Published: May 07, 2008 04:56 pm            

'Speed Racer' reviewed

Say this about the Wachowski brothers: They’re not afraid to assault your eyeballs.

The creators of “The Matrix,” its disappointing sequels and the excellent “V for Vendetta,” Andy and Larry Wachowski, pull out all the visual stops for their film adaptation of “Speed Racer,” the cult Japanese cartoon of the 1960’s. Somehow, it comes together well enough in a film that works in spite of its flaws.

The film tells the tale of the serendipitously named Speed Racer, played by Emile Hirsch, who wants to be the world’s greatest race car driver. Speed has always been obsessed with racing, and the accident of his older racing brother, Rex, only further fuels his fire.

Along the way, Speed is wooed by a large corporate sponsor, Royalton, who takes the romance out of racing in an attempt to drive Speed away from the track. But Speed finds strength in his family, which also happens to be his racing sponsor and team (Racer Motors), and it’s hard to keep a Racer down.

The messages in the film are pretty simple as relating to evil corporations, family and good sportsmanship. For the most part, the dialogue is kept simple, as well. This is a children’s film, after all.

But there are a lot of things going on in the Wachowskis’ story, and many key points are introduced through fast-paced montages. Images come from all angles in rapid-fire succession as the film delves into the seedy underworld of the World Racing League. I can’t imagine younger children following along very well.

Luckily, there’s a lot of action to keep such viewers interested. It’s fairly impossible to drift away while campy characters in souped-up cars are hurtling across cartoonish tracks, all in the bold, sharp glory of dazzling green screen.

Films often get criticized for being too much like video games, but those reviews usually neglect to mention that video games can be pretty fun. Especially for kids.

Sure, the editing is a little too fast and furious during race scenes, and the green screen sugar rush can be overwhelming at times. The film is also too long and often can’t decide whether it wants to be for younger or older children, and sometimes misses the mark for both.

But there’s a good time to be had watching “Speed Racer.” It’s never boring. And any film that lets John Goodman throw down in a few over-the-top fight scenes can’t be too bad. Rated PG for action sequences.

Grade: B

— Phil Dzikiy

        

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