Speed Racer (2008)-Kanaka Sathasivan
Speed Racer (2008)
By Kanaka Sathasivan
American moviegoers, I’d wager, probably fit neatly into two groups: those who nostalgically remember that bubbly cartoon from the 60s about the boy who was born to race, and those who couldn’t care less. If you’re in the latter group, let me say right now, you probably won’t enjoy this movie. But if like me you’re part of that first group, Speed Racer is a non-stop thrill ride through childhood that will keep you entertained to the last frame.
As a young boy, Speed Racer’s only ambition was to race cars like his record-setting older brother Rex. But one day, after an attempt on his life by a rival, Rex leaves the family, compelled to fight his demons alone to protect his loved ones. When Speed grows up, he takes up his brother’s mantle, striving to become one of the best racers in the world.
However, in his way stands Royalton, a giant automobile manufacturer who understands that races are much more than entertainment and can be manipulated in order to strengthen or weaken company stocks. Seeing the young boy’s potential, he offers Speed a position on Royalton Industries’ racing team, assuring him that racers alone are insignificant and every last Grand Prix has been fixed by corporate moguls. Though shocked by this revelation, Speed cannot betray his values or his family’s own independent automobile company and turns down the opportunity.
Enraged, Royalton vows to destroy Speed and his family, but the mysterious Racer X, Speed’s rival, has discovered Royalton’s game and sets out to expose him. Realizing this is the same cause for which his brother was fighting, Speed deceives his family, joining Racer X in a dangerous cross-country rally, the Crucible, in order to defeat Royalton and prove his own strength as a racer.
In Speed Racer, Larry and Andy Wachowski once again transport viewers into an incredible world, plucked directly from the imagination and manifested in flawless CGI. Every color is super-saturated, every silhouette over-exaggerated, every scene transition accompanied by a classic wipe (and often a floating head). It is a cartoon world manifested into being as if from the mind of a child—a mix of realism and fantasy that has never before been seen in a movie.
At its core, Speed Racer is a film for children and children-at-heart, but sometimes seems stuck in trying to decide which audience to please. While the spiritually young may find the comic nature of the movie tedious, the physically young will be bored by the exposition and confused by the complicated plot—it is quite easy to forgive the dual nature of the film, but the attempt to incorporate both elements only half-succeeds.
The real strength of the Wachowskis’ movie lies it its powerful characters, played by perfectly-cast actors. The character development, although shallow, plays out in the form of flashbacks, interspersed inside longer actions sequences. The movie’s revelation of what the family has been through tugs at the audience’s heartstrings, making us root for Speed all the more, and the corporate selfishness of the villain sparks our desire to see Speed dole out sweet justice.
And really, this is where the movie succeeds with both audiences. The battle between loving family and industrial tyrant unfolds on the race track, and the tension of knowing the stakes makes each death-defying automobile clash even more thrilling. The incredible visuals and action suck you in, keeping you on the edge of your seat. At one point when Speed prevailed, I nearly pumped my fist into the air, and at another breathtaking moment, a child behind me yelled, “Go, Speed, Go!”
For followers of the show, the movie is very faithful in plot, style, and spirit. The dialogue and direction are enjoyably kitschy, maintaining the humor and innocence of the original cartoon. Fans will also appreciate glimpses of that iconic theme song, incorporated into a glorious score by Michael Giacchin that strikes at all the right moments and sticks with you as you leave. (People singing the familiar tune were in no short supply when the movie ended.)
The racing is probably the appeal of the movie to many casual movie-watchers, and the action definitely delivers. Every race is a fast-paced, trick-laden color show. The stunts are incredible, the tracks breathtaking, and the cars gorgeous. The film also manages to cram in martial arts fights, assassins, violent car chases, and even piranhas, none of which seem out of place in this world of competitive racing.
Although Speed Racer isn’t for everyone, it’s a dazzling movie that transported me back to my younger days. Every cheesy stunt replicated from the cartoon put a smile on my face, and seeing Speed defeat Royalton, though expected, was unexpectedly satisfying. The greatest testament to the film’s power, however, came after the credits had rolled, when I climbed in my car afterwards, drove onto the highway, and heard that engine rev. I couldn’t help but grin.
Copyright C. 2008 Kanaka Sathasivan