Did anyone actually see Speed Racer?

[Avatar of Justice]

I finally got around to seeing Speed Racer tonight. I would've went and saw it opening night but my college graduation conflicted with that. Anywho, I enjoyed the crap out of the movie. Reviews said it was campy, but I didn't find it excessively so. There were a few plot twists that I didn't quite suspect either, whereas I had expected an entirely predictable plot.

Visually, the movie was neat. The car races were awesome to watch, although the rest of the world looked really childish due to the super bright colors. When they said they were trying to make it cartoony, they weren't kidding. I enjoyed more of what the people wore than the cars however.

The movie was over two hours long, and I felt it was well paced. There was enough time to have not only 5 races (if you count the rally sequence as 2 separate races), but there was also plenty of characters doing stuff off the track. I think this was the best part of the movie. There were enough races spread out so that I wasn't bored, and enough stuff happening outside of the races so that I felt like I had seen more than just a plot that was only an excuse for races. I also enjoyed how they played around with time in a few sequences (Speed racing his brother's "ghost" comes to mind).

I was never a fan of the original show. I'm a little too young to have seen it airing, but I honestly enjoyed Speed Racer more than Iron Man, mainly because I only enjoyed the half of Iron Man where he made the suit (found the action sequences to be a little stale), whereas I enjoyed all of Speed Racer. If you want some adult fun Iron Man is definitely the way the go, whereas I think everyone can enjoy Speed Racer. It's fun for the kids, but not really childish enough to piss an adult off.

So, did anybody else see it?

[FuriousFure]

yeah, I did. I agree with everything you just wrote.
When someone asked me how speed racer was, the only adjective I could think of was "colorful".

Good God, that movie was so bright and colorful, its like the equivalent of a rainbow exploding or an acid trip on steroids.
but the more I think about it and see bits and pieces of it, (I work as a projectionist at a movie theatre) the more I want to see it again.

as for the critics, I think they were dead wrong (mostly) and I think people forget that box office success, or lack thereof) doesn't make a movie bad or good.
so even if a movie doesn't shatter records, it might be a entertaining movie anyway.

with crap like Epic Movie doing well in the box office, maybe its good they didn't make a movie only to be a success. but made something they were proud of.

[I-n-j-i-n]

People and critics seems to bash it because bashing the Wachowski brothers is the 'hip thing' to do now. Also, with their extreme visual style, it's bound to piss off any casual movie fan who only wants it realistic and have Oscar-ramifications come next year. Screw them. Those types are the ones that lambasted Cloverfield, one of the best movies of last year.

[chrono26]

too kiddy. too much chimp and spritle foolishness and it seemed forced. other than that i thought it was really cool and pretty good.

[TheWestWind]

I watched the movie twice (once in IMAX). I read the reviews before I went, but I had my mind set on seeing it after I saw the trailer's racing scenes.

I was expecting an almost F-Zero-like bright colours flying by rush and that was just what I got. It was awesome and I wasn't able to sleep for at least a couple hours after. Every time someone asked me about the movie I was just like 'dude... like wow.. it was awesome..'. *Really* hard to say if I liked this more than Iron Man though.

I loved all the CG to death, for me it was the more colours the better. I didn't like the chimp and the kid scenes much though, but then, they were really short.

I have not ever seen an episode of the original Speed Racer, but my friend who went with me had said it was quite similar to the show. I think the reviewers are a tiny bit crazy because this movie does NOT deserve the low rating it got.

[dPaladin]

Oh wow, I'd had it pretty much written off as being a failure. I might go see it this weekend because of you guys (internet strangers!), but I'm seeing Indy first no matter what.

[I-n-j-i-n]

too kiddy. too much chimp and spritle foolishness and it seemed forced. other than that i thought it was really cool and pretty good.

I would put that squarely on the fact that the monkey and kid were just as annoying in the original version. The original was extremely campy, so I don't understand why people are so bewildered that the movie is too. That's simply ironic.

[Bleck]

People all expect a remake of a corny ass kids show to be some serious dramatic thing

Fuck all that

[Shadow Wolf]

Those types are the ones that lambasted Cloverfield, one of the best movies of last year.

Cloverfield came out 1/18/08. That was the tagline for the whole movie. That was the only thing printed on most of the promo posters.

Anyhow, I definitely need to see Speed Racer, it looks awesome.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

People all expect a remake of a corny ass kids show to be some serious dramatic thing

Fuck all that

Seriously. They want some Johnny Depp drama, go watch something else. This movie was never intended to be the most gripping film of the decade.

Speed Racer was an awesome movie with some awesome effects, visuals(ditto on the F-Zero, but more like Mario Kart mixed with Hot Wheels), acting, and appeal. I'd go see it again if I wasn't gonna go see Indy 4(probably best Indy movie yet) this week.

And fuck all y'all and your Spritle hatin'.

[Angel-Winged Demon]

Hi everybody, I'm a new person on these forums and well, since I'm posting I'll say, HAI to you all ^_^! Anyway, I saw Speed Racer last week and man, I have to say, I really liked this movie... alot. I hated the original show cuz they way the talked annoyed the living hell out of me XD. I saw parts of that old show when I was young LOL. But man, that movie was teh awsum. It really was. It was funny cuz I had decided to go see it out of curiousity due to the previews I saw for it and it actually caught my attention. IMO, it really delivered. It was really colorful but meh, didn't bug me at all. Nothing really bothered me about it so I'm completely fine with how it came out. I hope you other viewers of the movie liked it ^_^!

~ Songstress Lenne ~

[revenge_of_quatermass]

I loved Speed Racer, probably more than Iron Man. I think it was a really earnest attempt to re-create the original show. My only gripe is that I don't think they took it as far as they could have. I wish the movie was more outrageous. I think every time that Racer X was on the screen, they should have had that stupid voice-over explaining his history just like in the old show. I almost wish they spoke really fast too, just to make it even more retarded. Overall, I think people will come back to this movie and appreciate it more as time goes on, kinda like Tron. As for the Cloverfield comments, that movie doesn't stand up on the second viewing, although I really enjoyed it in theaters. Once you've seen it once, there's nothing left to really explore. They could pump out sequels like crazy though, and have it done with other people and their respective cameras, just slowly building the mythos, adding more creatures, just like Godzilla.

[Admiral_C]

I took my dad to go see it since he was a fan of the series when he was young. He enjoyed it, which was good enough for me.

The only thing I didn't like was the cursing. It seemed very out of place in what was supposed to be a family film. There was HUGE group of kids when I went to see it (someone's birthday party I think) and I heard some parent's whispering to each other asking if it was really a PG movie.

Other than that, the visuals were pretty nice, and the movie itself wasn't bad. From not having seen any of the actual show, it was a decent film.

[PhiJayy]

I can't believe what I'm reading in this thread. Speed Racer the Movie was actually "good"?

I hate critics.

[FuriousFure]

And fuck all y'all and your Spritle hatin'.

exactly!

and I know the majority of those posting in this thread may disagree, but I am glad that they threw in some non-kiddy elements into the movie. like the cursing

"Get that weak shit of my track." = Hilarious dialog

Also, no one under 15 would even begin to comprehend the plot with the business and stock stuff so I think it can't be considered as kiddy as the television show.

~sorta off topic~ Do you guys wonder what happened to parents pre-viewing movies before they allow their young kids to see it? I fear people might be putting to much faith in the vague and broad classifications of the ratings system!

[Avatar of Justice]

I was a little surprised about the cursing (and Spritle flippin' the bird), but not pissed. I thought there was just enough Spritle to make the kiddies giggle, but not enough to make adults angry. Apparently some people can't tolerate that kind of thing at all though.

[Blake]

I saw it about two (?) weeks ago, but was afraid to make a thread. However, both my dad and I were Speed Racer fans and decided to see it, and decided it was pretty good. There were lots of cars exploding for no reason, like in the original show. They even did a thing where the Mach 5 was riding the edge of the ridge, like on the last episode of the show. Everyone fit their role pretty well. The two dudes who played Racer X were good, and Matthew Fox's voice really reminded me of Racer X of the original for some reason. I can't believe all these guys agreed to do the movie.


And nobody's seen a movie where you have RAIN in a cool fight scene, fighting alongside JOHN GOODMAN? Lawl!! Rain was awesome in that movie.


Edit: I watched some of the originals on Youtube...I can't believe I ever liked this show as a kid. Looking back now the original fucking SUCKED haha.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Yeah, RAIN was pretty cool(at first I thought RAIN was the Japanese girl...), and John Goodman was doing what he does best: Being John Goodman(which I love). All and all, I thought the movie was good family fun, but not to the point where my friends and I couldn't enjoy it.

I also thought that for all the times that the movie was over the top, I thought that it managed to pull together a gritty racing drama quite well, and I applaud the Wachowski brothers and the entire film crew for making a great movie.

Also, critics are pretty much retards, and a general rule of thumb is that you take everything they say with a grain of salt.

[Hum4n After All]

I really enjoyed the movie.
Loved the soundtrack.
Speed and his Mach 5 whupped ass!

[The Author]

To all of you who have seen Speed Racer:

Were you on the edge of your seat at the end of the movie?
I was.

In Iron Man, I knew he was gonna win. It made it boring.

In Speed Racer, I knew he was gonna win, but it made it a hell of a show, because at that point, I felt they could make him finish second and not ruin the end of the movie. It was a thrill ride. Even people who did not know a thing about Speed Racer were enjoying this. It has everything a "cool" movie can have: fast car, hot girls (that were not just there to be pleasing to the eye), engaging story told in a great manner and funny, yet interesting, characters.

Speed Racer was not a movie supposed to change the world, however, I am sure it should change the way people see movies.

From the beginning with Speed in school, to the zebras, everything was stunning, colorful, gorgeous, and harmonious.

[Steben]

I'll agree with everything positive already mentioned about the movie.

But my favorite part was definitely the soundtrack. I don't know how they made a soundtrack for a two-hour movie almost completely based off of the Speed Racer theme song, but they did. And it as awesome.

If you're going to see the movie, try and count how many different ways they present the "Go Speed Racer Go" theme in the movie... it's hilarious.

[Poke'G]

Wow, from your guys' feed back in this thread, one wouldn't know the movie is bombing terribly.

Spread the word I guess. I'm seeing it tonight now that I'm back in Americaland where you don't have to wait two to eight months for a movie.

[Blake]

Wow, from your guys' feed back in this thread, one wouldn't know the movie is bombing terribly.


Not sure where you got that idea. It was actually number one in the box office two weekends ago, and is was still 4th this weekend.

EDIT: Nevermind, I was thinking of a different movie.

[Steben]

Wow, from your guys' feed back in this thread, one wouldn't know the movie is bombing terribly.

I think as denizens of the OCR forums, our tastes may be a little skewed as compared to the layman.

I think I've found maybe one other adult (in person) who's liked the movie, and she's my aunt, and is a big Speed Racer fan anyway.

[Sinewav]

I make it a point to ignore critics. I make it a point to ignore people for that matter. Everyone is so opinionated about everything, but they refuse to admit that it's just their opinion.

Anyhoo, you guys are really making me want to see this now.

[X]

I haven't seen it yet, but I have been curious. Trouble is that the previews really didn't look all that great to me (despite being a fair fan of the original), so I've been dubious about the matter.

I suppose the answer to this question shall settle it for me... overall and by comparison, is it about the same as, say, the recent Transformers movie? Better? Worse? About the same? I just need a close approximation/consensus.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Well you can't really compare the two. They're both very different in execution and audience.

[PhiJayy]

I haven't seen it yet, but I have been curious. Trouble is that the previews really didn't look all that great to me.

Yeah same here. That's why I assumed that the critics were right when they were talking crap about the movie. Silly me....critics suck these days.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I cannot stress it enough. Critics are not to be taken a full 100% ever. Look at all the crap going through videogame review sites.

[ILLiterate]

Movie is like rainbows and good exploding in your face

Saw it with a bunch of friends, high fiving and super into the movie the whole time, so much silly fun. I still love to watch the original Speed Racer and the W.Bros did an amazing job here IMO

If you like the original Speed Racer at all, you'll love this

Only complaint, terrible start, first 15-20 minutes sucked out of control. Once you get to The Crucible it becomes the best thing ever

[dPaladin]

Yeah, it looks like I'm seeing the new Indy movie opening night and Speed Racer on Saturday if all goes according to plan. I'll let you guys know.

I make it a point to ignore people.

Anyhoo, you guys are really making me want to see this now.
Oh really?

[Steben]

I make it a point to ignore people.

Anyhoo, you guys are really making me want to see this now.

Oh really?

I'm glad I'm not the only person who caught this.

[I-n-j-i-n]

Cloverfield came out 1/18/08. That was the tagline for the whole movie. That was the only thing printed on most of the promo posters.

Anyhow, I definitely need to see Speed Racer, it looks awesome.

Yeah. I meant to say in the past year. Cloverfield was the other movie that nearly bombed because of all the negative press and people 'not getting' the movie. Same to Speedracer, unfortunately. Both were some of the most fun I had in theaters I can remember. I'm almost shocked that they could get so much lambasting.

And nobody's seen a movie where you have RAIN in a cool fight scene, fighting alongside JOHN GOODMAN? Lawl!! Rain was awesome in that movie.

Edit: I watched some of the originals on Youtube...I can't believe I ever liked this show as a kid. Looking back now the original fucking SUCKED haha.

Rain was really cool and he just might be the next Asian movie star who happens to speak little to no English. At least it's better than the whole Hong Kong connection with Asians in major movies, as vaguely racist as that is.

To all of you who have seen Speed Racer:

Were you on the edge of your seat at the end of the movie?
I was.

In Iron Man, I knew he was gonna win. It made it boring.

In Speed Racer, I knew he was gonna win, but it made it a hell of a show, because at that point, I felt they could make him finish second and not ruin the end of the movie. It was a thrill ride. Even people who did not know a thing about Speed Racer were enjoying this. It has everything a "cool" movie can have: fast car, hot girls (that were not just there to be pleasing to the eye), engaging story told in a great manner and funny, yet interesting, characters.

Speed Racer was not a movie supposed to change the world, however, I am sure it should change the way people see movies.

From the beginning with Speed in school, to the zebras, everything was stunning, colorful, gorgeous, and harmonious.

I wasn't shy to say that Ironman was just plain boring and rote. Most of its plot elements were ludicrous and didn't make sense and it actually reminded me of Spiderman with the CG effects ruining the integrity of the acting.

As for Speedracer, I'm sure the Wachowskis created a few filming techniques again and it's going to pop my eyeballs and hurt my head watching it on Bluray. I can't wait.

And as for the music, apparently it was partly done by the Lost composer Michael Giacchino. Between him and Matthew Fox, that was a bit surreal because a few moments reminded me of Lost..

And totally agree that the 5-language Speed Racer remix is probably one of the best remixes I've ever heard. It is simply epic. No other way to describe it.

[dPaladin]

Yeah, Giacchino is the real deal. He also did the track at the end of Cloverfield and (better, imo) The Incredibles.

[Triad Orion]

Yeah, Giacchino is the real deal. He also did the track at the end of Cloverfield and (better, imo) The Incredibles.

Also Medal of Honor: Frontline. Just putting that out there if it wasn't already.

[Poke'G]

Yeah. I meant to say in the past year. Cloverfield was the other movie that nearly bombed because of all the negative press and people 'not getting' the movie. Same to Speedracer, unfortunately. Both were some of the most fun I had in theaters I can remember. I'm almost shocked that they could get so much lambasting.


But Cloverfield broke the record for January opening, and turned a profit fairly quickly since the movie was made cheaply. A sequel is already in the works.

Speed Racer on the other hand, if what I heard is true then Warner put in over $200 million into this, only to make a little over $20 million its opening weekend. I believe this weekend it only made around $8 million and didn't even scratch the top three. The film and possibly even the Wachowski Bros. careers are dead in the water.


And that's very sad. I saw the film last night with my friends, and like l-n-j-i-n, I have to say it's some of the most fun I had with a movie in a while. Speed Racer was a campy ridiculous show that is always poked fun at for that fact. The film embraced that campyness and made a ridiculous movie. We were laughing our asses off the whole time.

I highly recommend to fans of anime, crap anime, or Speed Racer.

[I-n-j-i-n]

The figures for making the movie should have been around $120 million and the worldwide gross is catching up. Add to that the toys, the tie-ins and the Bluray/DVD sales, I think it should still rake in a profit.

I hope the Wachowskis aren't in deep water or anything.

[X]

If you like the original Speed Racer at all, you'll love this.
That's what lots of people said about the Transformers movie. I didn't really feel like going (besides the fact that I was kinda hard up on cash at the time), but someone twisted my into going with them as a birthday present of sorts. I didn't have the heart to tell my friend outright that it was terrible, but I still loathe nearly every lukewarm/lukecold minute of it, though I actually felt worse about wasting my friends money in the process (even though he did enjoy it a bit and I suppose there were a scant few enjoyable second of the movie).

critics suck these days
Critics have always sucked. For one there are plenty of movie "greats" that aren't worth a single second of watching time. Second, there are way too many movies that get the absolute slam on reviews. It happens all the time.

Movie critique isn't really reliable at all. In all truth, seeing or reading a brief synopsis of a movie should actually be more reliable.