Speed Racer (2008)

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:

Speed | Racer | Race | Racing | Mach 5

Awards:

8 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 26	8:00 AM	HBO
Mon. Nov. 30	4:00 PM	HBO

Cast

Emile Hirsch	...	Speed Racer
Nicholas Elia	...	Young Speed
Susan Sarandon	...	Mom Racer
Melissa Holroyd	...	Speed's Teacher
Ariel Winter	...	Young Trixie
Scott Porter	...	Rex
Gian Ganziano	...	Everyman Announcer
Peter Fernandez	...	Local Announcer
Harvey Friedman	...	Harold Ledermann Announcer
Sadao Ueda	...	Japanese Announcer
Valery Tscheplanowa	...	Russian Announcer
Sami Loris	...	Italian Announcer
Olivier Marlo	...	French Announcer
Sean McDonagh	...	Celtic Announcer
Kick Gurry	...	Sparky

Also Known As:

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

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA | Australia | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

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 Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | 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) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Zac Efron was originally casted as Speed Racer, but was soon replaced with Emile Hirsch.

Goofs:

Continuity: The first time you see Speed Racer in a race (the opening 5 minutes) the visor on his helmet disappears and reappears.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Features Moonraker (1979)

Soundtrack:

Free Bird

Loyal to the anime. A blast!

Man, I was lucky to catch a sneak preview of this movie during my holiday here. (I will repeatedly use the phrase "intended to be campy" on purpose to prove my point of the movie).

The Wachowski brothers deliver once again. The special effects are simply beautiful to the eyes and the action sequences are stylistically cool. Among all the films of May, this one rightfully deserves an Academy Award. Also, the use of blue screen gives the film a great live-anime fell to it, as the Wachowskis promised.

See Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox and even Korean pop sensation Rain (of all people) ham it up on the big screen. Yes, it's campy, but that is what makes this movie great. It is intended to be campy, just like the whip-smart and fast dialogue of the old anime I grew up with. The story is also great, it doesn't stray far from the anime. There are some twists, but overall it is truthful and loyal. Fans of the old anime will not be disappointed as the storyline is slightly strayed away from the old anime series, however, more or less it's still the same.

Filming techniques are well handled, you will see how in the movie, especially during conversation parts. The action scenes are great, as well as some campy fight scenes. But all is well, and I'm cool with that.

I do not understand all the hate towards this movie as it is superb fun. However, the film is a bomb. It is extremely underrated. Hopefully, it will be a cult favorite, as stated by a fellow user.

Do not listen to all the haters. Like Snakes on a Plane, it is intended to be campy. If you just wanna have fun, watch this movie. It is a popcorn film that is a true sight at the cinema. The Wachowski Brothers clearly state that this is aimed for families, so I highly recommend this movie to parents to take their kids out and see this film for a fun time during summer vacation.

Oscar worthy? For the special effects and set design, yeah.

Entertainment value: 10/10

Overall value: 8.4/10

Delton