Cinematic Adventures : Speed Racer!
After all the hype, we were very excited to see the Wachowski brothers’ supposedly cutting-edge adaptation of what was probably anime’s first big successful franchise here in the U.S. back in the 1960’s.
While the plot line of the film was barely groundbreaking, I thought the visual style and CGI effects were quite impressive. Colorfully fast paced. It might be too much to handle for some people (epileptics, for instance)…
The races were a lot of fun to watch; zig-zagging turns, the crescendo of roaring engines, somersaulting vehicles, loopy tracks, exotic scenery, the raging saboteurs, the flashing lights… vaguely reminiscent of the pod races in The Phantom Menace, but with more sugary goodness. It’s definitely like a “live cartoon,” and it’s a great family film in all its cheesy retro glory. We left the theater feeling dandy!
And yes, while I thought that the film had outstanding visual kinetics, I felt that somewhere in the pool of special effects, the characters themselves seemed to fade into all the lights and noise. The movie certainly appeals to a younger audience, as it seems that most of the scenes struggled to jump-start your attention and just couldn’t “sit still.” But then again, it is a kids’ movie. The story was “cute.”
Oh, and does anyone else think it’s weird to hear Speed say “shit???”
All in all, it was fun, exciting, and entertaining!
- Joyceline
