Toon Talk: Speed Racer
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(c) Warner
Supported by his loving parents, Mom and Pops Racer (Susan Sarandon and John Goodman) and loyal gal pal Trixie (a spunky Christina Ricci, born to play an anime babe), Speed is recruited by the masked Racer X (the mysterious speedster -- played by Matthew Fox -- who may or may not have secret ties to the Racers) to help in exposing the corruption that has infested the good sport of racing over the years. They enter the infamously deadly cross-country race, the Casa Cristo, which had previously taken the life of Speed�s idolized older brother Rex (Scott Porter). Double crosses (and a few ninjas) foil their attempt, leading Speed to the Grand Prix race, a last chance to restore his family name and save racing once and for all.
Harkening back to another toon adaptation, Dick Tracy, Speed Racer is filled with a visual style that mixes retro standards with candy colored fantasy (even the Racer family sofa is shaped like a car chassis), popping off the screen in a continuous stream of motion. Even the dialogue sequences stream across the screen, like the panels in a comic book come to life. Alas, at times this can become exhausting, especially when the plot gets bogged down in its overly convoluted conspiracies mixing corporate greed with underworld thuggery.
Wisely, the Wachowskis step on the breaks every so often, most noticeably in a pair of unexpectedly emotional scenes between Speed and his parents that prove that even a summer blockbuster can benefit from some good old fashioned character development, not too mention fine acting. The performances of (most of*) the cast, who never once loose their believability with a wink to the audience, grounds the film amongst all the special effects fireworks, capping it off nicely with a warm-hearted theme of familiar love and loyalty.
(*I say mostly, as the one misfire in the otherwise well cast film is that of Speed�s precocious younger brother, Spritle, played much too broadly-in-the-Hollywood-kid-actor sense by Paulie Litt. At least most of his scenes are with a scene-stealing chimpanzee who goes by the name of Chim Chim.)
Admittedly, Speed Racer is not for everyone. Even with its video game-like stylings, one has to commit pretty much from frame one to buckle up and go along for the ride; if you are willing to do that, it will be the cinematic ride of your life.
Toon Talk Rating: B+
Coming Soon:
- Return once again to the fantastic world of lions, witches and wardrobes in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Disney, May 16).
- The man with the hat and the whip is back: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Paramount, May 22).
- The title -- Kung Fu Panda -- says it all for the latest from DreamWorks Animation (June 6).
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-- Kirby C. Holt
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Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ... In addition to his Toon Talk reviews, Kirby is the creator of Movie Dearest, a blog for movie fans.
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.
The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted May 12, 2008