SPEED RACER (2008) **1/2 DVD review by SEBASTIAN

Perhaps I would have liked “Speed Racer” better if I had been a fan of the animated series or really intoxicated. I can imagine that its insanely hyper action sequences and uber-psychedelic pallet of colors would appeal to those seeking to expand their minds, if you know what I mean. Ahem.

“Speed Racer” is the story of Speed (yes that’s actually his name) and his race obsessed family. As we follow his progress from an idealistic kid with stars in his eyes to a racing superstar sought out by allies and enemies both we examine the workings of his family and the dangers in his life

I suppose my biggest gripe with this movie, and I have a few, is that it is far too long a movie. Seriously, as a living cartoon, I would expect 90 minutes or maybe even 100. But this one clocks in at 135 minutes. That’s way too long for kids to sit through. And unless I’m mistaken the target audience is families.

My second problem is that the film is abit too wordy and the themes are more to the tastes of adults. That in and of itself is fine, but it contrasts the camp and kid-friendly fun of the racing scenes (which are plentiful). I seriously thought I was developing ADHD when I watched this, because it feels so schizophrenic in its delivery. Its like the directors (Andy and Larry Wachowski of “The Matrix” fame) couldn’t really tear themselves away from the sophisticated ideas and extremely complicated visuals of their previous films. Its not necessarily a bad thing, its just confusing some of the time.

On the plus side, the movie is often exhilarating and fun to watch. My favorite part was the “Crucible” cross-country race that provides lots of action and thrills. Also of interest was the idea of renegade enforcers trying to straighten out the racing industry from the inside out. This is where we meet the enigmatic masked character of Racer X, who I thought should have had more screen time.

The cast does a really nice job in this film, but then again that’s not really why anyone would be watching it is it? No. What genre audiences were wanting to see this Summer season they got loads of with “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight”. They want that adrenaline feeling of seeing something that’s got them on the edge of their seat wondering what the movie is going to throw at them next. That’s something “Speed Racer” does sometimes, just not quite enough, unfortunately. There are too many long-winded dialogue scenes interspersed throughout the film that slow it down. Fortunately, the ending is anything but slow. I really loved the finale of the story.

Ultimately the movie seems too self-conscious, wanting to play to two totally different audiences at once.
That’s a shame because Speed Racer does have a lot going for it, but I think too many viewers will get lost along the way.

2 and ½ stars out of five