Speed Racer - the live action adaptation of the classic anime was released this past weekend. Can the movie be any better the anime? Can the movie be any good as a stand alone film? Will anime fans be fans of Speed Racer?
plot summary
The Racer family has been building and racing custom cars for years. Racing is in their blood and a daily part of their lives. Speed Racer, the middle son of three, is a born race car driver. When he masterfully wins the race at Thunderhead, he draws the attention of Royalton Industries.
The owner of the megacorp makes Speed an offer to drive for his team. Speed refuses, and he and his family become targets of a vengeful corporation. The only way Speed can ever hope to take down the corrupt Royalton Industries is to race cross country with former rival, Racer X, in the infamous Casa Cristo, the same race which took the life of Speed’s idolized older brother Rex.
There’s more at stake than the family business, however, and Speed must discover the true reason to why he races in order to save not only his family, but racing itself.
review
Speed Racer proves Americans can not only make live action anime, they can make fantastic live action anime. But what it really takes to make it work is love. Love of anime and love for film making, two things renown anime fans, the Wachowski Brothers have in spades.
The movie was in a word, amazing. I went in with no expectations and went away with a glowing feeling of satisfaction. Everything that is anime is translated, almost verbatim, into live action. The colors, movements, action and perspectives, which are the hallmarks of this medium, are defined beautifully in a movie that has no right to be as good as it is.
Let’s face it, the original Speed Racer anime was bad. Although the anime is a “classic”, the concepts were bad, the animation was bad, the execution was bad. But this movie has taken a broke down, shoddy piece of “classic” anime and transformed it into something which is more “Anime” than the original.
Fans may be temporarily taken aback by the wash of vibrant colors that fills the screen. Yet just like watching your first anime series, what seems strange at first starts to feel comfortable, homey even. This is what real life anime should be; loud, sexy, fantastic and a little overwhelming.
The visuals aren’t just a homage to anime, though, they are anime. The beautiful people and creative character designs populating Speed Racer are what make anime so appealing and unique. But you don’t have to be an anime fan to appreciate a movie this engaging and fun. It’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement of a race, or a fight with ninjas and colorful villains. The theater audience was cheering as Speed flew down the impossible race tracks- everyone was in on the action. The pervading bubblegum feel of the movie didn’t feel childish, however, just fun. Adult fun. Fun like we imagined adulthood would be like but never was. Fun with an edge, sexy fun but not too naughty.
Speed Racer has something for everyone; bright colors and monkey mayhem for easily distracted youngsters, hot young actors and plenty of race car action for easily distracted adults, and plenty of plot and story for the serious minded movie goer.
Character Development
It was shocking how good the story was. I didn’t even think there would be any story, but Speed Racer had a human, touching plot: A family, torn apart by miscommunication and perceived betrayal, begins to heal, only to be threatened again by the same things which nearly destroyed it before.
It’s also a coming of age story. One in which Speed Racer must deal with his own inner struggles and decide which path he’ll set his future down. There was a subtle maturity to the plot which was slightly masked by the overt visuals. It still managed to shine through, however, and was more of a plot than the entire anime series had combined.
Speed Racer had good depth and was brilliantly fleshed out in well plotted flashbacks. His brother, Rex Racer was an even deeper character than Speed, and given just as much thought. The story centers much upon the brothers past and the terms upon with which they both lead their lives.
Character Design
The movie had a delightfully international cast. It was impossible to pin down where, geographically, the movie was taking place. Judging by the amazing array of nationalities, the story could be set anywhere and everywhere. And the international appeal wasn’t watered down. The various languages weren’t subtitled, which lent an exotic hint to the audio. The viewer was left wondering at an accent or a language. Where’s that guy/ gal from? It was all woven together so well, it added color and depth to the details, and details make or break a movie.
Character designs adhered to the original anime, but were given a boost. The designs looked good, not cheesy. Trixie looked fantastic, better than she should. Her short skirts and adorable bob hairstyle are offset by alluring makeup and bright lipstick. The men look a tad bishounen. There was a balance of Japanese and Western aesthetics to the appearance of the cast. They were all attractive when they were meant to be and appropriately creepy elsewhere.
Certain fight scenes have action lines, much like the original anime did. The effect pulls the movie that much closer to anime. The colors are all anime, however. In any other movie, the colors would be an instant fail, but in Speed Racer, nothing else would have worked.
Visuals
This movie gets high marks for flawless visuals. The CG was fantastic and worked well. The Wachowski brothers have honed their style down to an art and Speed Racer could well be their masterpiece. The action was heart-pounding and not distracting in the least. Visuals pull you in and put you right there in the center of the action, not just watching it.
Music
Michael Giacchino scored Speed Racer with music simultaneously orchestral and electronic. The score lent Speed racer a mature, yet fun vibe.
Acting
Emile Hirsch did a fantastic job as Speed. He came across as appropriately conflicted and innocent and balanced the emotions well. He even managed to put in some of surprised “Oh!” gasps from the anime’s English dub without making it come off as hokkey.
Christina Ricci also did a good job but she managed to annoy me with her character. Her energetic/ sexy/ cute version of Trixie was confusing and attractive, which had the combined effect of annoying me.
Matthew Fox, who portrayed Racer X, did the best job interpreting the anime version of the character. His monotonous and mysterious voice was one I remember well. Matthew Fox did a very convincing job overall as Racer X.
The rest of the cast were also good, but the main characters outstripped them all.
Conclusion
This was an anime live action adaption with a holistic approach so thorough, it touched on everything which is anime and then some. Speed Racer is what live action anime should be, and was as much fun and engaging as any anime, if not more so. There was some pandering to younger audiences in certain scenes, which was distracting and unnecessary, but not overly so.
Looking beyond the visuals, the story was anime as well, as was the storytelling. I was beyond merely entertained with this movie, I was engaged and charmed.
Rating
Speed Racer gets 4.5 outta 5 Hammies!
