The Wachowski brothers, Andy and Larry, are responsible for the Matrix movies and V is for Vengeance so it's not entirely out of character for them to tackle the “live-action” remake of the old Japanese anime TV series, Speed Racer. Nor is it particularly surprising that they have used special effects to create a world that the original animators could only (and probably did) dream of. Speed Racer is stunning to watch and really should be seen in a movie theater. Short of that, be sure to get a high-quality DVD copy of the film and watch it in a home theater environment on a giant flat-screen TV. That way you'll get a good idea just how yellow Susan Sarandon's dress is, how red Emile Hirsch's socks are, how orange the walls of Speed Racer's classroom are and just how electric blue the sky can be. It's an entirely artificial, electric candy-colored world that the Wachowski brothers have created and it's a joy to watch. Unfortunately, that's about the only true joy to this film. If you're looking for a story or a message that goes beyond the most mediocre, you will be sorely disappointed. Emile Hirsch who most recently made a serious mark on audiences with his poignant portrayal of Chris McCandless in Sean Penn's directorial debut, Into the Wild, plays the eponymous Speed Racer who idolizes his older brother Rex Racer, one of the finest and fastest drivers on the circuits of the day. When Rex is killed – or is he? -- on a renegade race circuit, it's up to Speed to carry on the family tradition, racing cars designed by his father, played by John Goodman, while his mother, played by Susan Sarandon, excitedly makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while telling Speed that his race track maneuvers take her breath away. Meanwhile, childhood friend and, now, girfriend, Trixie, played by Christina Ricci, is there to support him every step of the way, walloping with two-fisted fury anyone who threatens her beau. Speed is courted by Royalton (Roger Allam) of Royalton Industries to leave his father's racing team and join the Royalton team. Racing is not about driving cars, the dirty industrialist tells Speed. It's all about money. This is in strict contrast to what Racer X, the mysterious figure who extolls the virtues of racing, says when he tells Speed that a race car driver does not race cars but is driven to race. This conflict between love and money or authenticity and contrived glory in the service of money is about as profound as Speed Racer gets. That and a strong thematic line about the importance and constancy of family. But the film does not dwell on such concepts. Instead, it races onward, using certain conflicts as an excuse to get to the racetrack scenes. Even if not terribly profound, the movie would have profited greatly by giving these themes just a little bit more depth. The film's biggest drawback is that no real emotion is generated by or for any of the characters. Goodman and Sarandon are especially pleasant and likable and by far the strongest presence on the screen. Ricci is great to look at and Hirsch does his best as the eponymous Speed Racer even though, in the end, he is given very little to do. Although the movie is ostensibly about him, he seems to be almost a secondary character. Then, again, most of the characters are secondary to the look and special effects of the film. Much of the first half of the film is spent providing back stories that go on for way too long and are confusing, to boot. Then come the race scenes that are initially fun to watch. Cars slide sideways through the turns, flip over and land right-side up and do just about everything else cars in a computer racing game are apt to do. The problem is that the tracks themselves are never fully revealed to the viewer and for the most part we have no idea who Speed is racing against nor what the significance of the race is. Some drivers are cast as bad guys but it is only in retrospect, if even then, that we get some idea of why they are so dastardly. Maybe the film should be taken at face value and let it go at that. After all, it is a feature film based on an animated TV series for kids, so overblown expectations may be the fault critics. At 135 minutes long, however, it is a stretch for kids to maintain interest. It could be that rather than being fit for theaters, it really is a better fit for the home theater where the refrigerator, potato chips and bathroom are within easy reach. A sip of a soft drink and a muttered “Mumtaz!” are fine accompaniment to an ultimately unimpressive experience. __
