.

Movie Connections:

Spin off Speed Racer (2008) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Free Bird

First Place Winner

I must admit that I know, or knew rather, very little about the story or history of Speed Racer- and his TV series - and maybe that is why I enjoyed this movie so much. Although, this is still a different type of situation where one who was a big fan of the shows might be seriously critical of every little detail of the turned movie. I don't believe anyone who considers themselves truly knowledgeable about Tatsuo Yoshida's work can say that this was not represented well on the big screen. I'm now intrigued to go back and check out some episodes of Speed Racer.

That aside, as far as it being a movie and a work of art, I would give this movie high marks in both categories. For it being a movie, it was nice to see something so different as far as the approach to making it go. Also, having such an incredible cast makes it all the more intriguing. I don't see anyone else having portrayed any of these characters any better than the cast that was hired to do so.

On an artistic level, it is extremely hard to think of any other movie that comes close to being in the same league. I did not see The Matrix, but I would say that anyone who liked Sin City for its cinematography and graphic elements, would love Speed Racer. The use of bright photography that's added behind a green screen makes for a far more dramatic effect.

Take the artistic elements of this movie, and put it together with the amazing cast (both looks and talent) and throw it together with a very different but coherent plot, and you've got yourself an extremely enjoyable movie that is definitely worth seeing. And seeing at the theater no less! My hats off to The Wachowski Brothers, and the rest of the cast and crew for putting together something different for a change.

GO...