Go Speed Racer!

I don’t have much time for a post today. Which is odd, seeing as how it’s break week at school, so I should have more time. But I don’t, so there you have it. I will say that I watched Speed Racer last night. I’d heard a lot of bad about the movie, and so my expectations were quite low. You know what? The movie was great. It was a fun ride–silly, unrealistic cartoon action and zany eye candy. Family friendly, even. This is one that I think got a lot of scrutiny because of the Wachowskis–people went in expecting the next Matrix, and what they got was a top dollar animated TV show production. That sounds like it would be lame, but really–what it did for me was take a Saturday morning cartoon to the absolute extreme. What if the budget were so big, you could afford big name actors and top of the line special effects, but the basic plot stayed the same? That’s okay with me–I loved Saturday morning cartoons as a kid, and I loved this movie. Just don’t go in expecting your life to change, for crying out loud. Three stars. Add a half star if you’re watching it on blu-ray with a decent sound system. It’s a blast!

4 thoughts on “Go Speed Racer!”

  1. most people just don’t like the Wachowski’s as people…
    … they’ve stolen ideas from people. Disrespected talented Actors such as Marcus Chong, and even taken the “bullet-time” special effect from a College student. Proof that after the first Matrix movie they couldn’t make anything better is tantamount of their real talent. They’ll never do anything better than the Matrix cause it wasn’t fully their creation from the beginning. And, Speed Racer was 2 hours of wasted film. My children didn’t enjoy it, and the content was just absurd.
    The Wachowski’s are “out of touch” with their audience.

  2. Re: most people just don’t like the Wachowski’s as people…
    I disagree. I’m a pretty big movie buff myself, and if I haven’t heard the rumblings you’re claiming about the Wachowskis, I find it hard to believe your statement that “most people” don’t like them. I doubt most people could identify them as the writers and directors of the Matrix.
    I don’t think it’s a matter of them being out of touch with their audience–it’s a matter of them not picking an audience and sticking with it. If Stephen King suddenly came out with a picture book populated with fluffy bunnies who go around doing nothing but dancing and hopping, his fan base wouldn’t likely get it, even if it was a great picture book, judged alone.
    My point is that the Wachowskis started with Matrix and V for Vendetta, both of which appeal to a certain type of viewer. When those viewers went to see Speed, they were disappointed. It was a family film, not a “Wachowski” film. Yes, the content was absurd, but I’d argue that it was absurd on purpose. Once I realized that and accepted it, the film was tons of fun.

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