ROTTEN TOMATOES: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Iron Man Rocks, Speed Racer Stalls

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Iron Man Rocks, Speed Racer Stalls

by Gitesh Pandya | May 11, 2008

Summary

There was no stopping the strength of Iron Man which dominated the multiplexes for a second straight frame grossing more than the two new releases combined. Back to Article

(1-48 of 48 posts) | Reply

knowingtoast85 writes:
on May 11 2008 07:18 PM

Speed Racer crashed and burned. This report makes it only sound like a minor misfire.

Personally, it fell into so-unbelievably-disastrously-bad-it's-awesome territory for me, and while I was completely entertained the entire time, it was thanks to a healthy sense of irony, which I can imagine isn't shared by most of the country.

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jneverman writes:
on May 11 2008 07:42 PM

I honestly enjoyed speed racer. It had it's flaws, but still really entertaining. It saddens me that speed racer is getting such a bad rep.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on May 11 2008 07:54 PM

Yeah I thought Speed Racer was pretty cool (8/10). I was really hoping it would do well, and to see it become a trilogy. I hope this doesnt mean were gonna get a crappy special featuresless DVD. It had flaws, like I wish they took out Speed's one liners when hes driving, the effects were amazing but some looked unfinished, but overall it was pretty good and cool, and Ill definately get this on blu-ray.

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JakeTheSnakeMane writes:
on May 11 2008 07:58 PM

Speed Racer, I thought was terrible. It bored me to death and did not have me entertained at all. I was really disappointed because I thought it was going to be good.

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magic32 writes:
on May 11 2008 08:38 PM

THOR's gonna be cool. think awesome Marvel superhero origin pic meets the scope and scale Lord of the Rings.

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mssk8erboy writes:
on May 11 2008 08:45 PM

I loved speed racer and i can't wait til i get to see it again, hopefully in Imax this time. The visuals in that film are completely breathtaking and countless steps ahead of anything else i've seen, everything is just so vibrant looking. I'm glad that iron man had a good second week though i want that film to do well.

-MIKE

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berzo12 writes:
on May 11 2008 09:02 PM

I dont like it when movies fail usually but Speed Racer is just a bad movie and i took some advil half way through. With Iron man I think it shows that studios are finally starting to understand that the source material is much more compelling than any movie dumbed down to broaden appeal(ex. Sin City,and Batman Begins). Hopefully the same thinking will be put into The Incredible Hulk from Marvel.

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Y4USay writes:
on May 11 2008 09:05 PM

You wan visual? No waste money on Speed Wacer. Take many drug. Much better time.

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thereign writes:
on May 11 2008 09:42 PM

Speed Racer sucked A$$ at hyperspeed. It was one of the worst films I've seen in a long time, and I just couldn't understand why the Wachowskis went so overboard visually. It was CGI overload with characters you couldn't possibly care about for ten seconds. I am so glad this is dying a quick death at the box office(with the final blow to be dealt by the upcoming Prince Caspian), I could do handsprings.

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FantasyFan07 writes:
on May 11 2008 10:19 PM

Haha, funny stuff. I'm glad to see Speed Racer crash and burn. Oh the irony...

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u1sart writes:
on May 11 2008 10:23 PM

I think speed Racer was great. The wachowski made a turn by directing and producing a show for kids and i carried ma little nephew and ma daughter and they were wowed by the special effects. I dont know why some of u people are so lame. Speed Racer was reall good. I think the wachowski should come strong next time. I'd love for them to do Gears of War.

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-apocolyptic- writes:
on May 11 2008 10:53 PM

Man the Wachowski brothers haven't made a good movie since "the matrix".
The trailer for speed racer looked sloopy and tooo much of " how much can we do with visuals(CGI)".
They have become the Hollywood idea of overindulgence.

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CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on May 11 2008 11:16 PM

well it seems the rt community is divided..but if i could add my

two cents I think its shame for any movie to barely beat out such a crappy

mov ie, like What happens in vegas. I'm sorry but speed racer is a definitely

a worth while experience and i still believe people are just hatin too

harshly. The movie was nowhere near as bad as everyone is proclaiming and I

just believe the people who hate came into the theater wanting to destroy it!

I still really liked very much and for all the haters out there, if you want

to see a god awful movie that is so disgusting and putrid then watch What

happens in vegas or made of honor!!!

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GGear0323 writes:
on May 11 2008 11:55 PM

ever since the matrix the wachowski's have been so obsessed with CG it is frightening. the 2 matrix sequels threw out a competent storyline for expensive CG work and big words hoping nobody would catch on that they had no clue what they were talking about, then Speed Racer took an already sorta cheesy anime, made it even cheesier and took visual cues for the race scenes from Ridge Racer, Wipeout and Twisted Metal(though car weapons were part of the anime anyway) and then made everything EXTREMELY shiny and ultra reflective and try to pass it off as some new landmark in Theatrical CG work.

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thereign writes:
on May 12 2008 12:59 AM

I love the fact that if you don't go with the flow of loving a movie simply because it's got gosh-gee-whiz effects in it, you're automatically a "hater" or "lame". People have different viewpoints on what makes a good movie, and everyone has the right to their own opinion. Personally I hoped Speed Racer would be a pleasant surprise...and it WASN'T.

The threadbare story was lame, the acting sucked because the actors obviously weren't comfortable working with so much green screen and effects they had to visualize in their head rather than being able to REACT to something REAL, and the CGI was just an overindulgence by the Wachowskis, who really have nothing good(aside from V for Vendetta) besides The Matrix to coast on for their careers.

Why don't we come up with a new term for people who'll take whatever cinematic slop is served up to them? Something like "Money Shots"(standing ready to receive Wachowski-jizz all over their faces, i.e.: Wow, you Money Shots sure do love yourself some lame Speed Racer/Meet The Spartans/or what have you) or some other lame-as$ term? Maybe then folks can see that it's insipid to insult people just for disagreeing with them about something as simple as a damn movie.

And by the way...the rest of the country must be equally lame for staying away from Speed Racer IN DROVES. Or just in case one didn't read the full article, it's not even decided if SR is the #2 movie; the race is so close(no pun intended) it might turn out come Monday to be What Happens In Vegas, which while by no means was it a perfect film, it was damn sure more enjoyable than Speed Crapper. If this happens, I will laugh my head off for a week!

Damn Money Shots.

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Gimy writes:
on May 12 2008 05:53 AM

friday...i thought speed would do REALLY REALLY WELL, saturday...after seeing it, eh...not so much. its not a crap movie(like some kid's movies last year) but somebody please tell me what age they were shooting for. you have a pg movie with a stupid amount of curse words(almost ALL were unnecessary)...and its almost 2.5 hours long. doesn't surprise me that it made nothing. visually...stunning. but the story, some of the acting, and the seemingly thrown in curse words for no reason really made me wish they'd have went back and redid most of the flick before releasing it. it just didn't work. it could have been really really good but...in the end, it's pure rental. not worth 7 bucks

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Pengoo writes:
on May 12 2008 06:29 AM

Seems like the Wachowski's are the new Shamalyan

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TombstoneLawDog writes:
on May 12 2008 06:53 AM

In reply to this comment (#1731891)
Couch; you and I seem to agree on this site as often as not, but I gotta say that in this case, Speed Racer can't get ENOUGH scorn. SR was *easily* the worst movie I've seen in the last 12 months, and that's including rentals.
There was virtually NO single shot in the entire movie that looked real-- and I don't mean 'real' as in "why can't I see that on the streets of NY" but 'real' as in "that looks absolutely NOTHING like what they're saying it is to the point where it is distracting me from this pathetic dialogue and unengaging story."

I actually was concerned that my unqualified LOVE for the Matrix as one of the finest achievements in Science Fiction cinema History would be diminished retroactively by how miserable a time I had, watching SR (it wasn't-- Matrix still RULES). The only thing I got out of it was my best friend enjoyed it for nostalgia's sake. So for those who enjoyed this, god f#cking bless.

And please, for those who are about to blow a load and say 'you just didn't GET it,' ..really, don't waste your time. I got it. There wasn't much there to get and I didn't like it. Next.

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Ashron writes:
on May 12 2008 07:07 AM

I'll throw my hat into the ring. I thought SR was enjoyable enough. The acting wasn't THAT bad (and who's to say the Wachowski's weren't going for some of that, to match the style of the cartoon). I do agree that some of the effects didn't look finished, which was weird, but overall I had a good time with it. Could have been about 15 minutes shorter and more wide shots to really see what was going on would have been nice.

I tell you what though, if real racing was like that, I'd be a NASCAR fan in a heartbeat.

And for those of you who didn't like it, that's cool. I can certainly see why and your points are valid, they just didn't bother me as much. I pretty much knew what I was getting into when I saw it.

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Runtun writes:
on May 12 2008 07:23 AM

I cannot believe that people actually thought Speed Racer would do well. I am not talking about the quality of the film, I have no real opinion since I have not seen it (and probably won't since the trailer didn't appeal to me), but the fact that people thought it would have nostalgia appeal like 'Transformers'. Speed Racer is a very old cartoon that is simply not remembered that much today and also the basic concept has little to no appeal to kids who have never heard of the show. Racing cars alone don't excite kids, unlike say giant transforming robots doing battle, especially with the extremely gaudy visual style. Look at Pixar's 'Cars'. It had the car theme, but talking 'cute' cars, with a bold, colorful and much less cluttered look. And the kids absolutely loved it. Speed Racer, I believe, it too obscure and too much, you even might say arty, visually to appeal to kids.

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AmericanEagleJRL writes:
on May 12 2008 07:46 AM

In reply to this comment (#1731901)
Twisted Metal. Now THERE is a video game adaptation I could get behind!!!!!

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smi1ey writes:
on May 12 2008 08:47 AM

speed racer is INCREDIBLY underrated. i saw it last night and was blown away. YES it was campy. YES it was insanely fast paced.

oh wait... it was inspired by a horrible japanese anime from 25 years ago!!!

what did people expect from this movie!? i don't get it. i came to be blown away by visual effects, and to see things i've never seen before in a movie... it completely blew away my expectations in both regards. it was one of the most visually stunning movies i've ever seen. i'm saddened it's doing so poorly in the box office. =/

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Helmkat writes:
on May 12 2008 09:03 AM

I'm really suprised Speed Racer tanked. It's not perfect but it is worth a see. My biggest problem was all the talking! LOL, I wanted more Racing! I will see it again in digital or on the Imax.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on May 12 2008 09:03 AM

In reply to this comment (#1732065)
Well M. Night actually has made more then one great movie (signs,sixth sense,unbreakable). The problem with Wachowski's is they struck gold early with The Matrix and will probably never make a movie as great, but I still think Speed Racer was preety good.

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smi1ey writes:
on May 12 2008 09:24 AM

Here's the thing with the Wachowski brothers... with every new movie they make, I am dazzled with something that I've never seen before in a movie. It's tough to do this nowadays with all the incredible effects out there. For me, Speed Racer did this more than any other movie I've ever seen. There were tons of "oh snap" moments as I like to say. ;)

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punktuate writes:
on May 12 2008 10:41 AM

I know all of you basically thought Speed Racer was garbage but it wasn't made for twentysomethings or anything like that it was aimed at kids (it was a cartoon) and people that actually remember when it was originally on and the rest of us who (like myself) used to stay up till 11pm-midnight and watch reruns on MTV thats how I got exposed to it and I still love the original cartoon. I thought the movie definetly captured the feel of the cartoon the cornyness, the crazy adventures of a boy and his monkey, Speed's hot girlfriend Trixie, overbearing father, and bad *** don't know it's my brother Racer-X. The movie wasn't a Transformers but hell that wasn't a corny cartoon it was a cool cartoon that is still watchable to this day, Speed Racer is now a little too corny it's like trying to watch Thundercats now....it's just bad. So bag on the movie all you want I'm going to go watch Iron Man again and will wait for DVD for Speed but I still dug the hell out of it. 8/10

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dahluzz writes:
on May 12 2008 10:41 AM

the post-first-matrix wachowski implosion has taken place because they allowed a combination of expectations and their own self-indulgence to dictate their directorial choices.

they wrongfully assumed that they had to go bigger and badder with the matrix sequels, or else people wouldn't care because they weren't being fed something 'new and innovative,' technologically. when really, the effects in the first matrix only complimented an already excellent story and highly specific, stylish cinematography.

the fight with the smiths in 'reloaded' is a perfect example of a set-piece that bore no weight in terms of story and by the end, had just gone completely overboard (um, if neo can fly, why does he hang out and try to fight 100 agent clones at the same time... THEN fly away. hello?)

SPED racer is the ultimate instance of directors run amok. the studios (and the always vocal joel silver) put their full trust in the Wachos because, if nothing else, the matrix trilogy made dough. well, now the same can't be said for their latest technological masturbation sesh, so those keys to the cinematic kingdom (and the vault) will be promptly revoked.

the people who liked this film are the same people who liked the trailer, and defended it in all its hyperglycemic, epilepsy-inducing glory. they accuse the 'haters' of going in wanting to dislike the movie (why would those people see it then?), but really they were just as determined to like the movie, regardless of how worthless they know it really is.

so larry, andy, let's get real. now that you've failed with the critics AND failed at making money, can we agree that this was a bad choice when you could have done anything?

"oh well we wanted to make something for our kids and--" NO, SHUT UP. i don't care about your kids, whose synapses are likely permanently fried after watching the 4-hour director's cut, i don't care about try to 're-imagine' an obscure 60's television show which was nearly devoid of substance altogether. friggin check yourselves. you guys made 'the matrix.' now start acting like it.

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Dubloh writes:
on May 12 2008 10:52 AM

People don't give this movie a chance because all they see in the trailers are seizure inducing effects (which after seeing the movie, I realise it couldn't have worked any other way), when in reality the movie has a much deeper side.

Even with its indecisive nature (kids movie or 40 year old target audience?) it still merits more praise than it is currently getting. The bros set out to create something beatifull, and they hit the nail on the head.

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smi1ey writes:
on May 12 2008 11:07 AM

In reply to this comment (#1732426)
Well put, Dubloh. They have created something truly artistic and visually beautiful. And honestly, I felt much more emotionally attached at the end of the film than I expected I would be.

I can see plenty of valid points from the people who hate this film, but it seems most of them are the same people who jump on the "Matrix 2 & 3 suck!" bandwagon.

Can no one in this day see a movie for the movie itself? Sometimes I feel like there are far too many people who can view a film objectively, and not sit there brooding about previous directorial failures, or creating over-the-top expectations. I knew what kind of movie this was going to be... or else I wouldn't have paid $10 to see. It got everything that would be expected of a live action remake of a cheesy anime cartoon, and more.

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TombstoneLawDog writes:
on May 12 2008 11:07 AM

In reply to this comment (#1732426)
>Dubloh wrote: People don't give this movie a chance because all they see in >the trailers are seizure inducing effects (which after seeing the movie, I >realise it couldn't have worked any other way), when in reality the movie >has a much deeper side.

You NEED to tell me what that deeper side was. Seriously. 'Deep' as in "look at that fake-#ss DEEP CG canyon that SR is impossibly driving out of!"
"Do I have to sit through any more 'deep'-dish horse-sh#t dialogue?"
"The Wachowski's were given access to 'deep' pockets and this misbegotten, frenetic mess is the best they could come up with?"

Once again and for all time: I do not begrudge those who enjoy movies that I do not. But your comment that this movie has some 'deeper side' literally blew mind far more than the third-grade epileptic seizure that I witnessed on screen.

Kudos to Dahluzz whose review of this movie I whole-heartedly endorse.

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nogard46 writes:
on May 12 2008 12:06 PM

how awkward did Emile Hirsh seem in this movie?

he was just such a downer, I never knew race car drivers can be so boring and depressing? The guy had as much charisma as an empty can of coke! Just felt bad for him, and he must have graduated from the Stink Face School of Acting, its like all he did in the film was make a stink face!

felt so bad for the guy, saw the trailer for Kung Fu Panda and Wall E, both those fake CGI characters had more charm than him just from the trailers alone.

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alsanali writes:
on May 12 2008 12:45 PM

I just hope now that the Wachowski's next film will inevitably have a smaller budget, they can channel up their creativity from their early years and give us something excellent like Bound.

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Trufire writes:
on May 12 2008 02:00 PM

I thought that Speed Racer would still get around 30 mil but then of course I thought Iron Man would get 90 to 95 mil opening weekend. On the whole I haven't been too off this summer season so far. I throughly enjoyed Speed Racer though. I expected it to be cheesy fun with lots of flashy colors and that's just what it did. I think that the Bro's did a very good job of keeping the original spirit of anime in the film (hence why MANY of the shots don't look real but that is all part of the fun) and while the plot does trail away from time to time, it never takes long for it to go back. The acting was decent and on the whole, would give it about a 8 to 8.5 out of 10. Iron Man gets a 9.5 out of 10 for me IMO ;) The market for Speed Racer was just too little over here to really connect to people. It had just been too long for people to truly remember the series and the young people had never even seen it save for maybe on on Boomerang perhaps. I would buy it though.

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JLOPZ12 writes:
on May 12 2008 02:35 PM

I just knew Speed Racer would be a disapointment. Although Iron Man i s #1 agian for the 2nd week, Prince Caspian will b #1 next weekend

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CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on May 12 2008 04:14 PM

Well, now I'm depressed... What Happens in Vegas just passed

speed racer in the box office race. I know, I know everyone seems to hate

speed but please aren't we all in agreement that its a movie that deserves a

better fate than finishing behind an ashton kutcher movie!! Jeez, i am

depressed...

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sliknik27 writes:
on May 12 2008 04:32 PM

Wait, Rain is in Speed Racer? One ticket, please.

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Adramelech writes:
on May 12 2008 06:15 PM

In reply to this comment (#1732097)
I'll refrain from saying "you don't get it", but I'll point out that the negative points you have for disliking Speed Racer are the exact reasons that a lot of the non-kid crowd enjoyed it. It's a garish, preposterous spectacle of big budget CG run amok. Drenched in irony and fanboy nerdisms, intentional or not, it's the kind of movie the 20-something internet crowd can find hysterically funny for all the wrong reasons.

That doesn't make it a good film technically, of course.

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thereign writes:
on May 12 2008 06:36 PM

Ashton Kutcher Punk'd Speed Racer!

The prophecy is fulfilled!!!! :-)

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onepiece226 writes:
on May 12 2008 07:04 PM

What prophecy??? are you mental?

Ok Speed Racer was made for kids! Kids and the people who liked the show, THATS IT!!!!!!!!

RT is known for having people who hate a movie, don't see it, and then when the Box Office wrapup comes out, they say it sucked, like they even saw it!

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thereign writes:
on May 12 2008 08:36 PM

Actually I did see it, opening day. I'm not a hater, because I wanted it to be good...it just wasn't. Sorry you liked it so much, but that's your opinion. And I did say earlier that it was very likely What Happens In Vegas might beat it...therefore fulfilling my prediction.

Calm down there, buddy-boy.

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CallistaZM writes:
on May 12 2008 08:44 PM

Congratulations are in order for Jon Favreau, Robert Downey, Jr and Marvel Studios for continuing to kick major @$$. I am so happy for everyone involved in Iron Man, especially Robert. He so deserves this.

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smi1ey writes:
on May 12 2008 11:57 PM

i just don't understand why everyone hates speed racer so much. i refuse to jump on the hate bandwagon for this one. maybe you just had to be in a certain mindset when you went to speed. i mean, i've never seen one episode of the original show (just bits and pieces), so i really had no idea what to expect, and i didn't have the highest expectations either. oh well, i thought it was incredible. so sue me.

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ovolacto writes:
on May 15 2008 10:39 AM

I really don't know why so many people didn't like Speed Racer. I loved it. When you watch that movie, you have to remember that it is a family movie based on a poorly animated Saturday morning cartoon. Personally, I did not like the cartoon, but I found that care was taken to preserve those cartoon images in the movie and keep the movie close to the original cartoon show. Anyone who watched the T.V. cartoon show will make the connection and enjoy the movie, but others who are not familiar with the cartoon show will not make the connection and not enjoy the show. I agree that if this show came from out of nowhere, it would not make sense. Those who did not like the movie should watch a few episodes of the cartoon to see if that helps. As for how the movie stands alone by itself, no one can deny that it is entertaining, fast moving and exciting. After all, don't we go to the theatre to be entertained for a couple of hours and leave the real world behind? This movie does that well in addition to using foreshadowing well, tying up lose ends, and giving the audience something to cheer.

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itoculito writes:
on May 16 2008 01:21 PM

Speed is an awsome and spectacular movie people stop having a life and go watch this movie there is still time to save SPEED!!

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Cupcakemafia writes:
on May 17 2008 10:47 AM

i believe that a true movie shouldn't use Special Effects so much unless needed, and should build the all sets

it makes it more fun for me

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noodl3s writes:
on May 30 2008 05:28 PM

speed racer was downright epic. it had my blood pumping and the visuals were not only appropriate for the content, but amazing. i loved it.

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bam bam murphy writes:
on Jun 15 2008 02:13 AM

This goes to show (yet again) that not every cartoon based property will do well if turned into a live action film. You've got to have a good story, interesting characters and a fan base to build off of. Speed racer has none of this. It was a crappy cartoon and should have been left to be seen as reruns for all the anime nerds to watch on boomerang at 4 am.
Wachowskis are finished and I'm so glad because ....they suck eggs. Although, maybe we could give them one more shot...How about a live action Blue Falcon and Dinomutt!!! Yeah! That'll do really well....Let's call the suits and spend 130 million dollars on it! Idiots.

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Seath_Tt writes:
on Jun 29 2008 01:07 PM

I thought Speed Racer rocked. I didn't like Iron Man, too cliche for me (I'm a big anime fan so Robot-suit vs Robot-suit didn't do it for me.) But I loved Speed Racer, I'm a big fan of the show and I thought the movie did it more than justice.

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