Speed Racer

[BitVyper]

I just got back from it, and I have to say; that movie was far better than it had any right to be. Even the bits clearly designed for children managed to be unobtrusive. The racing itself was awesome, and most of the acting was pretty good too, all things considered. The whole movie actually seemed pretty well balanced, which is especially surprising given the odd filming techniques they used.

I was expecting a waste of time and money, filled with clumsy references to the original series. What I got was pretty much the exact opposite.

[Mirai Gen]

Seriously?

I hadn't seen it because I fully expected it to be the very definition of awful.

Maybe I'll see it yet.

[Frostatine]

What part of Wachowski brothers are you guys not getting?

[Mike McC]

What part of Wachowski brothers are you guys not getting?They did The Matrix Revolutions.

I think that pretty much says everything.

But yeah, from the trailers, the movie looks horrible, and yet I am compelled to view it. How odd.

[Hawk]

But yeah, from the trailers, the movie looks horrible, and yet I am compelled to view it. How odd.

How odd indeed, because when I see the trailers and see how awful it looks, I am compelled to see it less each time I view them.

[TDK]

My friends all say it is incredibly awesome...

We're going to see it tomorrow, some of them for the third time.

[BitVyper]

I'm not saying it redefines the genre or anything, but it's definitely very good. It tries some new things too, and they all seem to work out pretty well for it.

I'm definitely glad I took a risk on this one.

[EVILNess]

I have a burning question, that shall define whether this movie is worth watching.

Does anyone go "HA HA" in classic Speed Racer fashion?

[TDK]

No, but someone goes "Ah!" once.

[Masked Jedi]

They did The Matrix Revolutions.

I think that pretty much says everything.

Okay, here's the thing about the Wakowskis: They didn't want to make two Matrix Sequels, they wanted one. The studios forced them to expand it to two. If you look at the movies they had complete control over (Matrix, V For Vendetta, Speed Racer), they're amazing.

I loved Speed Racer. More than Iron Man. Great villains, great acting, strong script, and amazing visuals. Wow.

[Hatake Kakashi]

Hmmm. This is an awful lot of praise for a movie that looks, according to every preview and ad I've ever seen, absolutely horrendous. Even so, I'm not quite convinced that I should just jump up and buy a ticket.

Maybe I'll download a rip and see if it's worth the effort. If it is, then I might be persuaded to go buy a seat.

[Smarty McBarrelpants]

I echo the sentiments. It looks absolutely terrible and if I never see a film made by the Wachoski brothers again I'll be happy.
My question, though, is that while I loved the cartoon I totally hate films about cars and especially about racing said cars, unless it's totally ridiculous like the cartoon. Is the movie totally ridiculous or is it all like seriousy?

[Frostatine]

Iron Man is still the top rated movie in the box office, so don't be dissin my man Stark.

Speed Racer is great, and it gives just enough credit to the show without being as tacky and deplorable as the show is renowned for being. It's intense, but there is a light quality to it that makes me happy to be seeing it.

[BitVyper]

I echo the sentiments. It looks absolutely terrible and if I never see a film made by the Wachoski brothers again I'll be happy.
My question, though, is that while I loved the cartoon I totally hate films about cars and especially about racing said cars, unless it's totally ridiculous like the cartoon. Is the movie totally ridiculous or is it all like seriousy?

Let me put it this way: Wuxia-syle martial arts heroes would be hard-pressed to accomplish the acrobatics that are pretty mundane for this world's race cars. Picture Spiderman as a car. The races do not remotely resemble real-world car racing except for the fact that there are cars moving in the general direction of a finish line.

And they managed to pack in a lot of racing and action while still having all the plot and character shit. I won't say exactly how they accomplished it, because if someone had told me before I saw it in motion, I would have thought it a poor idea. There aren't really any slow or boring bits, but there's a lot of meat in it.

[Masked Jedi]

The thing that works about Speed Racer is that it takes itself absolutely seriously. If it was tongue-in-cheek at all it would fall apart, but it's not. Although, occasionally it does acknowledge how awesome it is ("Oh my god, was that a ninja?")

[Bells]

simple question, though... do we get a remake of the speed racer theme song?

[Masked Jedi]

Yes. Only at the end credits though. They do play the music (without the lyrics) through out the film. Go see it!

[Magus]

MOST of the trailers have made me not want to see this movie. HOWEVER, I saw one that was done really well, because it captured the "dark" sides of the plot. It even had one part where Speed Racer and I think Racer X are on this one part of the road where they're all alone, so Racer X drops BIG FREAKIN MACHINE GUNS out each side of the car and starts shooting at Speed Racer. Whoever did THAT trailer should be rewarded because they made me want to see it. Until I saw the next trailer, which was terrible again. Seriously, I'll probably at the very least rent this movie based on the one GOOD trailer I saw. Seriously, it was like "Hey, let's make one good trailer that appeals to the adults in the audience." And it actually did work, until I saw the next cutesy kid-based one.

I'm really 50/50 on this movie. I suppose I'll have to see it to find out how I really feel about it, of course, but I don't want to spend that much money seeing it in the theater when I feel like I won't like it.

[Igbutton]

I'd just like to echo that this movie is indeed awesome. The visuals, the acting, the plot are all well done. It's a very fun movie.

I'd urge you to see it in theaters because it's one of those movies that action and style are treated best by the large screen.

[Smarty McBarrelpants]

Do they still put the sole copy of the blueprints for the Mach-5 in the windshield of the Mach-5? Cause that bit was totally awesome.

[Mirai Gen]

Picture Spiderman as a car.
http://www.shortpacked.com/comics/20071029dandidio.png
I know it's random.

But you said it.

[BitVyper]

I pictured the same comic as I was saying it, so that's fine. That's the kind of car acrobatics you'll see though.

[Mirai Gen]

Wait, seriously!?

Okay now I am going to see this.

[BitVyper]

Seriously. That kind of thing is actually kind of... mundane for Speed Racer. I'm pretty sure I recall him using the auto-jacks in mid-flight to actually kick-leap/somersault off another car.

Leave all your notions about real-world physics and car-racing at the door. They won't do you any good in this movie.

[Invisible Queen]

Let me put it this way: Wuxia-syle martial arts heroes would be hard-pressed to accomplish the acrobatics that are pretty mundane for this world's race cars. Picture Spiderman as a car. The races do not remotely resemble real-world car racing except for the fact that there are cars moving in the general direction of a finish line.
Okay, now I have to watch this movie. And demand my money back from you if I don't like it. I hope that's alright. :)

[BitVyper]

Hey, you're welcome to demand whatever you want from me. Can't promise you'll get anything beyond a punch in the nose, but you can sure make demands.

[Regulus Tera]

Leave all your notions about real-world physics and car-racing at the door. They won't do you any good in this movie.

So, like F-Zero but with somersaults?

Fuck, I might just have to buy the game.

[Donomni]

Sothere'snopartwheretheytalkreallyfastwithoutstopp ingexceptforthat"AH"partamirightOOH-AH-OOH!

Oh, for crying out loud, we need to make this joke work!

[Meister]

I didn't give two shits about Speed Racer before I read this thread but now it actually sounds kind of good.

[Mike McC]

Okay, here's the thing about the Wakowskis: They didn't want to make two Matrix Sequels, they wanted one. The studios forced them to expand it to two.That's no excuse.

[Lord of Joshelplex]

I didn't give two shits about Speed Racer before I read this thread but now it actually sounds kind of good.

Pretty much what Im thinkin right now.

[Kerensky287]

Metacritic gave it a horrible rating.

But fuck movie reviewers, they all suck. I wanna see this now.

[Masked Jedi]

Critics don't always get movies. I mean, Southland Tales was (IMHO) the best movie of 2007, but it was panned. On the flip side, Roger Ebert (one of my icons) enjoyed both Garfield movies. They're not gods, people.

[Smarty McBarrelpants]

Critics don't always get movies. I mean, Southland Tales was (IMHO) the best movie of 2007, but it was panned. On the flip side, Roger Ebert (one of my icons) enjoyed both Garfield movies. They're not gods, people.

Pssh El Topo was the best of 2007. Sure it's technically a 1970 movie but it was in the cinemas last year so it counts.
I usually find it's best to find one critic who you have similar tastes to and then follow their advice. I have one little man on the internet whose not a real critic but sees all the artsy films I like and then tells me what to see.
Big critic sites are ok for a general overview but you really need someone focused.

[Frostatine]

They're not gods, people.

They tell millions of people what to see and how much to enjoy doing so.
So, yeah, they kind of are.

AND YOU WILL OBEY THEM!!!

[BitVyper]

As was noted on another forum I post at; this movie also scores big points for managing to make a plot twist that was spoiled before many of us were even born, fresh again, if not surprising. It's like if the end of Star Wars III had made half the audience gasp "holy shit, Darth Vader is Luke's father!"

I'm speaking, of course, about the identity of Racer X. Yeah, it wasn't THAT tricky, but they did just enough to make you actually question it.

And that's pretty impressive.

So, like F-Zero but with somersaults?

And Hot Wheels playsets for racetracks. And Vikings who have racecars with giant hammers and flails. Also a car with a built in snake-launcher, and another with a beehive launcher.

Also: John Goodman almost rips a ninja in half. Why aren't you watching this?

I just figured out what this movie reminds me of: Earthbound. Yes, that's it exactly. Speed Racer the movie reminds me of Earthbound. I think that says everything that needs to be said.

[h4x.m4g3]

I have to echo BitVyper's sentiments on this one, Speed Racer is an way-over-the-top action/racing with pretty much every cliche from the 80s in it, and that's what makes it good. I mean we're talking somersaulting cars, random 1900s gangsters with vehicles that look like 1900s speak-easies on the inside, random ninjas, monkeys on a sugar rush, little kid air guitar, vikings, snake launchers, f-zero meets hot wheels, etc. And it seemed to me a great spoof on all the recent "EXTREME STREET RACING!!!" movies, at least that's what I thought whenever I saw the cars actually going down the track.

[Smarty McBarrelpants]

As was noted on another forum I post at; this movie also scores big points for managing to make a plot twist that was spoiled before many of us were even born, fresh again, if not surprising. It's like if the end of Star Wars III had made half the audience gasp "holy shit, Darth Vader is Luke's father!"

I'm speaking, of course, about the identity of Racer X. Yeah, it wasn't THAT tricky, but they did just enough to make you actually question it.

And that's pretty impressive.



I'm not sure that's really a plot twist. I mean they told us in the first episode and everything, when Rex stands on a cliff and says " I shall go and become a secret agent with no name, or country. I shall be Racer X". Oh boy, I'm sad.

[Aerozord]

I usually find it's best to find one critic who you have similar tastes to and then follow their advice. I have one little man on the internet whose not a real critic but sees all the artsy films I like and then tells me what to see.
Big critic sites are ok for a general overview but you really need someone focused.
Yea because god forbid we actually have to decide for ourselves.

[BitVyper]

I'm not sure that's really a plot twist. I mean they told us in the first episode and everything, when Rex stands on a cliff and says " I shall go and become a secret agent with no name, or country. I shall be Racer X". Oh boy, I'm sad.

To be fair, that doesn't really change anything I said.

From TVTropes:

"It did not attempt to make any apologies for the implausibilities or tropes of the original, it merely embraced them with all its heart and ran with them to new heights of fun."

[synkr0nized]

The Serpentor "This, I command!" nod is enough to redeem the lousy trailers.

I remain very cautious, however. You all [read: the Internets and my comic-book-type friends] got me to go see several super-hero movies, and they were mostly awful (yay for Ironman being good). And The brothers W have let me down before.

Still, things may take a turn for the better.

[Ryong]

Sorry for not going through the four pages to check for one thing:

Does a random car go out of the course, goes down a cliff and then explodes in most of the curves? Come on, it ain't Speed Racer without that.

[Smarty McBarrelpants]

Yea because god forbid we actually have to decide for ourselves.

But this is judging which movie you want to go and watch.
I mean it's not like ads ever actually show what a movie is really like.
I'm curious how you choose which films to see if you don't pay any attention to the opinions of others.
And if you're like me and like artsy films of which 100s come along to the cinema each year and none have any advertising, critics are essential in deciding what to see.

[h4x.m4g3]

Does a random car go out of the course, goes down a cliff and then explodes in most of the curves? Come on, it ain't Speed Racer without that.
A car?! It happens like every 5 seconds, in colors previously only visible while under the influence of some kind of drug.

[Ryong]

A car?! It happens like every 5 seconds, in colors previously only visible while under the influence of some kind of drug.

Perfect. Just perfect. Nothing else to say.

[Preturbed]

I just saw it, and all I can do is gush about it. I'm actually more impressed by Speed Racer than with Iron Man. The plots were equally thin but the visual aspect of SR blew Iron Man, and any other movie I think maybe ever, out of the water. I really don't understand why it got such low critical ratings. The biggest downfall to this movie is that my girlfriend and I were the only ones in the theater. I'd have enjoyed hearing audience reaction to the crashes and the gadgets etc.

One thing that really impressed me: In recent high-action scenes, especially those using CG, the camera goes out of focus. I don't know if directors think it lends to the action or what but I hate it. Speed Racer held to its crystalline clarity through the toughest, most tangled up action it could dish out.

Also I want to eat the set.

[Bonepart]

I thank you NPF. After reading this thread I went and saw the movie and had a blast.

In fact I plan on going to see it again, sometime soon.

[Seil]

The biggest downfall to this movie is that my girlfriend and I were the only ones in the theater.

And that's a bad thing because...? (http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showthread.php?t=29058&)

[BitVyper]

My theatre had two families with a dozen children between them. It took every ounce of my willpower to not kill anyone.

[Regulus Tera]

AWESOME movie I just watched. Only downfall? That they included rap in the remix of the Mach GoGoGo song. That was shitty.

[Invisible Queen]

So I watched the movie, and then I went and watched it again and dragged a 15 year old boy with me. It was awesome. :)

Actually I think people don't quite realize how awesome it is. This is at least as visually groundbreaking as The Matrix was. I just wish The Matrix hadn't killed bullet time, cause it would have been sweet to see what happens in more detail. There's a blur and Speed bounces in the air between two opponents and they both wipe out and he lands perfectly and I just go "How the hell did he do that?" Maybe you need to do speed to keep up. . .

At any rate Topper Harley is no longer the most outrageously talented pilot in fiction.

PS. John Goodman needs to stop looking so much like Perry Bible Fellowship's Mario.