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Moriarty Floors It For SPEED RACER!
Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here.
There’s something sort of crazy about trying to make a live-action cartoon in the first place, and over the years, we’ve seen some great filmmakers hit that wall so hard they left marks on it. Robert Altman. Warren Beatty. And to varying degrees, I admire what those guys tried to do with POPEYE and DICK TRACY because they seemed dedicated to the idea of bringing a surreal world to life. I thought the way Beatty and Vittorio Storaro played with color in TRACY was sort of ravishing as well, but that was a film that was easier to respect than it was to like. Part of the problem is that cartoons are often simplistic in terms of dialogue and characterization, and when you suddenly have flesh-and-blood actors trying to pull off the same sort of material, it feels threadbare. Incomplete. Wrong.
Comic book movies are a different subgenre, related but not the same, and some of the same problems crop up as filmmakers try to take this static art form and translates its particular vocabulary to film. It’s one of the reasons I love BLADE and BLADE 2... Wesley Snipes (as well as Norrington and Del Toro) understand that a big part of the iconography of superheroes is the poses they strike, the way those fights look as much as the actual impact of them. The superhero films I enjoy the most are the ones that manage to capture and reproduce the sort of giddy pop joy that the best comic books can generate, that understand the particular pleasures of comics and embrace them rather than trying to reinvent them wholesale.
When the early announcements of SPEED RACER were made, I was ambivalent towards the enterprise. I’m not a big fan of the nerdstalgia that has taken over our film industry, and even though I had fond memories of watching the original cartoon when I was a kid, I also remember how completely wacko the show was, and how part of its charm was the idea that it only barely survived the translation process intact. I like the Wachowskis, and I find myself slightly out-of-step with fandom on the MATRIX series as a whole. I enjoyed the first film, but didn’t revere it as the second-coming of cinema as many seemed to, and I like things about both of the sequels and think they’re closer to the original than many fans are willing to admit.
The first trailer for SPEED RACER was so bizarre and extreme that I’m not surprised there was a massive knee-jerk reaction against it. What surprises me is how adamantly fandom has refused to budge since that point. Then again, this has always been intended as a family film. At first, we even heard the Wachowskis were aiming for a G rating. I thought that was all hype until I saw it, and now I’m prepared to admit, they made exactly what they said they were going to. SPEED RACER is a great piece of pop art, but more than that, it’s a genuine, heartfelt, sincere family film that celebrates exactly what it is that defines a family. And if you’re remotely cynical walking in, you will most likely reject it completely.
That would be a shame.
Let’s talk about the heart of the film first, because I’ve read a few reactions now where people dismiss this as a hollow experience. Bullshit. It’s feather-light, but it’s not hollow. The thing that drives the film’s narrative is the natural dynamic that exists when you are a parent watching your children come of age and start to figure out who they are and what they have to contribute to the world. When you’re a parent, one of the things that you feel most strongly when you think of your children is potential. I look at my sons right now, at the way Toshi is starting to come into focus as a personality, and I can’t help but imagine what he might do with his life. He’s growing up around the film industry, interacting with it in a way I could only have imagined when I was young, and I wonder if he’ll get bit by the bug the way I did, or if he’ll decide that he wants nothing to do with it as a reaction to this sort of total-immersion childhood. Either way, the thing I know I want for him is satisfaction with his life. I don’t care what it is he eventually does as long as it brings him some sense of joy and security. Here, the strongest emotional material in the film comes from Pops (John Goodman) and Mom (Susan Sarandon) as they watch Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) find his place in the world of racing. What impressed me was the way the film treats the races as an extension of what’s happening with the characters, not as a simple excuse for lots of sound and fury. These races are not interruptions in the narrative... they ARE the narrative. Speed Racer’s only half-alive until he climbs into that car, and once he’s out on the track, that’s when we see who he really is.
A perfect example is the first race in the film. Here... check out these three minutes from near the start of the film before we continue:
So the film starts with the young Speed Racer (Nicholas Elia in a charming and brief role) and a quick bit of backstory explaining what happened to his brother Rex (Scott Porter, always great on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS). It devastated the Racer family, and it set Rex up as this unattainable ideal that Speed is always competing with. That’s fine as exposition, but the Wachowskis push it further in the first race sequence, as Speed finds himself on the track where Rex set a course record. Have you see those images in the trailer where there’s a strange ghostly red car on the track that the Mach 5 slides into? Well, that’s because Speed ends up leaving everyone else behind. As far as he’s concerned, there’s no one on the track with him except for Rex, and the Wachowskis externalize what he’s feeling as he tries to break his brother’s record. Right away, that one prolonged sequence sets up just how far the Wachowskis are willing to push the cartoon vocabulary of their film, and it also sets up just how close-to-the-surface they’re willing to play the emotional material. The film is, above everything else, sincere. It doesn’t try to maintain any sort of ironic distance from the material, and it doesn’t try to reinvent things radically. It’s a very faithful take on the world of the TV series, and there’s an optimism and a joy here that feels very true to the era in which the show was originally made.
Emile Hirsch is rapidly becoming one of the most interesting actors of his general age group, and his work here is tricky stuff. It’s not easy to play a character as innocent and without guile as this without coming across as... well... simple. Hirsch does it, though, and you can see that little boy sitting in class dreaming of race cars in the way he carries himself in every scene. He’s caught somewhere between wide-eyed kid and driven adult, and that combination is what defines Speed Racer. He’s allowed to be that innocent because of the support system he has in Mom and Pops, as well as Trixie (Christina Ricci), his longtime girlfriend, and Sparky (Kick Gurry), mechanic and right-hand-man to Pops. The family unit is rounded out by Spritle (Paulie Litt) and Chim-Chim, who are primarily used as comic relief here just like they were on the show, and I was relieved to see that they’re actually funny. They are not, as I feared, this movie’s Jar-Jar.
In fact, there was something they did with the characters that sort of surprised me because, again, I didn’t see it coming. That opening shows how completely Speed idolized Rex, and over the course of the film, we see that same relationship play itself out again, but with Spritle looking up to Speed. Watching Speed realize that what he’s going through is an inevitable cycle, part of maturing and defining yourself outside of your family, it makes these outsized characters human. Spritle’s definitely played for laughs, but the laughs are because of his over-exuberance and his love of his family, not because of dumb fart jokes or easy slapstick. Over and over and over, it comes back to character.
The rest of the sizeable supporting cast is uniformly good, everyone seemingly in on the joke. Tone is a tricky thing in a film like this, and the Wachowskis did a great job of making sure everyone was on the same page. Roger Allam’s got the lion’s share of the exposition as bad guy Royalton, and he handles it with oily aplomb. The most valuable player in the whole movie, though, turns out to be Matthew Fox, absolutely essential here as Racer X, who may or may not have some shadowy connection to the Racer family. The Wachowskis knowingly tweak audience expecations regarding his character, but it’s Fox’s performance that sells it. He is sensational here, and it appears to be the most fun he’s ever had in a movie. He’s looser than I’ve ever seen him in anything, and that crazy stylized voice he uses really seems to set him free. Still, the best bit of performance in the film comes when he and Speed finally come face to face on an abandoned racetrack late one night. For a film that’s as hooked on adrenaline as this one is, it’s nice to see that the Wachowskis still know the value of a quiet moment of conversation between two people.
Now... that’s not to say this is anything less than a spectacle. You know how sometimes you see a trailer for a film like THE FIFTH ELEMENT, and they show you all this eye candy and it looks like the whole film is full of that? And then you see the film and it’s actually about 10% crazy eye candy and the rest looks like a regular movie? Well, that ain’t SPEED RACER. Every single image in this film is outrageous, hyperreal, and color-saturated, and at first, it’s sort of a shock to the system. But by about 15 minutes in, your eyes get used to it, and suddenly the entire palate becomes sort of beautiful. This isn’t a case of someone trying to ape the look of a cartoon, either. The Wachowskis understand that cartoons speak a different language than live-action films, and thanks to the way they play with technology in this film, they’ve finally shattered the laws of physics convincingly enough that this film speaks that cartoon language fluently. This isn’t “trying” to be a cartoon; it is. And anyone who criticizes it because it’s not “real” enough misses the point completely. Physics work differently here than they do in our world. The history of this world looks like it has some things in common with ours, but it also diverges in important ways. Somewhere along the way, internal combustion gave way to some technology that’s better, and as a result, transportation is not the issue in the SPEED RACER world that it is in ours. Cars like the Mach 5 are a luxury, and racing is obviously an international obsession that cuts across all cultural lines. And the races? I’m baffled by anyone who calls them confusing. I’ve seen the film twice now, and I’m going back for an IMAX screening tomorrow, and I think these are some of the cleanest action sequences in terms of geography and choreography I’ve seen in a while.
I’m really picky about action scenes. One of the reasons I hate a lot of the modern blockbuster action filmmakers is because they think quick cutting and shaky cam is an acceptable substitute for actually communicating what is happening in an action sequence. If there’s anything I hope for when I see INDY 4 in a few weeks, it’s that Spielberg’s trademark sense of how to stage an action scene is intact and on display. He makes it clear what’s happening so that every single beat of the sequence adds something or means something or ups the stakes in some way. SPEED RACER manages to create a whole new type of car race here, and once you buy into the notion of “car-fu,” as it were, you’ll have a blast. These cars don’t just bump and nudge each other on the track... they are equipped with hydraulics that allow them to spring over one another, do barrel rolls sideways, flip upside down in tight spots, and much, much more. Basically, these cars replace Neo and Trinity and Agent Smith, but the Wachowskis are still staging these martial-arts balletic sequences, and that’s something I can’t recall ever seeing in any film before.
Special note must be made of the work by composer Michael Giacchino, who once again proves himself to be one of the most savvy guys working in feature films today. The way he weaves hints of the original SPEED RACER theme into his exhilarating score is nothing short of magic, and he gives this film its heartbeat. The visual style may be outrageous, but that wouldn’t matter unless it was accompanied by the right sonic support. Giacchino knows how to lay it on thick without overwhelming, and he also knows when to use a feather touch. I honestly think there are very few guys right now with a better sense of melody and orchestration than him, and any director lucky enough to have him score a film has got to feel like an artistic lottery winner.
In the end, I am more than a little blown away by the sheer ambition on display here. You may see films you enjoy more this summer, and you may decide that this film’s style and storytelling isn’t for you, but you can’t say that this is anything less than heartfelt and experimental and singular in the way it goes about its business. I commend Warner Bros. and Joel Silver for backing such an extreme vision, and I salute the Wachowskis for pulling it off. SPEED RACER isn’t a children’s film... it’s a family film, ideal for anyone who has an open mind. My son loved it as much as my mother-in-law did, and that’s a pretty rare thing. It’s suitable for anyone as far as content goes... there are a few flurries of violence, but it’s all pretty mild-mannered, and the “bad language” is cute more than anything... but it doesn’t feel like it’s pandering. Even when you’ve got scenes like Spritle and Chim-Chim sharing a trenchcoat a la LITTLE RASCALS while they walk around a factory, the film never feels like it’s talking down to you. I’m sure plenty of critics will fall all over themselves to prove how cool they are by attacking the CGI or by lambasting the film for being so cartoony, but more than anything, I pity them. It must be rough knowing that your inner child is dead and buried.
Personally, I find it liberating to see a film that not only encourages you to indulge that inner child but that practically dares you to restrain yourself, and I hope SPEED RACER keeps making laps around the track all summer long.
I’ll have interviews with both Joel Silver and Emile Hirsch for you a little later in the week. Until then, there’s plenty more to catch up on, and at least one more viewing of this one to enjoy.
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
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I'm there
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You know Chishu_Ryu, you're a real douchebag.
Anyway, can't wait to see this. -
This should help you keep the faith Mori http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/movies/moviesspecial/04raff.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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This thing has the pacing of a video game and it's more colorful than the AIDS quilt. Jeezus, I got a bad case of sensory overload.
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link doesn't seem to work. Go to NY Times and look for 'Indiana Jones and the Savior of a Lost Art'.
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That's what it's about: sensory overload
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The movie doesn't have to be great. Only good and cool, because my son and all his friends are waiting. That's all they talk about. I'm sure it's like that across america. Kids, at least boys, are drooling for this movie. It will be a hit and is critic proof.
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I mean, WOW.
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...they better make a kick ass video game out of it. Something like F-Zero on meth.
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My greatest concern now is that it isn't loopy/campy enough! I'll be at IMAX this weekend to find out for myself.
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you should have used your prescient vision and determined (as it says just under the posting box) that you should use tinyurl to post links. If you don't they're automatically broken up with spaces as long unbroken strings of letters used to fuck up the Talkback. As it is, the link works fine if you take out the spaces, so thanks for the informative read. :^)
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I am one of the older geeks who was just the right age when speed racer hit the us. While I loved the Mach 5 and all it could do,(if you saw that as a 6-10 year old, you believed that car was real and could be bought somewhere!), I responded to the emotions of the cartoon. Laugh all you want, but speeds arguements with his Dad and struggles against the bad guys hit the right nerve for me as a kid. AND there were great gadgets and invention.
I suspect if you didn't see it when you were young, you won't be able to imagine what the cartoon would have been like for you then. It was great and I am glad the the Dub Bro's seem to have catured that in the film.
He's a freakin' deamon on wheel's baby! -
I was shocked and pleased to see that here was none in the film. I'm very happy they didn't have Speed drink a Mountain Dew or something.
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May 07, 2008 8:29:55 AM CDT
"Looks like a video game." Cliche is everywhere right now
by godzillasushi
I'm really sick of a few of those terms and this movie is going the be the same way. During any set of action in the past some reviewer somewhere says it looks like a video game. Of course, they haven't played a video game and they don't know what they're talking about. But the trailer alone got the same 'criticism'. I am not looking forward to reading that everywhere. Has nothing to do with this great review, just thought I'd say that since this is the movie that probably draws the comparison easiest. Can we all stop calling summer movies "popcorn flicks" too? I hate that one even more. Overused peice of crap term. GO SPEED RACER GO!
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But it would have been called "MD Extreme Speed Energy Drink Racing Fuel."
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Like to say shit "looks like a video game." Not you Moriarty, just saying the critics in general.
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stop excusing that shit.
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So it is not surprising to me that so many of them cry about how awful this looks.
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Name it. F-Zero? You're wrong. Looks nothing like F-Zero. Don't be a retard and buy into everything you read. Think for yourself once or twice in your life, it might help you.
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Wipeout. But that point aside..
This is from the village voice review:"What you see is what you get. "Production design" is a poor term to describe Owen Paterson's avidly garish look. Gaudier than a Hindu-temple roof, louder than the Las Vegas night, Speed Racer is a cathedral of glitz. The movie projects a Candy Land topography of lava-lamp skies and Hello Kitty clouds—part Middle Earth, part mental breakdown—using a beyond-Bollywood color scheme wherein telephones are blood orange, jet planes electric fuchsia, and ultra-turquoise is the new black.
Call it Power Kitsch, Neo-Jetsonism, or Icon-D—this film could launch a movement. A dream (or perhaps nightmare) team of pop artists might have collaborated on Speed Racer's mise-en-scène. The futuristic multihued skyscrapers seem a figment of Kenny Scharf's imagination; the glazed female leads suggest Jeff Koons sculptures sporting Takashi Murakami accessories. And that's just the "Sunday Styles" stuff. Once the various gizmobiles accelerate to warp speed on roller-coaster racetracks seemingly conceived by Dr. Seuss, the screen reconstitutes itself as a Bridget Riley vortex or a mad geometric abstraction of Kenneth Noland racing stripes." -
Don't know what video game it looks like but I sure want to play it if it exists. I love video games from the future that somehow manage to inject family friendly storylines. I can't wait for the 2017.
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Shut the fuck up already!Anyone who says "this film looks too cartoonish" should be shot on account of first degree jackassery.It's a film that's BASED ON A CARTOON, you dumb ass motherfuckers. It's supposed to be bright and cheerful. I mean, you don't go into a romantic comedy and then bitch about the lack of action scenes, do you?!For fuck's sake, go and watch it for what it is instead of bitching about what it isn't./rant
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I can't bring myself to go and see this film. Everything about insults my brain. It looks like a big neon turd.
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That this will be a great movie of a kind rarely seen anymore. A truly wonderful, engaging family action movie that's full of heart. Like what Princess Bride is or what Transformers tried to be when it totally fumbled it. And if that's the case, it would be a very good film. I get the feeling that if this Speed Racer film were made in 1985 or something like that just as it were now, it would already be one of those family friendly classics that everyone adores and make regular rounds as "Movies to have on in the background" at family get togethers like thanksgiving and 90% of the bashers would call it one of the defining movies of their childhood. granted, I'm hoping that the world as a whole is not as cynical as an AICN talkback and all that I just said is still in this film's future. It just looks so cool, and I want to take my 3 year old nephew to this sometime next week, (after I see it myself, ofcourse.)
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First one has too much exposition and takes itself way too seriously. That said, I think what is most engaging about it is that it has the best character arc. The other two have their problems, but I think they both have incredible, fun scenes. As for Speed Racer, I'm loving the imagery. Speed's car looks like a toy I would salivate over if I was eight years old.
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turned in a speed racer review. methinks he's now saving himself for Krystal Skull. coax massawyrm into doing a review, and that'll be good enough for me after reading Mori's.
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Am I the only one who thinks this looks totally Amateurish? The camera work is completely terrible. Basically every 6th shot looks amazing and the other 5 look god awful. I think I'll just watch Bambi if I want a good family story...
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Is there ever a sequence where the characters' mouth open up to big 'O's as they coo elucidations? Because if not, it's not Speed Racer to me.
But what I really want to know is: Is the King Missile techno version of the theme featured during a race? -
Really that's all their is to it.
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May 07, 2008 9:41:05 AM CDT
That village voice review reminds me of the matrix dvd critics
by knowthyself
Self serving morons. If you ever wanted to get into the mind of a critic the Matrix DVD's are your ticket. Oh boy these people are idiots. All they do is spout film knowledge to sound cool and admit how they don't "get" anything thats considered hip or cool to todays youth. Self serving back patting fucks.
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I did some soul searching, and I discovered that it's not the WORLD that I have the problem with. The problem is, when the world is 100% hyperreal as this one is, the only thing that doesn't belong is the PEOPLE. The human face and skin stands out as a boring, egotistical element in this otherwise beautiful landscape.I wish they had gone with CG humans, maybe even the creepy Beowulfish kind (only with exaggerated anime features); that would really allow me to give in to this beautiful universe they've created (Ex: Final Fantasy 7 -- Advent Children).
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Let's see a BOTP/Gatchaman film instead of this tripe. Hopefully Akira and Robotech will show up in a few years.
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Geez, Mori has it right when he talks about your inner child dying and what a shame that is. While there's always the contrarians on EVERY TB on AICN, bashing Speed Racer, which few of you have even seen yet, is just pathetic. I'm am over 50 years old. Stop and think a minute about that. I'm someone who can remember Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons the first time they were shown. I once owned Superman #38, all of Jack Kirby's stuff when he went to DC from Marvel, and many other excellent and rare comics. Most of those now belong to my 23 y/o son. This would be the son I'm taking to see Speed Racer this weekend. He grew up on Speed Racer, Fraggle Rock, the UNCUT and NON PC Warner Bros. cartoons, and the like. We liked the first Matrix and were kinda "Meh" on the sequels. I personally loved V for Vendetta and keep a copy on my iPod. I submit that we're both adults who frequently have play dates with our "inner children". Heck, last night, during our tlka about seeing SR this weekend, we were jazzed to hear that Blizzard has bought the domain "www.diablo3.com", presumably because a new version of one of our favorite games is in the works. I guess my point to the negative voices here twofold; grow up a LOT, and be quiet enough to hear the voice of that inner child. A tough assignment, and maybe impossible for some of you, but try it just the same. I know Mori will enjoy sharing "geeky stuff" with his sons for a lifetime. That's what I do / have done and I can recommend it highly. My "boy" is 6'4, a martial artist, an IT worker (we're both real Ninja Nerds) and has girls fall all over themselves when he enters a room. We devour all that life has to offer. Sharing little joys like the Speed Racer movie is just icing on the cake. Before you spew silly and mostly stupid rhetoric about this movie or anything else, pull up to the table and have a bite.
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I think it is cool this movie is made, but I don't think it would be worth $10 and 2 hrs of my time.
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good point...Beowulf in 3D was a fucking great movie. Too bad most of the public doesn't like CG humans, but they would have worked better in SR I suspect.
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I mean, all the reviews act like it has actual character and heart, so I refuse to believe that the consensus at the end of the day will find it inferior to Bay's Transformers. That just... can't be.
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Take a friggen look instead of regurgitating this 40% crap. How the fuck does ELEVEN REVIEWS merit people saying it isn't "tracking well"? And you'll see that those eleven are heavily skewed to stick-up-their ass, childless, probably gay, self-annointed "cinephiles" from places like the New Yorker, New York Magazine, Variety & The Hollywood Reporter...and/or are absolute nobodies nobody's ever heard of. Take a look at the reviews from the naysayers; Kirk Honeycutt loved 10,000 BC & Street Kings...80% of his reviews seem to be art flicks. Alonso Durante seems to hate everything, save for turds like Hot Rod & three excruciating family films; Spiderwick Chronicles, Mr. Magorium's Emporium & Golden Compass (OK, I kinda liked that one, but most people/critics didn't). You know Ebert...who's opinion counts for more than all these no-names put together...is gonna love it (Dark City was his #1 movie of the year when it came out...he loves him 'dem viz-yul flicks!). Roeper's hinted he does, too. I know the positive RT reviewers probby love things I hate/hate things I love too, but c'mon people, we're talking ELEVEN FUCKING REVIEWS here, and not a critical heavyweight in the bunch. Don't jump on the hate train until a) you see it & hate it, or b) there are like 50+ reviews on file @ RT...including ones from people who actually matter.
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It's that familiar old story of 'boy meets seizure inducing lights...' Still, I have never expunged my inner child and so I am looking forward to seeing this one. Family fun movies do have their place and are usually some of the most re-watchable fare in the movie business.
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NEIL CUMPSTON! Nobody unravels over-the-top flicks better. I pray he pops out of hiding for this one.
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You wrote"And you'll see that those eleven are heavily skewed to stick-up-their ass, childless, probably gay, self-annointed "cinephiles"..."
Dude, gay people love gaudy and kitchy pop culture. Not to blow your mind or anything, but the gays are geeks too. -
I'll wait for the DVD. Never watched the cartoon anyway ..
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Not sure if this'll count as pop culture (maybe "POPS culture", badda-bing, I'm here all week!), nor will the gaudiness override the fact it's a car/action movie about a cartoon none of them watched/enjoyed as kids. Believe me, my brother was (died/AIDS) gay, he had zero interest...I was a rabid fan. Few have kids, I'm not aware of a big gay anime/action/gamer fanbase. I'm more than OK w/the gays & their culture. And I know there are exceptions to my pigeon-holing (wait for it....) But my familial experience & relationships with metropolitain gay men in Chicago (wait for it....), led me to my opinoin that this won't be their cup of herbal tea.
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May 07, 2008 11:15:43 AM CDT
Your son will become one of the suits who've ruined movies.
by nate champion
Face it, Mori... you've bred the Rosemary's Baby of Hollywood. I can't wait until he's producing Paris Hilton movies.
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because Emil Hirsch >> Jake Lloyd. Simple math.
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But in a good way. I might actually go see it. Damn these untrained eyes. Did I mention how much this looks like F-Zero GX?
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Rex Reed's review of the film. What cynical, moronic, elitist cock-gobbler that douchebag is. Fuck him.
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You wrote: "Believe me, my brother was (died/AIDS) gay, he had zero interest...I was a rabid fan. Few have kids, I'm not aware of a big gay anime/action/gamer fanbase. I'm more than OK w/the gays & their culture. But my familial experience & relationships with metropolitain gay men... led me to my opinion that this won't be their cup of herbal tea." You sir, obviously, have never been a Furries Convention or a Renaissance Faire.
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...should be in the poster for the movie. He wasn't relevent in the 70's, he's even more pathetic now. I've been aghast at how many horriffic turds that were UNIVERSALLY panned got raves from him in the last few decades...his opinion is clearly up for sale. I'm not sure there will be a positive review that will cause more people to see it than that douchebag's slam will. OH...it also back's up my "most gay/childless man are gonna hate this" theory...and unfortunately, that is a huge contingent in the world of reviewers of the arts.
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Any movie that can produce these kinds of reactions before any of you D - Bags has seen it has to be good. The Wachoskis are one duo I would slap money down to see no matter what. Even their most self-indulgent messes are better than 90% of films out there. See you in line for the I-Max.
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you mean "nauseated".
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I don't know one film that is less of a fair comparison than Dark Knight. A brooding, pitch black adult comic book, vs. a candy coated family film. Who cares about Box Office? Who made more No Country or There Will Be Blood, Who Cares???? No one except the soul-sucking execs in Hollywood WE ALL BITCH ABOUT!!!!!
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How on earth do you equate fetish costumes and Renaissance Faire nerd-ness(is that redundant?) with anime/sci-fi/AICN-type nerds? Just because they're legitimately called nerds doesn't put them in the same arena with other nerds. There are math nerds who aren't into sci-fi...musical theatere/drama nerds...you can't just lump us all together. I'm sorry, but it's a fair generalization to say that not too many gay men attend ComicCon/Star Trek/Star Wars conventions, dig flicks like Transformers/Spider Man/Star Wars flicks. Sure, many of them saw/liked stuff like 300, the Matrix, early Batman flicks, but that was soley due to the hot dude-ness & fetishware costuming. I'm just sayin'....a family friendly hyper-action homage to a japanese cartoon (that I'd wager 98% of gay men hated as young boys) is not going to pull in the gays that much. That's OK, they already have the entire ABC scripted show (save for Lost) lineup to themselves, and Sex in the City & Mamma MIa are going to be their summer blockbusters. That's not an anti-gay generalization...those WILL be "their" movies this summer.
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So, I'm correct is assuming that Box Office success is determined by the Homosexual Cartel? Really? Can we get Clay Aiken and Liza Minelli is a Rom-Com stat, cause that would bring in big money. Maybe we could make Kathy Griffen a star!!!! In fact, let's call up Bravo and start a film production company like MTV and USA, it should kill.
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Homosexuals can not be traced with the same consistency as age groups, gender, or even cultural/ethnic lines. They're not homogeneous, plenty like Sci-Fi, Battlestar Gallactica and Star Wars in particular, action flicks. Also I know alot of confirmed straight guys and women who hate Cartoons flat out, that will be the biggest hurdle for Speed to overcome.
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Frongbak...the whole gay conversation was based on my observation that a lot of movie reviewers (particularly in NY & Hollywood) are gay, and they probably won't like SR that much (i.e., the Rex Reed review @ RotTom).
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I don't understand most of the so far critical reviews... hell one of them even took points of SPeed Racer because of it's 'backwards portrayal of women' What... the... FUCK???? It's like these people are looking for excuses to justify their dislike of this film. They probably felt really uncomfortable sitting amongst the test audiences and being the only one in there who couldn't grasp what everyone else was getting so excited about. And as for 'wafer thin plot'? Well that makes up practically ALL children's and family movies in general. You have a simple plot and goal and everything else that surrounds it is a bunch of stuff that happens. As long as said stuff is entertaining, then it's all well and good! Then we got some psychos babbling shit about the art direction and pointing out shit and references that are entirely lost on me... who fucking cares? The visuals of this movie are new, consistent and I personally love what I'm seeing. All of thsi was not some hack FX job. Anyone who thinks this is some shit an amateur could throw together and toss default photoshop filters with some lens flares is clearly talking out of their ass! Yeah let's see you pull off those 'amateur' camera moves and tracking! Least we remind you that this film is being done bby the same people who invented bullet-time and built a WHOLE FUCKING HIGHWAY to film a real practically shot car chase sequence! If anyone knows what's best for making this movie, I'd say it's them!
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...thats all.
It might be because I never knew this show when I grew up. Was this even showed outside of the U.S??? Maybe the Pommies, Convicts on this site can help me out. -
Man this review... Why are the folks who are writing favorable reviews on this thing working over time to convince us to like this thing. This is an interesting one, there's a lot going against it...today's kids don't connect with Speed Racer, most average Joe Q Publics who know Speed Racer have outgrown it and/or might not be willing to shell out $60 to take the family to see frenetic effects movie. It's got some gamer appeal, but folks play them not watch them...I loved Speed Racer as a boy, but I'm over him, I'm not interested in this film. The outcome on this one will be interesting.
PS: $10 Admission and $10 snacks are stupid! -
The TV show anyway.
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I believe everyone and Harry's uncle posted raves about Iron Man. Same w/300.
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What's your favorite superhero movies? If you didn't like Spidey 2 and thought Iron Man was only "average," I'm curious what you put above them.
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May 07, 2008 1:54:41 PM CDT
Trashing the 5th ELEMENT is like trashing LOVE.
by stereotypical evil archer
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There are too many gender, race and socio-economic factors at play to generalize cultural interests by sexuality. The topic seems a bit too esoteric for most folks anyway. Deandome seems to be identifying all gay people as men who recognizably identify as feminine and/or fetishist.
He'll probably come up with other traits once he discovers some other genres that a readily identifiable group might be interested in. Overall, sexuality can't be used as an indication of cultural entertainment preferences.
Socially conditioned character traits can though and I believe that's from where he's speaking.
None the less pop-culture associations from childhood can't be considered in an argument such as this when sexual preference and/or conditioning are not yet fully developed. Besides, I don't think people who identify as feminine would necessarily be uninterested in this. There's very little violence, an attractive cast, the look is overall very stylized and I hear that every human has come from some semblance of a family. This is definitely not some NASCAR lovin', grease monkey redneck's wet dream. Besides, most guys here couldn't identify with that demographic either. -
... I've written at length about why I love THE FIFTH ELEMENT. My only point here is that the trailers show you crazy CG eye-candy, and in the actual film, that's about 10% of the movie, and everything else is a fairly standard stagebound SF film.
Relax, freaks. I like the movie a lot. I'm just saying that the entire running time of SPEED RACER lives up to the crazy visual promise of the trailer, which is rarely the case. -
It's a good thing these guys don't indulge in the big promotional events because that would mean there's a marketing guy out there somewhere going days without sleep.
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And I say that with great sorrow. I enjoy the MATRIX TRILOGY much more than the average consumer, and I really dug the trailers for this, although I have zero memories of the original cartoon... And I didn't enjoy this movie at all... What bothers me the most is I can see many points in Drew's review, but I honestly disagree with them. I hated the kiddie humor, I think the Wachoswkis fail in the tone of the movie, and the kid with the monkey was PRECISELY Jar Jar to me. I don't consider myself "too cool for the room" (nor a douchebag) but I couldn't see the "heart" of the movie, at all. I also had serious troubles with the pacing. All the flashbacking during the races was annoying to me, and the family values stuff felt unnatural... I wanted to like it, and I wanted to agree with Moriarty and Quint on this one, but I just can't. The visuals were stunning, no question about it, but to me it was a let down.
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I can't get excited for Speed Racer at all. I'm sure I'll end up watching it eventually, but it would take a perfect RottenTomatoes score to elevate my interest above zero.
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Chef's often talk about layering in flavors and taking care each step of the way as you go through the procedures of preparing a particular dish. One of the great accomplishments about the Wachowski's work is the care and planning they give to every "layer" of the film making process to create a wholly immersive world. Truly amazing when you dissect their movies. That, and their ability to get exactly what they want out of the actors.
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The word for today is CONTEXT. As in, my comments were to illustrate that (1) I identify with Mori and several points in his review, (2) I've been alive long enough to have seen many things come and go and may have some perspective and (3) both my son and I are real people, with real lives as opposed to pathetic creatures that still live with Mom and Dad and jerk off to Wonder Woman comics or whatever. I was attempting to illustrate that I have some credibility. While I haven't studied Ninjitsu, I do hold a Black Belt in Karate and a Red Belt in BJJ. Hence the "Ninja" part of the name. As for Nerd creds, I currently hold 26 copyrights and patents for technology you probably use. The Ford/Microsoft SYNC stuff? I wrote a seminal white paper on voice recognition and consumer acceptance thresholds...in 1990. I coined the phrase "Star Trek Syndrome" in that paper. I currently sit on a technology advisory board in D.C. and have met with people like the CTO of the Army to discuss future trends in both the military and private sectors. Uh...think that covers the "Nerd" part. What does this have to do with Speed Racer or Iron Man or The Dark Knight? Or comic books? Hmmm... the source material for the last two WERE comic books. Having collected and read them for 50+ years, I'd say that again gives me some perspective on taking these properties to the big screen. The mention of old cartoons was in the same vein. I saw Speed Racer, in first run in the U.S., before many of you discovered your dicks or were even born. If you don't care, that's fine; you're obviously a vitrolic asshole. Others out here might appreciate a longer view like I have. I, for one, like what Mori has to say 99% of the time...whether I agree OR NOT. He's in the game and doing it every day. What do you do besides troll out here looking for easy targets?
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I noticed that as well and thought it was odd, although it's way too insignificant to count as an "unforgivable screenwriting sin" for me. Tony wants a cheeseburger.. OK.. so I'm assuming they go through the drive thru, makes sense. But wouldn't he eat the burger in the car? Apparently not, since it's uneaten in his hand when he gets out. Well maybe he decided to get two or something (although if I were him I would start worrying about my heart, a little too much cholesterol Tony) so I guess I can keep suspending disbelief. But then he takes like one bite and puts it down on the floor while he does his press conference? I mean does he want a burger or not? Eat like a normal person would eat, Tony, you're messing with my head!
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Sky High was a damn fun, family friendly superhero movie. It can work, man. While I wanna see the Dark Knight, not everything can be morose, realistic and clad in black leather. Unfortunately, there are some premature hate-jakulators who refuse to keep an open mind about Sky High OR Speed Racer, so they won't get the comparison. At least I won't have to hear you bitch in person about a movie you've never seen. While I'm waiting for Speed Racer to start, you'll be in another theatre spankin' it to Ashton Kutcher's untalented ass. Have fun.
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Your justifications wreak of that of a twelve year old that's trying to sound smart. You are either that, or incredibly stupid. Get past it.
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Also, when Obadiah Stane asks if Tony got him a cheeseburger, I thought that was good villainous characterization. Because really, what kind of selfish asshole thinks his boss is going to grab a cheeseburger for him when he's coming back to meet like thousands of people? If he gets Stane a cheeseburger then he has to get everyone a cheeseburger. It just shows that Stane always wants Tony's cheeseburger. I mean if he just kept it to himself and thought "damn that cheeseburger looks good" like the rest of us he'd be less villainous, but this guy has the gall to bug Tony about it and try to play off his burger lust comment like it was a joke. Damn, I want a burger right now
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Very Funny Gwai Lo. That scene was a shameless Burger King commercial. Shame, American Hamburger = Burger King, American Films = Burger King commercial.
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May 07, 2008 3:12:04 PM CDT
Mori's right... this movie is more fun than most of you know how
by adrian tripod
I just love how talkbackers pounce on stuff this viciously before they even see it. I just screened Speed Racer in Imax an hour ago and I was completely entertained. Mori is absolutely right when he said it's everything the Wachowskis promised it would be - it's batshit crazy, irresistably goofy, and mostly, FUN. I really didn't know what to expect from it; I walked into it with little more than a soda and an open mind. And I came home with a huge smile on my face - and that's something these days. Give it a chance, but don't knock it until you've tried it.
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But I just can't get beyond the fact that the PG13 audience in gneeral doesn't know who the fuck Speed racer is and doesn't fucking care. Hell, I know who he is and I don't even care.
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I might end up seeing Speed Racer and "having fun". Good thing I'm young and have probably smoked enough pot to make me permanently sterile.
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I want deads in a car race please.
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Quote: "You came off ten times the dick BraneRobot will ever be."Impossible. Do yourself a favor. Google BraneRobot's former Talkback names, AnimalStructure and ThunderBalls, and you'll find out just how low and dickish someone can be.
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Better plot, better bad guys.
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Jeff Bridges should play more heavies.
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For now, I'll refrain from making any snap judgments on someone calling themselves Ninja Nerd.As for AnimalStructure (aka ThunderBalls/BraneRobot), I believe his posts should still be visible. Are you including "aint it cool" in your search?
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Geez.
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Let's take Mori outside and rough him up a bit. Nah, just kiddin. I read your review. You sold me on it, but if it sucks I'm blaming you and you'll have to live with that for the rest of your life!
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... you know what it reminds me of most? A George Miller film. Specifically, if ROAD WARRIOR and BABE: PIG IN THE CITY were combined. If that sounds miserable to you, then I would say stay away, but if you like Miller's wackadoo kid's films, then this might be your speed. Pun vaguely intended.
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Damn You Michael Bay
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Unless one of you starts trash talking Batman, but I did want to voice my disdain for the shittiness of AICN's search function. Worst. Search. Function. Ever.
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I gotta call bullshit on that one, man. I enjoy the hell out of Miller films, and the Babe movies have nothing remotely close to what Speed Racer was for me. I didn't FEEL anything watching this movie, not a single emotion (and that's my main beef with it) whereas Babe: Pig in the City made me cry my friggin' eyes out. (That dream sequence with the dog chasing butterflies still gets me). There was nothing remotely close to that power on this film. There wasn't any darkness, or any depth at all.
Don't get me wrong, there was excitement and ridiculously fun races, but if I had to come up with a mix, I'd say it was 35% Road Warrior, and 65% Spy Kids 3-D. The Road Warrior part I enjoyed insanely, but the rest is what keeps me from calling it a masterpiece, and going with "let down" instead. I so want to agree with Moriarty on this one, you have no idea. I hate to be THAT guy. -
No I did. I think I get what you're saying. You're saying it's like, Yo Gabba Gabba meets Diabolik?
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for some reason it's won me over. Even though I hated the cartoon and not an anime fan to begin with, this just looks like some crazy shit. I'll go see it at imax
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There's nothing else to see this weekend. Unless you haven't seen Iron Man. The idea is to see every Summer Movie. Wouldn't everyone here agree on that!?
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never forget, you Wachowski muthafuckas!
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What's all this about Iron Man's cheeseburger? You can clearly see when he steps out the limo that he has an empty burger wrapper that he's using to wipe his mouth. Happy hands him another one from a bag and then he has another while he conducts the press conference. The guy was held prisoner for six months, why wouldn't he want three cheeseburgers?
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Shit I'd eat four right now and I had lunch three hours ago.
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About the cheeseburger. I'm right about me eating four right now if I could.
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Keener eyes than mine prevail. OK, so now I feel like he should have at least given Stane a bite. And also, I reiterate what I said about watching out for heart disease. Try electromagneting the clogs out of arteries, Shell Head.
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went into it a pretty skeptical 33 year old, came out of it a ten year old kid again, thinking it was the coolest thing ever. It takes a while to get used to it, and theres some quite odd stuff that doesn't really work... but it all comes together in the second half, and who would have thought a film like this could actually have an emotional punch? Its a terrific film. GO SPEED GO!
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The first thing I thought of when I saw clips from this was that it looked exactly like Wipeout for the Playstation. I don't really have any urge to see this, as I never really liked the cartoon, but I will probably see it on DVD.
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How can ANY AICNer look at film like this, hear people talk about how it's a visual experience unlike anything seen onscreen and say "I'll probby see it on DVD"? If you're not willing to spend $4 on a matinee ticket on something like this, you're clearly a cinematic pansy & AICN troll. I'm NOT saying you're gonna love it..I'm not talking about the movie itself. Sometimes...many times...the visual effects, cinematography and big-theatre effect combine to make a crappy or borderline film theatre-worthy (Sky Captain, Depp/Burton's Willie Wonka & comes to mind...I could come up w/dozens if I tried) I'd think that you'd see enough of the top-level AICN reviewers spewing thoughtful, clearly not Wachowski/original cartoon-fanboy, reflexive fake-raves, would have you convinced this is worth the risk. On DVD, it's gonna be lame for the 98% of you who don't happen to have a new 58" 1080p Pany plasma or the sort. Then again, Joel Silver was probably right when he said this film can/will boost BluRay machine sales more than anything to date when it comes out. Yeah, I'm clearly a 44y.o. Speed freak..I don't expect the same kinda blind-but-hopeful adoration from any of you. But c'mon this is going to be a fucking theme park ride..especially in IMAX...and you know it. Just as you can/should avoid seeing great/well-reviewed movies because their totally plot/dialogue/comedy driven (everything Apatowian, Juno, etc.) ...you sometimes need to pony up to the big screen for movies that may be iffy on content but are guaranteed visual freakouts.
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...of course, I mean you can/should avoid seeing great comedies/dramas at the THEATER..not that you shouldn't see them!
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Sorry, dude. But everyone should know just how much of a vile human being you are. Sucks for you, huh?Quote: "...America hating Nazi scum such as yourself."You got it backwards, asshole. I'm Nazi hating American scum...and proud of it.
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http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0819,speed-racer-on-a-fast-track-to-nowhere,433809,20.html I read the blurb-review @ RotTom, but if this Village Voice review's hilarious rave doesn't convince you skeptics that it's a must-see-at-the-theater flick, you're clearly insane.
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its pretty for sure but boy oh boy is it bad. I normally agree with moriarty but not on this one. There are too many terrible performances and I know they are "acting" like the cartoon show but it just doesn't work for me. It fell completely flat and I didn't enjoy it at all. Looked pretty though.
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Zoom zoom ...
Zoom zoom zoom
Zoom zoom zoom
Yeah zoom zoom zoom ...
Zoom zoom zoom
Zoom zoom!! -
You got that right!!
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and I could not stay awake. It's all about story, CGI be damned!!!
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I hate the idea of only seeing big visual spectacles in the theater, or preferencing them over other films. Fuck that. I'm not going to pay to see Speed Racer because it looks silly, I don't care what the reviews are saying. The story doesn't interest me at all and I definitely don't like the "Rainbow Level in Mariokart" aesthetic. The only draw this movie has for me is Emile Hirsch, who was great in Into the Wild. You want an example of the big screen spectacle totally blinding someone to ca-ca? Read some of Harry's reviews. The Star Wars prequels. The Godzilla remake. Superman Returns. Sky Captain. If a movie doesn't stand up at home on a 30" set then why the fuck would I want to delude myself into thinking it was great on opening weekend? I mean, I get that that some people love these movies I mentioned and some people will love Speed Racer, but I already know just from all the promotional stuff that I'm not going to like it (in the same way I can tell I would never like Spy Kids or Made of Honor or whatever Harry Potter they're up to now) so because I'm not going to shell out 12 bucks for a hollow "visual experience" I'm a "cinematic pansy and an AICN troll"?
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or even a superhero team. Matrix 1 was great, groundbreaking, and it sounds like this one is too. As long as someone doesn't let them get all tangled up in meta-concepts like in matrix 2 & 3, they could really bring some life to...JLA? I bet they could make Superman a lot more exiting than that last zzzz-film. Green lantern, PlasticMan, these guys understands the kinetics needed very well.
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CGI without substance is meaningless. Oh early on with films like JP. They were able to get away with it because we were still awinspired by CGI. Not anymore.
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Like I said, I liked Golden Compass, but it didn't really try to create "another world" via CGI, and the storyline took a lot of effort to understand & keep up with. They did a great parallel universe w/great talking animals and a few cool vehicles...but that's just REcreating a world from what we're familar with & a good story; most CGI is for convenience/savings these days, not to make a cinematic statement. Few films have attempted to...much less achieved...the feat of creating imaginary worlds in ways people didn't know were possible onscreen at the time. Trip to the Moon, Shape of Things to Come, 2001, the Harryhausen flicks, Star Wars, Dark City, Fifth Element, Matrix, Tron (GREAT example of a shitty movie made palatable by the overall experience)...they're cinematic landmarks, even if they aren't considered good movies. you get the point. I THINK Speed Racer in IMAX is going to amaze visually AND have people enjoy the story/acting. But sometimes, rocking your visual cortex is good enough.
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It isn't a mistake along the lines of Popeye not liking spinach is HIS movie...but still, it's kind of a "HUH?" moment. And regarding the Matrix and its sequels: there are two kinds of Matrix fans--those who appreciate all three movies equally, and those who are simply as wrong as Sparky with a British accent.
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This message brought to you by the Anal Retentive League.
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the inner child to the tune of 29% on RT as we speak. Great weekend this is going to have. I wonder if the Wachowskis are shitting themselves yet because their career dissipation light is going off in the corner of their eyes.
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It's very clear to me that you don't even understand the circular political shell game you try to play. You do it all the time and it's a really sad sight. Be that as it may, I'll gladly wait for you to cite examples of the ridiculous claims you put forth in your post. Good luck, because you're not going to find any. But we all know the treasure trove of posts you've left behind for us now though, don't we?
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I just bothered to read that Hoberman review that you posted, and I'm not sure how you got that confused with a rave. Did you even make it to the end? "previous Wachowski productions aspired to be something more than mind-less sensation; Speed Racer is thrilled to be less. It's the delusions minus the grandeur."
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I was working on a different live action take on Speed Racer years ago so I'm glad that while the look is 100% in another direction, the story is in the ballpark I wanted to play in. I'm looking forward to this film as it has all the classic SPEED RACER ideas in play from what I've seen so far. GO GO GO IMAX! I'm ready to be overloaded.
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Talk about out of contex quotes. Hoberman, who probably likes like 2 outta 10 family movies.. loves the flick for what it is; a visual tour de force that DOESN'T TAKE ITSELF OR IT'S SUBJECT MATTER SERIOUSLY, NOR DOES IT DISRESPECT IT. Who doesn't think that the Wachowski's got full of themselves with V/Vendetta or, well, all their flicks. Here, what Hoberman and others LIKE is that this flick embraces it's inner cartoon in an ernest, unforced way. I'm really kinda surprised that so many of the positive reviews rant more about the family relationships & the acting as much as the visuals. Dude, if you don't think Hoberman loved this flick, even...or especially at...the single guy, Village Voice review-level, you're high enough to maybe enjoy the movie yourself.
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Out of context? Rotten Tomatoes used the same quote, where they listed his opinion as negative. The title of the review is "Speed Racer on a Fast Track to Nowhere". He spends four paragraphs digging through his thesaurus for purple prose and then finally says "For me, this carousel, which clocks in at a leisurely 135 minutes, is more fun to describe than to ride." Here are some more quotes: "Speed Racer has a narrative at once simpleminded and senseless", "the races lack drama. Each spectacle is an autonomous, enjoyably lurid tinsel-confetti blur, with crack-ups as convoluted as they are inconsequential. As choreographed as the action is, it lacks only printed sound effects—WHAM! BLAM! POW!—to sign-post the Wachowskis' facetiousness." "the brothers have opted for family-friendly fluff. In place of irony, there's a sprinkling of camp sentimentality." "Speed Racer is simply a mishmash"... So tell me how exactly any of this is a rave? A rave is an excessively positive review. I would call his review mixed on the side of negative. He acknowledges that some visual fireworks have been deployed but essentially says the story is a mess. And like someone else mentioned, this is sitting at 29% over at Rotten Tomatoes, and as I glance over the blurbs even the positive ones seem to indicate that it's only good if you have an inner child that's high on sugar.
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Look, not like it's a big thing, or anything (doesn't even rank on the scale of genuinely offensive things I've seen on this website), but there's something about lines like this that get on my nerves.
I like David Lynch films - I think they're fantastic. But I completely understand the annoyance people feel when idiots say things like "You're just not smart enough / cool enough / open minded enough to get it." Plenty of people - smart, cool, open-minded people - hate David Lynch. What can I say about that?
Sorry if I'm not open minded enough to blow my limited movie-watching time on this film right now. It looks visually interesting, fine, but ... first, my God, those Matrix sequels sucked, and V for Vendetta blew hard. Whatever, I'm willing to see the damn thing if, you know, I get fired and suddenly have time to see movies off my b-list. BUT if I see it, and I hate it, I'll hate it with all my wide-opened mind, damnit! -
"The cinematic equivalent of ingesting an entire can of whip cream in one go!"
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The Targets and Wal Marts here in Arizona are flooded with Indy and Dark Knight toys. The 3 3/4" Indy stuff looks "ok" but I am happy that most of it is actually Raiders Of The Lost Ark stuff. Finally vintage Raiders toys are back! The 12" Cairo Indy looks really good. The 12" German Officer is decent as well. Dark Knight stuff looks a lot like the Batman Begins toys.
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The Sequels were almost NOTHING like the 1st movie.
Indeed the SUBJECT of the films are not even the same- the First movie is a story about a messianic human coming to know who he is and interacting with, enlightening, and freeing humans WITHIN a Program from an enslaving Program.
The 2nd and third movies treat humans in the programs as an after thought- it focues more about on Programs suddenly acting like they are humans. Where in the 1st film the most you get of that is that there is distaste from one program for humans and some sense of self preservation (basically the programs have a mission to enslave the humans and maintain control and a power source)-in the sequels we focus on programs doing things that have little - or nothing to do with their actual purpose- they are hanging out clubbing, eating, turning each other on, having program power struggles, and getting jealous of other programs for cheating on them with programs and perhaps non programs….in laymans terms the sequels are stupid. This was the definition of a series “jumping the shark”
Then again you can see why this happened as the1st movie clearly ends the battle within the realm of the Martix with the full realization of the messianic Neo at the end being able to basically do anything he wants to. He is unstoppable in the Matrix and will free the humans….which created a sequel problem in that we liked the Matrix because it was in the Matrix…not because it was a battle on earth….so the W’s pulled stories out of their asses that obviously weren’t really there to keep us in the Matrix…heck I with the sequels were great- the first film certainly was….unfortunately the sequels were not worthy of the name in any meaningful sense whatsoever (visually was about the only way they were in the same category…unfortunately paper thin visuals were no more worthy here than they were in Jurassic Park 2)
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is really good for that.
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It looks terrific and I can't wait to see it.
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I HOPE he's not in the film much, 'cause it sounds like Pops Racer hired the corpse of Steve Irwin for this film! CRIKEY! :POther than THAT I'm looking forward to it...
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Just got back from shopping at my local SAFEWAY store and they have a special if you buy $40 of select foods items you get 2 free tickets to SPEED RACER ( or any other movie out before Aug. 2nd.) I have 6 tickets now lol Hello INDY, SPEED!
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I'll echo what Quake II said. I have 2 Targets by me (here in LA) and both of their toy sections were flooded with INDY stuff. If you go to Target.com you can order away...
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Do you know what a Nazi is? Because I'd actually argue that you and the rest of your despicable far-right ilk are Nazi's. And don't give me that bullshit revisionism about "It has Socialist in it's name so it must be left wing" If I called a dog a potato it wouldn't be a fucking vegetable, would it?
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Fuck no, the trailer makes me feel ill.
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I mean the whole appeal of anime, whether a saturday morning cartoon or more adult flims, is that they have a unique visual style. Why not just do an anime film? I would have a lot more open mind for this movie than what I've seen so far. This doens't look unique or ground breaking, it looks like the Star Wars prequels on mushrooms
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Not quite understanding the hate, but it seems nearly universally hated. That said, I bet every single 5 - 10 year old on the planet is going to lose their minds watching this and fall madly in love with it. Also, adults who haven't strangled their inner child and/or are stoned will love it, or at least like it and think its neat. I have a feeling I'm going to at least like it, if not love it.
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Well, okay, not the worst, but I fucking hate them.
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Not old as in wise, old as in bitter, tired, and broke-down. This may very well be a chaotic mess, but so was the cartoon, and it was awesome because of it. If anything, this looks much closer to the original show than I was expecting. It also looks like a ton of big fun candy colored psychedelic insanity. If you're too "cool" to get that then I'm glad I'm not "cool." I'd rather be happy.
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Nothing pisses me off more than platitudes about the importance of family because my family is full of hateful monsters who I had to run away from. Does that make me a douchebag?
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He attacks The Matrix (the Wachowski's one universally loved film) and then attacks the critics who didn't like Speed Racer. It felt a little on the defensive side, if you ask me. I wonder whether he would still like Speed Racer if it had received mostly positive reviews.
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I never really cared for the cartoon and if anything,the Wacky Bros should have produced a Ghost in the Shell movie...oh wait..it's been done already.Yeah I'm bitter as there could be better offerings based on Anime franchises,but I guess it's for those who had fond memories of this vintage stuff.Also I must add i the hypocrisy of some of the Tbers, yeah it's "cool" to bash Spidey 3,SR,Ang lee's Hulk,ROTS,etc
but the minute one critiques a Movie they like, all of the sudden, we're haters,cynical,jealous and the like.NoDude(s), it's called having an opinion or to be more precise, freedom of speech.I'll wait till this comes out on DVD or BT.if it's any good I'll stand corrected.As of now, I'm waiting on TDK and maybe, just maybe this new Hulk flick.IM will own this Summer as Obama will own Clinton's fat ass. -
The Matrix films were just a warm-up leading up to this point. A test around the track, if you will. The original Speed Racer cartoon was even the first, I believe, to use the bullet time effect, in the opening credits when Speed jumps out of his car. It all makes sense.
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Instead of Bryan Stinker who made the worst Superman Movie since Quest for peace..ok I exagerated a bit.But it's not too late let's just say Superman awakens only to find cables attached to his head(sounds familiar?) while realizing that it was all a virtual reality scenario concocted by Mongol or Darksied."Ergo" as the Architect would say, No Son, no stalking,and no retreaded plot device.Fin
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May 08, 2008 8:41:33 AM CDT
Speed Racer is good and Indy 4 is expected to be a turd?
by theabusetaker
What kind of world do we live in? I talked to a buddy of mine who runs another movie site. He saw the film Tuesday night and said it was overlong, the dialogue was terrible, and no less than three members of the press walked out before the film was even over.
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Laugh or cry, I'm not sure.
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I'd like to know which ones out of you all that are bitching about this film absolutely loved films like 300 and Sin City... I bet Speed Racer is chock full of more story, plot and characterization than both those films put together! Oh, and if you ask me, it's better looking than them too! And hell I liked 300 and Sin City too, but if you were jizzing all over those ones and their cinematic presentations before they were out and are now hating on this then clearly one of us is not being consistent here...
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This movie sucks royal monkey dick.
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What you said about the Matrix sequels... My gosh. Listen, I feel that the cinematography and all were very much on par with the first film, and the work the actors did was on par, but there is one GLARING difference, beginning on the page and trickling into every facet of the film's production, that all but undoes the sequels: In the first film, Neo has an arc that practically has to be squeezed into the running time, and as a result, from the window-wiper scene on, the Wachowskis are forced to pack the things they want to communicate into every nook and cranny of the film. It's DENSE filmmaking. That window-wiper scene not only sets up Neo's life - it tells you, through the performances, the sound editing, and everything else, how this world works. Both sequels, on the other hand, follow Neo through one simple decision - to be, or not to be. With the main character of a five hour action epic all absorbed with working out how he feels about himself - especially when the last film was about him rising from the ranks and file of dronery as a demigod at the very least - the Wachowskis look to other places to fill their frames, and all of a sudden there is no time pressure, in terms of information to running time. Every audio effect, every wipe, every cut in the first film communicated content that was relevant to Neo's emotional journey. In the sequels, Neo's journey amounted to a "once around the block" and all those elements lost their impact. No emotional density. That was the sequels. There's loads of problems with the first Matrix, but the reason it connected with audiences was it's emotional resonance. Someone felt the world was wrong, against him, and broken somehow, and it turns out he was right! The second and third films offered what? Mifune? I respect the filmmaking that went into them, as well as the thought and care to detail - it's astounding what comes through, even just from the color palette. At the same time, the fans are right to draw a line between the first Matrix and the Revolutions.
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self-congratulatory, and very, very juvenile. Not juvenile as in inexperienced and young, more like "I've got my head up my own ass and the smell of my own shit is AWESOME!". This is going to be a shitty mess and so was the cartoon and that's why everyone thinks the Wachowskis are bat-fucking-shit crazy for making something that can't win. If you think you're so cool for liking shit like this feel free to drop your money with the 3 other retards that are going to pay to watch this shit. I'll keep my wallet a little fatter and be far more happy.
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They fell like different movies than the original, which, no matter how crazy it got, always kept you in context. You knew when they were in the Matrix and when they were outside it. The sequels kind of broke the rules by having in-the-Matrix stuff happen in the 'real' world. I think they had two movies to fill, but only enough ideas for one movie.
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I never jizzed over 300, as a matter of fact I was a bit skeptical when first laying my eyes upon the trailer.But although it somewhat lacked pacing(storywise) it was entertaining nonetheless.Would I buy the DVD? No.Would I watch it on Cable? maybe.I own the Sin City extended/unrated DVDs and have yet to watch it and how long has it been since I have purchased it? over a year.SR does not appeal to my "demographic". I'll watch it once it comes on DVD or stream the video via Xbox/PS3 but i'm not investing my time or dollars for this.And for the record ppl, I'm one of those guys that walked out very disapointed after seeing Revolutions.Not a way to end a trilogy,then again the "3rd act" is usually the weakest.
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"The Wachowski siblings-directed film opens Friday in about 3,600 theaters, and it has been considered one of Warner Bros.' tentpole releases of the summer boxoffice season. But the PG-rated "Speed Racer" -- a big-screen adaptation of the Japanese cartoon of the '60s and '70s -- has been tracking unimpressively in prerelease surveys.
That suddenly means that if "Iron Man" should gross even half as much as in its first Friday-Sunday frame, the Paramount/Marvel comic book adaptation likely would repeat at No. 1 next weekend. Final figures released Monday put the weekend's "Iron Man" tally at $98.6 million, with the Robert Downey Jr. starrer toting a $102.1 million cume since bowing Thursday night.
So does "Speed Racer" have a shot at winning the frame?
"It's too early to tell," Warners domestic distribution president Dan Fellman said. "But this is the first real family movie of the summer, and we're going to give it our best."
At present, "Speed Racer" appears on track to gross $25 million-$35 million during the coming frame, though a late-breaking surge in must-see sentiment could produce a bigger bow. The film targets family moviegoers, a group notoriously tough to track before openings.
Boxoffice derbies aside, Warners execs suggest there's no need for "Speed Racer" to open huge.
Most of its splashy effects were done with relatively affordable green-screen technology. So the $100 million production will pencil into profitability roughly when its domestic gross hits a similar nine-digit sum, and even a $25 million bow could put it on track to deliver that.
"Iron Man" totes a negative cost of about $150 million, but its lock on a domestic run of more than $200 million means big profits already are assured for all involved. In fact, it's possible the film could write itself into the black by just its second weekend, as foreign coin also is pouring in and projections for ancillary revenue are sky high.
Marvel already has greenlighted an "Iron Man" sequel, set for April 30, 2010. The film's distributor plans to sustain heavy marketing of the pic while sustaining its megawide run of 4,105 playdates, but Paramount executives declined to discuss in any detail how high "Iron Man" will fly worldwide.
"It sure feels like 'Iron Man' is on track for a great run," Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore said Monday.
In the meantime, though the big "Iron Man" bow might have hurt Warners' shot at first-weekend bragging rights with "Speed Racer," it put smiles on the faces of Universal execs -- and for two reasons.
There's a growing sense that the "Iron Man" phenom might pique moviegoers' appetite for comic book adaptations, helping Universal succeed with its June 13 release of "The Incredible Hulk." Also, exit surveys show "Iron Man" patrons responded positively to the "Hulk" trailer shown with the Paramount film.
'Speed Racer' tracking unimpressively
'Iron Man' may repeat atop boxoffice next weekend
By Carl DiOrio
The Wachowski siblings-directed film opens Friday in about 3,600 theaters, and it has been considered one of Warner Bros.' tentpole releases of the summer boxoffice season. But the PG-rated "Speed Racer" -- a big-screen adaptation of the Japanese cartoon of the '60s and '70s -- has been tracking unimpressively in prerelease surveys.
That suddenly means that if "Iron Man" should gross even half as much as in its first Friday-Sunday frame, the Paramount/Marvel comic book adaptation likely would repeat at No. 1 next weekend. Final figures released Monday put the weekend's "Iron Man" tally at $98.6 million, with the Robert Downey Jr. starrer toting a $102.1 million cume since bowing Thursday night.
So does "Speed Racer" have a shot at winning the frame?
"It's too early to tell," Warners domestic distribution president Dan Fellman said. "But this is the first real family movie of the summer, and we're going to give it our best."
At present, "Speed Racer" appears on track to gross $25 million-$35 million during the coming frame, though a late-breaking surge in must-see sentiment could produce a bigger bow. The film targets family moviegoers, a group notoriously tough to track before openings.
Boxoffice derbies aside, Warners execs suggest there's no need for "Speed Racer" to open huge.
Most of its splashy effects were done with relatively affordable green-screen technology. So the $100 million production will pencil into profitability roughly when its domestic gross hits a similar nine-digit sum, and even a $25 million bow could put it on track to deliver that.
"Iron Man" totes a negative cost of about $150 million, but its lock on a domestic run of more than $200 million means big profits already are assured for all involved. In fact, it's possible the film could write itself into the black by just its second weekend, as foreign coin also is pouring in and projections for ancillary revenue are sky high.
Marvel already has greenlighted an "Iron Man" sequel, set for April 30, 2010. The film's distributor plans to sustain heavy marketing of the pic while sustaining its megawide run of 4,105 playdates, but Paramount executives declined to discuss in any detail how high "Iron Man" will fly worldwide.
"It sure feels like 'Iron Man' is on track for a great run," Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore said Monday.
In the meantime, though the big "Iron Man" bow might have hurt Warners' shot at first-weekend bragging rights with "Speed Racer," it put smiles on the faces of Universal execs -- and for two reasons.
There's a growing sense that the "Iron Man" phenom might pique moviegoers' appetite for comic book adaptations, helping Universal succeed with its June 13 release of "The Incredible Hulk." Also, exit surveys show "Iron Man" patrons responded positively to the "Hulk" trailer shown with the Paramount film.
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I DRINK IT UP
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"elitest, shitty, stupid,,..."? Surely you could do better than that. You know, being a "poeticwarrior" and all. Perhaps you could thrill us with an epic poem of Conan! Or onanism! Or frantic unstoppable onanism whilst watching Conan! Thrill me! Thrill my elite shittiness with thine verse!
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Thanks, Mori. Can't wait to see this with my nephews and brother-in-law.
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should get together and trade quips. You both are in the same fucking boat. You're razor like wit is stupendous.
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"You're" is a contraction meaning "you are." The word you are looking for is "your." Good luck on your poetry! And war!
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Speed needs a mullet.
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May 08, 2008 6:45:01 PM CDT
"Same with Spider-Man 3, not nearly as unwatchable as Spider-Man
by bobpalpatine
No more opinions for you.
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But Nazis ARE left-wing by our standards. They are for Socialism and government control- which is you leftist twits and the exact OPPOSITE as a right winger. The only area Nazis are right wing is that they are nationalists….unfortunately for your theory nationalist 1930s Germany isn’t the same as being nationalist USA any more than a Nationalist Cuban is. Also the Nazis were heavy into Darwinism (Hitler was a powerful believer in many Darwinist principals being applied to humanity) So here’s to you silly left wing Nazi!
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Beatty and Richard Sylbert played with color. Sylbert was the production designer and provided the palette.
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I'm glad I watched that. I wouldn't sit through this film if the studio paid me a hundred bucks. And I'm REALLY not kidding.
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And HOLY SHIT is it awesome! Mori, I know you said it was good, but why didn't you mention that it's THE BEST FAMILY ACTION MOVIE IN NEARLY 2 DECADES!!! I mean, shit, this has actual characters and relationships and themes in it, stuff I all almost forgot existed in Summer movies. This is just so fucking AWESOME!!! This movie is everything Transformers so clearly wished it was but shit the bed at being!!! This is so good, that it makes you look back at Iron Man last week and say, "Now WHY did I think that was such a good movie? I'm sure there must have been a reason..." Speed Racer OWNS the month of may! And I don't care what the box office is, because I'm sure that geeks here will try to point out that Speed Racer's weekend wasn't up to snuff to Iron Man's and rub it in the movies face, but fuck that. This movie OWNS. and PWNS. Now I gotta get my 3 year old nephew to this thing and watch him jump up and down and say it's the best movie ever! That's the mood it puts you in!
I love the message about family. It's so beautiful. And it's kind of a refutation to the Matrix. The Matrix said you had to give up everything and everyone you love to be a Hero. Well, Rex does that, and yeah, he's a cool Superhero and saves the day and rah rah rah, but he ends up totally alone. Speed still gets to be the hero and have his family and his girl that loves him! that's awesome!
I'm sorry 33.3 that you won't even watch this for a hundred dollars. To me, that's like not accepting a blow job from Marion in Indy for a hundred. I mean, It's a Marion blow job and a hundred bucks! and I would have paid for the blow job! Anyway, Sorry Speed Racer wasn't a marvel comic book or a cartoon from the 80's so you therefore can't care about it. Cause It's the best film of May! (with the likely exception of Indy.) -
Mori's review is pretty spot on perfect. I LOVED it. SO much fun. This summer so far has been 2 for 2. Keep em coming.
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Nazi's are right wing. If you fail to recognise that the extreme totalitarian left and the extreme totalitarian right share a lot of the same characteristcs then you are a simple minded pygmy. By "our" standards is irrelevant goal-post shifting by the far right to try to dissasociate themselves from the Fascist/ Nazi tag. Here endeth the lesson.
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I agree that saying it does is wrong. "It looks like a video game" is a cliche overemployed by writers to convey the idea that something doesn't look like our own reality. But I can't think of a single video game this movie looks like.
Actually, if it "looked like a video game", I'd be more likely to see it. If it looked like HALO 2, I would find that more than acceptable and I'd go buy a ticket. But it doesn't. I honestly can't say what it looks like because I can't name drop the pop design world like that Village Voice reviewer. -
David Denby from the New Yorker said it best:
"There’s something about the ululating crowds who line the action in color-coördinated rows; the desperate skirting of ordinary feelings in favor of the trumped-up variety; the confidence in technology as a spectacle in itself; and, above all, the sense of master manipulators posing as champions of the little people. What does that remind you of ? You could call it entertainment, and use it to wow your children for a couple of hours. To me, it felt like Pop fascism, and I would keep them well away." -
That is as textbook case of "Reviewing as intellectual masterbation" as I have ever seen.
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What do bright colors have to do with imagination. Especially when it comes to the audience. The audience is not gonna use more of their imagination because the screen is flooded with bright colors... the exact opposite may be true - a totally black screen wold force the audience to use ALL of their imagination... to you know imagine what is happening.
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and is it just me or is that kid who plays young Speed the worst child actor since Jake Lloyd.
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I liked 300 in the theatre but didn't feel like it held up on repeat viewing. Couldn't stand Sin City. What do those movies have to do with Speed Racer other than the fact that they're all green screen festivals? I was rooting for this movie till I saw the first trailer. I've seen things about it I like and things that really rub me the wrong way. It's not a black and white (and red) issue.
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If any film criticize speed racer for being to much like a cartoon then they seriously need to quite their jobs.
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*snort* oh god, that's weak. Okay. The "Master Manipulators posing as champions of the little people?" Yeah. That's the VILLAIN of the piece. The bad guy. we cheer when the actual little people undo him and expose him. I'm sorry, that reviewer just obviously wasn't paying even the remotest bit of attention.
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There's a certain point where you gotta throw your hands up. Okay, I get that the film's look is sort of shocking, but god. I saw it Imax and after a few minutes you're totally adjusted to it. And hell, there really IS a movie with real characters and heart underneath it all. It delivers. So shit, I dunno what to tell you. people are bashing the look and the fact that it has a monkey in it. Oh well.
I'm not even going to make the inner child argument. I don't think it even comes down to that. Because frankly I just think It's a wonderful action/sports/coming of age movie with a really wild look that's a heck of a lot of fun. I don't get why people want it to fail. -
I think when he says "Master Manipulators posing as champions of the little people?" He's referring to the Wachowski brothers.
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I'll concede that, but, um, since when are the Wachowskis "master manipulators" compared to any other big name directors? And besides, that's just the old "elitist" argument again. That they are rich and successful directors who can't speak for non-corporate interests. Spielberg never catches that flak.
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I find it hilarious that all of the people who seem to out-and-out despise this movie (before they've even seen it?) and the "not tracking well" RT score and all of the vitriol and bile that's being spewed seemingly to try to keep it from succeeding is playing right into the hands of the actual mythos of the character and the main plot of Speed Racer then and now. He's the underdog. Evil forces constantly conspire against him. He questions himself but never gives up. And the world waits breathlessly to see if he succeeds. Seems interesting that this scenario is playing out so well within our world as it has so often within Speed's. If I were bashing this, I'd be aware and afraid of my potential comuppance, this world's equivalent of Chim-Chim dumping a bucket of motor oil on the bad guy's head.
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That one got me thinking ...
Superman [anunciating every syllable without inflection]: "Lex, I'm ... bringing ... you ... to ... justice. This time you've gone too far."
Lex [deadpan, always deadpan and monotone]: "Too far? Let's stop and consider the very words coming out of your month, Kal-El, last son of Krypton who promises so much but delivers so little. What is 'too far' about bringing the world something more promising than flying gods who horde their powers like so many petty demigods of ole ... ... for you see, Superman, I am you and you are me. It is not I that does wrong in the world. It is the world that has wronged itself ...."
[Superman stares stoically behind dark glasses ... staring in slow motion ... while the techno-tribal-orgy music plays] -
I can at least live with your tepid "pretty good," because it seems informed and reasonable, as opposed to all the empty hate spewed here. Glad you kinda liked it.
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and TEPID is the right word for it. I thought it'd be pretty good but it just seemed like a 2 hour shitty Robert Rodriguez CG fest. Which car was Sharkboy driving?
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Hey Moriarty, thanks for the great review.
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I'm 32 years old. I saw the 12:10 showing this afternoon and it rocked my fuckin socks off! I hated the style of driving at first, but like people are saying, once you accept that physics work a little differently in this world, it all becomes very enjoyable. This will be the new showcase movie for DVD, at least as far as picture. The sound mix actually disappointed me a bit, but I'm wondering if that's not the fault of the theatre, who couldn't manage to get the right audio playing at atll until the last trailer (Clone Wars).
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Any jackass who uses that site to pass judgment on any movie is a total fucking douche bag who cannot think for themselves. So Mr. "OMG THIS MOVIE GOT 40% ON RT" should just jump off a fucking bridge.
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http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2008/05/speed-racer-learns-from-manga-can-teach.php
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I love this guy! Now, anyone who has a different opinion is dead to their inner-child! Genius!
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I know Ironman will most likely to fall to the all mighty Indiana Jones: The Crystal-laced Bengay or to the ♪♫Croni-what?-cles of Nar-nia♪♫ and what-not, but so far it makes it's sequel more inevitable. Excelsior!
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Your review was poignant and beautiful. I will continue to listen to you. I felt the same way about the movie. It's good to see pure cinema put back on the screen. I left this movie much the same way I left Pixar's Rat...enlightened.
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OK, this probably isn't a terribly original thought (at least I HOPE it isn't), but I confess to not having read every single Talkback on this.
But, come ON, Harry and Moriarty, et. al., get real. "Speed Racer" makes "The Phantom Menace" look like profound literature. The Wachowskis and their efforts to create a "human cartoon" make George Lucas look like a directorial (not to mention dialogue-savvy) genius. "Speed Racer" has to be one of the emptiest, most poorly scripted excuses for a movie in at LEAST 10 years, and yet everyone continues pissing all over Lucas and somehow persisting in the believe that the Wachowskis are geniuses.
To date, the Bothers W. have made TWO good movies. Maybe only one. "The Matrix" was genius. "Bound" was pretty good, hardly the stuff of legend (not like it was their "American Graffiti"). The next two "Matrixes" were perhaps two of THE most unintelligible, relentlessly dumb movies of the last 20 years. And now this.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think Lucas walks on water. But even at their worst (and he did NOT direct "Howard the Duck," folks, so stop blaming him for it -- or are you going to put Walt Disney down as the "creator" of "Bon Voyage!" and "Third Man on the Mountain" for all time?), Lucas's movies are guilty of being overlong and laden with pedestrian dialogue. Not the worst dialogue ever heard in movies, just occasionally weak -- as weak as anything in any movie in the top five in a given week. But they have also been consistently incredible from a visual standpoint, have built a fantastic world, and have expanded the boundaries of what is possible both for audiences AND for filmmakers. Don't think HALF of the directors you claim to admire don't in turn admire Lucas!
But the Wachowskis? Come ON. When is Warner's going to learn its lesson with these guys? They created one of the most self-indulgent, overlong, undercooked, and, yes, visually noteworthy (not impressive in my book, just noteworthy) movies that $120 million can buy. And they're going to be very, very lucky to make that much worldwide.
So, what I really don't get is, this -- why continue to shout the virtues of the Wachowskis when you shit on the work of Lucas? At least be consistent in your ejaculatory praise ... or your vilification. But it makes no sense at all to me to read effusive praise of "Speed Racer" and further down find (at best) dubiousness expressed toward what looks to be an equally visually noteworthy "Clone Wars" animated movie.
Look, you can be as enamored of one movie as you are turned off by another, there's no doubt. It's the core concepts here that are bugging me -- that no matter what they do the Wachowskis are somehow brilliant, while no matter what he does Lucas is somehow deeply flawed. In neither case do you seem to be considering the merit of the work itself. (Or, in the case of "Clone Wars," even who the filmmaker actually is!) -
Can't you add a paragraph-break function on this thing? Heh.
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that was probably the most blatantly unnecessary use of hyperbole in the last 500 years
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Apparently, the SECOND most. ;-)
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Spped Racer sucked I agree. I even agree that the W broths are way overated. However, as much as I admire Lucas, he does deserve the blame for Howard the Duck - he produced it. Or are you giving all the credit for the Empire Stikes Back to...who was it again...??...Irvin Kershner? ALL THE CREDIT for that film too? You rail about consistency. Be consistent. He is to blame. Period.
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About an hour in and it really clicked into place out of nowhere. Rather than sitting there looking for the cracks in the visuals all of a sudden I was actually getting genuinely involved. The last 20 minutes or so are pure nirvana. Hugely exciting. It was like the last 30 minutes of the first Matrix all over again. On the whole I thought it was a really good family movie; not perfect by any means but when it starts to rock you can't help but get caught up in the drama of it all.
Shame it hasn't done well at the box office. Down to bad timing more than anything -
Watched Speed Racer the other night with my eight yr old son and enjoyed it as much as he did. Was it the greatest, no, but was it good, yes. Some friends of mine gave me crap about how gay it would be and I can see that they would still think that if they saw this movie, but for me personally who owns all the volumes of Speed on DVD, it fulfilled my idea of what I thought this movie would be. Hated to see that it didn't do any good at the box office, but I guess that's the price you pay for bringing a corny cartoon to life, and I will own it on DVD. If you are a fan of the old cartoon then give the movie a try, it pretty much is like the cartoon with the humor and car races. I know the races are CGI, but lets face it you can't run real cars like that, but when the mach 5 hits the jacks and sounds just like the cartoon, that was all for me, I was hooked
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I loved this movie. And I remember watching this show and did it look exactly like it no. But it did what Transformers didn't do it stayed true to what it was. I mean the races on the show were nuts. The fights were crazy and hilarious. And the fact that Spritle and Chim Chim were the exact same as there were on the show was just great. I was pleasantly suprised at how much I loved this movie. It was action from begining to end. And it's just like Moriarty said. Unlike movies that show you all the eye candy dazzling parts in the trailer and you find it's only a small portion. This move was completely filled from begining to end with it. I hate the fact that more people would want to go see Ashton Kutcher piss in a sink than see this dazzling movie. A kid's movie that actually is entertaining rather than mind numbing crap like Hannah Montana or Underdog. This movie was GREAT.
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period
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I can't believe more people haven't gone to see this movie. Visually, it's astonishing. Maybe it would have done better if the movie tickets had been made out of LSD....
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I just watched the movie on BluRay and I have to say that I loved it.
Now I didn't love all of it, but 99% of the stuff I dislike had to do with stupid Spritle (did he really need to ruin the ending scene like that!?). I freely admit that I had assumed the movie was retarded based off the trailers, but I gave it a rent to test out how nice BluRay could look....I'm glad I did. I will be buying this movie. -
Are you over 12????
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