Once upon a time, car racing was only about just that. While the purse at the end was obviously part of the motivation, the majority of the drivers -- those flamboyant good ol' boy types -- seemed to participate just for the thrill of racing, often on dirt tracks and with small crowds usually sitting in uncomfortable stands with few if any amenities (having grown up not far from the previously unpaved track at the Virginia State Fairgrounds, I can attest to that).
Although the egos are still present (albeit not as colorful as in days of old), the sport has slowly evolved into something far more homogenized and corporate, where big business has taken over and sponsorships, flashiness and money have become more important than the racing itself.
That's the underlying theme of "Speed Racer," the big screen, live action (albeit loaded with enough computer graphics and special effects for several movies) adaptation of the Japanese cartoon popular back in the 1960's. Considering its subjects, reliance on special effects, and its thematic element of longing for the good old days, the flick is obviously a kissin' cinematic cousin of sorts to Pixar's "Cars" from a few years back.
Yet, for all of its posturing, the movie falls prey to the bigger (and louder, busier, flashier and more colorful) is better mindset, meaning it ultimately becomes what it's supposedly preaching against. With lots of slow-motion and gravity-defying action (including martial arts fighting), wild camera angles and all sorts of inventive direction and visuals, the pic might remind some of the "Matrix" movies.
That would be appropriate as the brotherly directing duo of Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski has moved on from Neo and company to helm this one. Yet, like the second and especially the third installments of that film trilogy, visual spectacle and over-direction trample the story and characters. The result is a glorious and often surreal piece of eye candy, but an empty one at that, where the visuals' ability to impress declines proportionally with each passing minute.
And with the film clocking in at a way-too-long 130 or so minutes, by the time the big climatic race closes out the offerings (following a number of not terribly different races preceding that one), we could care less. Granted, that feeling will probably have already taken root for most viewers long before the final checkered flag drops.
Unless, of course, you're a kid, especially since all of the action and visuals evoke the look and feel of a video game. That very demographic at our screening seemed to love every minute of the racing, as well as the material involving Paulie Litt playing the youngest Racer offspring who hangs out with the family chimp (huh?) and is presumably present for little more than juvenile-aimed comic relief.
That might work for the kids, but will quickly grow tiresome for teenagers and those who've been driving longer than Emile Hirsch has been alive. Speaking of him, the gifted actor (so good in "Into the Wild") isn't given much to do in his titular, glorified cartoon role beyond offering differing stages of looking intense while surrounded by all sorts of CGI effects.
Christina Ricci fares even worse as his best friend who inexplicably seems to live in the same house (they're not a couple) with his parents embodied by John Goodman as the boisterous and concerned dad and Susan Sarandon as the far more reserved mom. Scott Porter and Matthew Fox play other racers, and if viewers don't immediately sense the connection between the two, that likely means they're in early elementary school or younger.
All of which might explain why Roger Allam is asked to overact in far too obvious ways as the pic's main villain. In fact, the best acting might come from the aforementioned chimp, although that's not particularly a positive comment (unless this was the Lancelot Link version of "Speed Racer").
That said, one certainly can't fault the film for every being sedate, as the Wachowskis don't even allow for many, if any, regular scene-to-scene cuts or fade-outs and fade-ins. Instead, scenes segue into others via elements from one wiping their way from left to right (or vice-versa) through the current one, giving the pic something of an animated comic book feel.
While the filmmakers do some temporal jumping (particularly in the beginning), the majority of the pic is just one race after another, all leading up to the finale. Considering the subject matter and plot, that would make sense, but beyond occurring in different settings (much like a video game), there's little to distinguish one race from the next (with all featuring sliding cars, gravity-defying moves, bumping, explosions and Hirsch doing the intense look thing behind the wheel).
As a result, and unless you're under 10, little if any of the film will engage you. Which also holds true for all of the purposefully non-realistic effects that may initially dazzle, but end up becoming redundant, just like the rest of the film. Fast and furious, "Speed Racer" ultimately becomes nothing more than a pretty bore. It rates as a 4 out of 10.
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