SPEED RACER

[siskel4ever]

this movie was awesome!!!!

[bastard_robo]

Got my copy today!

I'll pop it in as my bed time movie...

[bastard_robo]

I watched this movie little heard of movie last night, its called SPEED RACER..

I don't know, I just came across it, apparently it had a theatrical release, but I didn't see it....

It's based on a old kids cartoon and its made by the guys that made those matrix movies a few years ago. Its got John Goodman in it, so I guess that's a plus.

Its about car racing in the future and everything is very colorful...

I might give it another watch one day..

[Spandau Belly]

I was walking through the video store and I saw that they had Speed Racer on one of the televisions to promote it or whatever. I stood there and watched it for a couple minutes and the sound was off, and every minute the action kept stopping and we'd get this rotating tour of each car's design with all these little Panic Room style zooms into their exhaust pipes and translucent looks at their weaponry and I didn't remember seeing this stuff in the cinema.

But then when it happend three times in five minutes I realized it was some Blu-Ray special feature. But I'm telling you, these little 3D model segements would more than double the length of the film. Some people must have way more time than I do. Man, I can't wait until retirement.

I also might see that movie again. I thought it was pretty good the first time. And since people know I "like movies" they always buy movies for me at Christmas and so I end up owning stuff like this that I might've said was good during some conversation but would've never bought myself. So I'll probably watch it then.

[max314]

Got the Blu-Ray...and it's a thing of freakin' beauty

[Evil Hobbit]

Got the Blu-Ray...and it's a thing of freakin' beauty

Oh man I so agree! I just finished watching it, gorgeous transfer. One of the best yet.

[DerLanghaarige]

I finally watched Speed Racer. I can see why it scared people away, but not how someone who really watched that movie could hate it! It could be 20 minutes shorter (I would cut half of the Rally), reminded my of a big budget remake of 'Spy Kids' more than just once (I like Spy Kids, so that's a good thing) and I got seriously no idea what everything gets a pass in a kids movie these days (The movie got a "not under 12"-rating in Germany, which is pretty apopriate in my eyes) but damn, I really, really enjoyed it. The Wachowskis just took this unbelievable silly cartoon world (And I'm not just talking about the "Pushing Daisies + Lazy Town"-look of it!) and played it 100% straight. I seriously have to give them an applause fot this decision. And it was nice to see that they took advantage of the country where they shot the movie. We don't just see the Brandenburg Gate in one scene, but also German actors like Benno Fürmann (unfortunately), Christian Oliver, Ralph Herforth and even in one scene Moritz fucking Bleibtreu! (One of the few actors from this country who really deserve the "Fucking" as middlename. You probably remember him as the lead in Oliver Hirschbiegel's "Das Experiment".) I also read Cosma Shiova Hagen's name, but I didn't see her.
I give this movie 7,5/10!

[Brit Pop]

After all of the pro / con scuttlebutt over Speed Racer.. I had to see it.

It had Jack in it! Thats all.

But I bet it looks great on a massive home HD theatre system!

My filmic equation for this one is as follows...

TRON plus SUPER MARIO BROS divided by TANK GIRL = SPEED RACER

[bastard_robo]

After all of the pro / con scuttlebutt over Speed Racer.. I had to see it.

It had Jack in it! Thats all.

But I bet it looks great on a massive home HD theatre system!

My filmic equation for this one is as follows...

TRON plus SUPER MARIO BROS divided by TANK GIRL = SPEED RACER

So i take it you didnt like it...

[Brit Pop]

Its not that I didnt like it.... I didnt hate it... I may have not not disliked it...

But it felt like it was saying something in a fashion that wasnt designed for me.

Thats why I related it to SMB and TG... everyone in those films acts in a strange, unreal, comical way that is contrary to normal behaviour (I'm not really explaining myself very well).

It was like all the stuff in Speed Racer involving the little brother and the monkey - tres bizzare.

I'm still voting TDTESS for worst film in the Zods mind you... there was never any doubt in my mind on that hate-crime!

[Ribbons]

I actually liked Speed Racer quite a bit... the animated race scenes didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought they would from the trailer. But I dug the whole candy-coated color scheme, the slightly slapstick tone of it all. I wasn't sure what the point of the whole "Is Racer X Rex?" intrigue was. An attempt by the Wachowskis to say celebrity robs you of your identity? A plotline carried over from the cartoon? I can't really say. All I know is the "reveal" at the end (that he had plastic surgery to become a different person) seemed kind of bizarre. But I really did enjoy this, and would probably give it a 6 or 7 out of 10. If you have kids this is a movie you could probably watch with them and not want to gouge your eyes out in the process.

[max314]

Glad you enjoyed it, Ribbons.

Must say I don't quite understand some peoples' complaints about the plot. Speed's tempted to join Royalton and race with the big boys. Speed refuses and Royalton begins destroying his family's business and reputation. So he starts racing to put Royalton behind bars, which he eventually manages to do...but only by forgetting all the nasty impurities that had entered his heart, returning to a childlike state when all he cared about was racing.

I thought it was visually spectacular and also quite moving. A great morality tale for kids about staying true to yourself and a wonderful visual palette for them to absorb at the same time.

For me, the film represents the birth of a new breed of filmmaking. A sort of post-modern expressionist cinema. The kind of thing that digital effects have opened the door to.

In my opinion, Speed Racer is the first of a new kind of film.

[bastard_robo]

Good to see that theres still love for Speed Racer..

[Leckomaniac]

I watched it the other day in Blu-Ray. A wonderful reminder of how excellent this movie was. It was so kinetic, so crisp. Still stands up as a top film when it comes to summer blockbuster releases.

[bastard_robo]

I watched it the other day in Blu-Ray. A wonderful reminder of how excellent this movie was. It was so kinetic, so crisp. Still stands up as a top film when it comes to summer blockbuster releases.

Its still sad that this thing never got the love it deserved...

[max314]

Its still sad that this thing never got the love it deserved...

Not least because we'll probably never get to see SPEED RACER 2: The Return of Rex Racer

I heard the Wachowskis had actually penned a sequel if the first movie was a hit. Which it obviously wasn't. But it would have been cool because the first movie is based on the story arc to the first (and only) season of the Speed Racer TV show. The next movie would be completely original, full of great ideas and even more emotion.

Oh well.

[Fried Gold]

The next movie would be completely original, full of great ideas and even more emotion.

Shame they could've have done that with the first film.

[max314]

The next movie would be completely original, full of great ideas and even more emotion.

Shame they could've have done that with the first film.

They did.

[bastard_robo]

Bump:

Watched this again for the first time in about 2 years.


I still love every frame of this film.