The Wachowski’s Speed Racer is most certainly the best children’s film of the last fifteen years. It is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on crack. The original, not that Burton junk. It manages to grab every single element a child could enjoy and slam it all into a two hour, action packed, sugar addicted, cartoony extravaganza that rivals almost every children’s film that has come before it. In fact, it’s so good, that it makes every other children’s cartoon-show-turned-film look dense in comparison. Speed Racer is the perfect example of a cartoon-turned-live-action. And all of this is a very, very good thing.
First of all, you don’t have to be a fan (or even that knowledgable) of the Speed Racer cartoon to appreciate the movie. In fact, it’s obvious that the Wachowski’s went out of their way to make sure this was the case. Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is the middle child in a family who are dedicated to racing. His father owns a small-time racing garage and his older brother Rex was killed during a racing event several years prior. Now Speed, who looked up to Rex and obsessed about car racing since he was younger, aims to fill the void his brother left behind by becoming the best racer in the world. And the movie starts off with him well on his way. Speed also has a younger brother, Spritle, who happens to be best friends with the family’s pet monkey, Chim Chim.
The film starts with Speed making an amazing appearance during a highly publicized race which sparks a league of sponsors aiming to make him apart of their team. But as Speed deals with more sponsors and race celebrities, he quickly figures out that there’s much about the racing world he dislikes. And like his older brother Rex, he aims to fix it.
I really can’t speak more highly of this film. Hirsch falls perfectly into the role of Speed, a young man conflicted by what his future holds for him. While he knows he is on the rise to fame and fortune, he’s also smart enough to realize that some things which seem too good to be true are. Pops Racer (John Goodman) spends his time being the typically overprotective father when it comes to the dangerous sport they partake in. He’s been around the block a few times and he’s all the wiser for it. Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon) plays the ideal mother, obsessed with the safety of her children first, yet always encouraging and pushing to bring out their best. One might think that Chim Chim would be a horrible fit within this cartoon/real world realm, but that notion couldn’t be more wrong. It may be an odd comparison, but Chim Chim is handled the way Jar Jar Binks should have been handled. He’s funny at the right times, not distracting at all, and he genuinely makes you smile. Unbelievably there’s a monkey on the screen with roughly thirty minutes of screen time and not one fart joke. Take that George Lucas.
I’m not sure I could express the visuals of this film with words that would come anywhere close to describing what it is like to watch it. I’ve never done acid, but I’m pretty sure after multiple viewings of this I’ve got a good idea of what it would be like.
The only minor negative to mention would be watching it on your home entertainment setup. I’m just not sure that even a 60” television would do this film justice. I imagine that would be like trying to watch The Matrix on a 14” monitor. You will miss so many important details that the Wachoski’s put into each and every shot. They went out of their way to make you feel like you’re apart of the race. The colors and visuals are enough to entertain a child and watching them on a ‘small’ screen won’t do them justice.
Think back to the first time you saw the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Think back to how, as a kid, you felt when it was over. How you wanted to buy all those wonderful candies. How you wanted to win a golden ticket of your own. How you would have killed to find a factory half as amazing as Wonka’s. Speed Racer brings back each and every one of those feelings. You’ll be dying to drive a car like the Mach 5. You’ll be giddy to rewatch each race/crash. And you’ll be jumping up and down to watch Speed do what he does best.
This is one acid trip you’ll want to take.
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