5feet12inches:

Speed Racer 1

(via speedracerhasaposse)

The most impressive thing about this film is how straight the Wachowskis play it. It would have been much easier (and probably more profitable and/or critically well-received) had either made a “kewl” Speed Racer movie, or at least something a little more ironically detached;  a wink-wink-nudge-nudge, camp-fest. You know, make it more palatable for the masses. Sex it up a little, push it PG-13. Let’s make Speed an ultra-badass. And does he have to wear that goofy costume? Can we put him in black leather instead? Can we get Jessica Alba for Trixie? And can the chimp be a robot chimp? You know, like CGI?

(Basically, what they do with superhero movies. I mean, Spider-Man’s raised, plastic-y webbing and crushing pathos? If ever there was a superhero who should be light and fun, it’s Spidey, buuut comics aren’t for kids, so let’s psychoanalyze his villains and have him just sort of depressed all of the time. If we wanted to feed the snake its own tail we could argue that stuff like that or the X-Men’s leather motorcycle suits, or the Kevlar Batman of Nolan’s films, are a leftover influence of the Wachowski’s own  Matrix movies.)

Instead they take the cartoon and pretty much translate that right onto the screen. And you have to admire that. They establish within the first five minutes that this is not reality. I mean, the bad guys mail a ticking time-bomb to Rex, which he tosses into the street with no real-world consequence. It just blows up. Which is awesome.

As I said, it’s not perfect. The talky bits are flat, especially when compared to the dazzling race sequences. Which, as long as I’m nitpicking, could probably be set up a little better so we knew where we were on the track. Lucas, for his flaws, is pretty good at giving you an overview of the playing field; where things are in relation to each other. I felt lost a few times during the races, but an argument could be made that that adds to the excitement. You don’t know where you’re going, but hopefully, you’re along for the ride.

Speed Racer is a beautiful, crazy film. It’s visually inventive, stunningly conceived, and remarkably sweet in its own lunk-headed way. It’s the perfect film for 9-year-old boys. It’s not especially deep or poignant or capital “I”-important, but it’s what the Wachowskis know how to do and dammit, they gotta do something.

Fin.

Damn.

Think the Wachowskis watched Tron?

This whole ending sequence is breathtaking.

Shades of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the grandfather of this type of trippy thrill-ride.

Glitter explosion.

The strobing zebra zoetrope section is pure magic.

Again, the ghost of Star Wars pops up. We see the “pro” racers sipping on caviar while their cars are outfitted with the latest gear while Speed’s family sweats over their car while munching on mom’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Compare that to the Empire’s huge contingent of fighters and orbital battle stations versus a ragtag group of run-down X-wing fighters.

I mean, the guy’s name is “RacerrReX.”

Speed Racer has a posse.

First off, I love how the snowtrails create speed lines. It’s a great way to bridge from the cartoon to film. I also love the fact that the fight scene is basically a mixture of what the Wachowskis pioneered in The Matrix (remember after the first one where it seemed like every single film had a wire-fu fight in it?) and the Adam West Batman series. All it’s missing is the “KAPOW!” and “THWOK!” and the “BIFF-BANG-POW!”