Rated PG for sequences of action, some violence, language and brief smoking
Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski (The Matrix)
Starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Hiroyuki Sanada, Richard Roundtree, Rain, Benno Fuermann, Kirk Gurry, Paulie Litt, Roger Allam
Speed Racer, the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida and now live action feature film, is about a boy who is born to race cars. Speed (Emile Hirsch) is aggressive, instinctive, and most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother, Rex Racer, who died in The Crucible, a cross-country car race. It’s after he “almost” beats his brother’s record that Speed is pursued by Royalton Industries. But Speed is loyal to the family business and rejects the offer which angers the owner (Roger Allam). Speed also uncovers a secret that top corporate interests, including Royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit. With the offer to Speed denied, Royalton wants to ensure that Speed will not win again. With the support of his family (John Goodman and Susan Sarandon) and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival-the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) and enters The Crucible.
Todd’s Word: Everyone that I have talked to about Speed Racer has said the same thing. The movie itself is really not that great, but it is visually amazing. So let’s get that out of the way. This film will visually blow you away.
Jonathan’s Word: Very true. Speed Racer broke new ground with visual effects. It was no The Matrix (same directors), but it provided a 2008 comic book look in the same way that the star filled Dick Tracy film did in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, it probably will be as forgettable as Dick Tracy.
Todd’s Word: Forgettable is being nice…It’s just flat out lame.
Jonathan’s Word: Ha. I wouldn’t go that far. Maybe it’s a generational thing. My son really enjoyed it, while I thought it was just so-so. But I guess it may be a gender thing as well because my daughters lost interest after the opening sequence.
Todd’s Word: OK, OK…my kids liked it too, even my 10 year old daughter. Although I usually enjoy “kid movies” this one gave me a huge headache. Once you get past all the special effects and amazing colors, there really isn’t much there, not to mention the first 15 minutes is filled with some of the most over done flashback scenes ever.
Jonathan’s Word: I have to disagree; I thought the starting sequence was brilliant. The editing between past and future was really amazing. In all honesty, it was a work of art. Unfortunately, the credits probably should have rolled right then.
Todd’s Word: OK, we can agree on that.
Jonathan’s Word: As a person who watched the cartoon as a kid, it was nostalgic in parts (shout out to Racer X and Chim Chim), but not enough to redeem the film.
The film did provide great performances, including some great cameos (any film where “Shaft” gets face time raises one notch in my book). Roger Allam (also in the Wachowski Brother’s film V for Vendetta) played an incredible villain…truly evil.
Todd’s Word: I will admit I was not a fan of the cartoon, but with the guys who brought us The Matrix at the helm…I was expecting a lot more. So I say “Skip it.”
Jonathan’s Word: Yeah… if you’re an adult who isn’t a comic book fan, computer nerd or old Speed Racer cartoon fanatic, you probably should just skip it. But kids might enjoy it. So I’ll score it “Only if it’s Free.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
It was truly PG. A bit of language, but SO tame by today’s standards. We don’t have any issues with the film on an offensive level and as we said, most of our kids enjoyed it.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
