Review

Review Date: 11-May-08
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Speed Racer (2008)

This critic went to "Speed Racer" with no opinion or experience of the cartoon from which it sprung. In fact, when I heard that the Wachowski brothers were making the movie I had to Google the title to confirm that it had been a cartoon. But even without knowing how faithfully it adheres to the original, I can tell that the theatrical version is a loving tribute. The celluloid "Speed Racer" shows every evidence of authors enjoying both their subject and their medium. This is a movie which revels in its movieness, the energetic, reality-be-damned fizz of popcorn entertainment as applied to true blue motifs. Its enthusiasm is infectious.

The plot is convoluted, but then again, that did not stop the Wachowskis' "Matrix" series from becoming a hit. Emile Hirsch stars as the eponymous hero, laudably standing out, as does all the cast, before attention-grabbing backdrops and an alarming color palette. They say one's name can determine one's future, and Speed proves the veracity of this idea when he is barely out of diapers. Born into a family of race car engineers and drivers, he grows up dreaming of nothing except barreling towards the checkered flag. Fortunately, for people like me who have no interest in cars or automotive machismo, Speed's obsession is artistic and primal. It is also tempered by youthful innocence and love of a family which includes a TV-perfect mom (Susan Sarandon), an excitable dad (John Goodman), a mischievous younger brother (Paulie Litt, with monkey in tow), a devoted mechanic (Kick Gurry), and a lifelong girlfriend (Christina Ricci), who adds a blush of romance and girl-power spunk. The family's affection for each other is pleasantly sappy and would be well advised even if the movie were not aimed at children.

A deep-felt wound in the Racer clan provides one of the two motivations for the story. Speed drives under the cloud of his older brother's downfall several years before, a tragedy which hinted that all was not right with the racing world. Speed's coming of age entails starting down the same road and finding a different end. A smarmy mogul (Roger Allam) invites him to race under his corporate logo and vows horrible retribution upon being refused. This triggers a series of maneuvers both on and off the track involving, among others, a Japanese hotshot (Rain) and a mysterious vigilante called Racer X (a smokin' Matthew Fox). Speed's goal is to prove that major races do not have to be money-making schemes fixed by rich bastards and that the passion flowing in his veins has meaning. The Wachowskis' goal is to present this idealism with as much splash as possible, merging an apparently iconic concept with their own noted originality. With a few bumps and dings, everybody reaches their mark. "Speed Racer" made me feel good.

Copyright © 2008 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.