Speed Racer
The cartoon comes to life with … cartoon imagery
Tags: Speed Racer Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Sep 29th, 2008
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I missed watching Speed Racer when it hit theaters even though I had wanted to. Sure, I had heard all of the bad things that people had to say about the film, but I didn’t much care, because I was a fan of 60’s cartoon and wanted to see for myself just how bad this adaptation was.
Despite what everybody else had said about the film upon its theatrical release, I enjoyed Speed Racer for what it was. No, it wasn’t quite a faithful retelling of the series nor was it a shift to a more realistic approach to the story. Instead we get essentially a live action cartoon. With plenty of saturated colors and outlandish sets the film doesn’t stray too far from the source and its inspiration is evident.
It’s weird, because the plot in Speed Racer is both overly convoluted and simplistic. Really, one can take it either way. I had to watch the film twice because the first time through I wound up simply getting caught up in the visuals that I sopped paying attention to what was going on and why.
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One of the major reasons why I had reservations about Speed Racer was the title character, and more specifically the actor who was to portray him. Emil Hirsch actually does a good job of bringing the character to life. He has the right combination of youthful spirit and determination that Speed Racer has. The rest of the cast does a great job as well, with John Goodman as Pops, Christina Ricci as Trixie, Susan Sarandon as Mom, Matthew Fox as Racer X, and plenty of other recognizable names.
After mentioning that I was going to watch Speed Racer, a friend of mine mentioned that, while he hadn’t seen it, a friend of his said that the film would have been better had the annoying little kid and monkey not been in it. After watching the film for myself, I have to both agree and disagree with this sentiment. This, however, also plays directly into the notion that Speed Racer did not go for a more realistic style, but instead kept the original animated series as its inspiration. Spritle is Speed’s younger brother, and like most younger brothers, they are annoying. The kid has a pet, and the two get into mischief, part of the comic relief as well as providing an opportunity for plot advancement.
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Is Speed Racer fun? Is it enjoyable? Does it tarnish the legacy of the original animated series? Yes, yes, and no. It’s a fine live action cartoon. My biggest complaint about the film is that it simply looks too “fake” with its heavy reliance on computer graphics. The best looking scenes are on the real sets (such as the Racer home). I understand that a certain amount of augmentation would be needed, but there’s just too much in the film. It perhaps would have been cheaper to simply go ahead and make the whole film completely computer generated.
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My biggest complaint with the DVD is how lackluster it is with regards to the special features. “Spritle in the Big Leagues” takes 2 minutes to actually get started. I was about to switch it off and head on to the next featurette. This 15 minute featurette has the young actor Paulie Litt (who portrayed Spritle) traveling around the various sets and visiting with crew members throughout the film’s shoot during the days when he wasn’t needed. It also has a bunch of pop-up trivia to augment the featurette. “Speed Racer: Supercharged” is 15 minutes and is presented as if it were a television special looking at the various vehicles that are on the fictional race circuit in the film. We don’t get any real “behind the scenes” featurette, no look at the history of Speed Racer, no cast or crew interviews, and no audio commentary. I am betting that there is going to be a “double dip” release coming later on.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+ Good adaptation of the cartoon + Fun |
6.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
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- Lousy special features - Over reliance on computer special effects that look fake |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| It isn't a straight adaptation of the cartono series, but it is still faithful. Because of this it is sure to alienate viewers. If it's cartoon action and racing you want, Speed Racer is for you. Too bad Warner Brothers is going to bilk fans twice when they release the film again with the "real" set of special features. | |
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Tags: Speed Racer
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Sep 29th, 2008 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
