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Movies / On DVD / Speed Racer
Speed Racer

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Speed Racer (2008)

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37 %
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Reviews Counted:199

Fresh:73

Rotten:126

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: The Wachowski Brothers have overloaded Speed Racer with headache-inducing special effects, and neglected to develop a coherent storyline.

Australian Rating: PG [See Full Rating] Action violence and coarse language

Runtime: 2 hrs 15 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Australian Theatrical Release:
Jun 12, 2008 Wide

US Box Office: $43,929,341

Synopsis: Based on the 1960s Japanese-manga-derived animated TV series of the same name, SPEED RACER follows the adventures of the title character (Emile Hirsch), a young race car driver who sits behind the... Based on the 1960s Japanese-manga-derived animated TV series of the same name, SPEED RACER follows the adventures of the title character (Emile Hirsch), a young race car driver who sits behind the wheel of the lightning-fast Mach 5 vehicle. Aided by his family, which includes Pops Racer (John Goodman) and Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon), and his devoted doe-eyed girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed racks up victory after victory, but still lives in the shadow of his late older brother, Rex (Scott Porter), who died in a race. When Speed garners the wrath of Royalton Industries, he must team up with the enigmatic Racer X (Matthew Fox) to defeat the ruthless corporation. Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the masterminds behind the MATRIX films, SPEED RACER replaces the gritty techno patina of that blockbuster series with a polished, brightly hued virtual reality. Though the eye-popping visuals threaten to eclipse the acting, the fine cast gamely makes the most of their green-screen environment, particularly the likable Hirsch, who won acclaimed for his decidedly different INTO THE WILD role, and LOST's always-noble Fox. Adding to the movie's giddy mood are Paulie Litt and his chimp companion, who provide comic relief as Speed's playful younger brother, Spritle, and Chim Chim, respectively. While definitely a case of style over substance, SPEED RACER is a movie meticulously designed to appeal to families and kids, especially the Spritle-like young ones. [More]

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Christina Ricci

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rain, Richard Roundtree, Roger Allam, Benno Furmann, Kick Gurry, Paulie Litt, Nicholas Elia

Director: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski

Director: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski
Screenwriter: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Producer: Joel Silver, Grant Hill, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Composer: Michael Giacchino
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Speed Racer

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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The appeal of this frenetically-paced fantasy is probably limited to 10-year-olds, gamers and fanboys.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia) | comment 2 Comments
06/13/08
Vicky Roach
Vicky Roach
Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is fairly simplistic anti-corporate fare, told in a way that occasionally defies comprehension as well as gravity. Impressionistic is the word.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment 1 Comment
06/13/08
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An overlong and downright boring story, with its plodding family scenes interspersed between the action sequences, makes Speed Racer a bit of a flooded engine.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
06/13/08
Pauline Adamek
Pauline Adamek
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Resembling little more than a two-hour video game, the high-energy movie is positive enough about the strength of family to forgive the challenges of the format and simply go along for the (very loud and noisy) ride offered by the Wachowski brothers.

Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | comment Comment
06/13/08
Des Partridge
Des Partridge
Courier Mail (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Given that Speed Racer itself is basically an elaborate commercial, the anti-corporate message inevitably rings hollow.

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
06/12/08
Jake Wilson
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No doubt the Wachowski brothers were aiming for a surreal atmosphere, and they hit their mark, but it too often felt less an edge-of-your-seat movie experience and more a pretty cool new computer game.

Full Review Source: Sunday Mail (Australia) | comment Comment
06/12/08
Colin Newton
Colin Newton
Sunday Mail (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Creating visual styles that break boundaries is what the Wachowskis do best; Speed Racer is a thrilling triumph of multi-layered visual storytelling, combining CGI with live action & involving mind boggling race sequences using virtual real-life locations

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/05/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The actors are lost amidst the orgy of pixels writhing around like the special effects equivalent of a bukkake film

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment 2 Comments
05/12/08
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What grounds the spectacle, pushing it beyond a two-hour ejaculation of sensation, is its yearning for innocence

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/26/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Fellow critics mercilessly denounced this dazzling, visually inventive adaptation; one of the ten best films of 2008

Full Review Source: Orange County and Long Beach Blade | comment 3 Comments
02/27/09
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Orange County and Long Beach Blade

Cut from car to driver to announcer to audience and over and over again, ad nauseam. Such pretty racing scenes, so little to actually see.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
11/14/08
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

The brothers swamp the fragile story and characters with such a deluge of CGI tricks and elaborate action sequences that it proves hard to care about the humans on screen.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/18/08
Mike Goodridge
Mike Goodridge
Screen International

You have to be 12 to like it, and I have to say there is little or nothing here to remind us why we were all quite so excited about The Matrix.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/18/08
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

A flashy, colorful film that packs a ton o’ fun into its fast-paced frame.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
10/18/08
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Twelve-year-old boys should be wowed, but for the rest of us, it will depend on your appetite for eye candy.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
10/18/08
Tom Charity
Tom Charity
CNN.com

Even the target audience of 10-year-olds might get jimmy legs sitting for a punishing 135 minutes as the Wachowski brothers projectile-vomit their cotton-candy dreams all over the big screen.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
10/18/08
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

You can feel the kids in the audience tapping their feet, waiting for more action. So, let’s just give the kids what they want: fast-paced excitement, wrapped up in a colorful package.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
10/01/08
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

The arty blockbuster has arrived, and it's as flashy, accessorized and auto-erotic as can be. Which creates a strange sensation indeed, that it's not just the cars that are smoking, but those Wachowski brothers as well, and whatever's in their pipes too.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
09/22/08
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

Latest News for Speed Racer

January 21, 2009: Razzies Name 2008's Worst Movie Nominees
No awards season would be complete without the Golden Raspberry Awards (AKA The Razzies), awarded each year to the very worst movies to hit Hollywood. This year's winners will... More...

October 06, 2008: Filme.Acasa: Un blockbuster de arta a sosoit la linia de final. Este sclipitor, accesoriat si auto-erotic. Speed Racer iti face inima sa pulseze de trei ori mai repede. Opens in new window
More...

September 22, 2008: The arty blockbuster has arrived, and it's as flashy, accessorized and auto-erotic as can be. Which creates a strange sensation indeed, that it's not just the cars that are smoking, but those Wachowski brothers as well, and whatever's in their pipes too. Opens in new window
More...

September 15, 2008: RT on DVD: Speed Racer Zooms to Blu-ray!
Get the pop rocks and Coke ready -- Speed Racer is out this week! We'll tell you what new releases to skip over, when Death Proof and Planet Terror are headed to Blu-ray, and... More...

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