A Last Chance Plea For ‘Speed Racer’

Here we are in the midst of the summer blockbuster season, and its time to reflect on how are you choosing to spend your movie experience. Perhaps you’re giving M. Night Shyamalan yet another chance to impress you with his new found “R” rating coupled with a throwback sci-fi menace that will leave you longing for Donald Sutherland’s point and scream at the end of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. Or perhaps you’re watching Hulk Version 2.0 smash things twice as efficiently with 60 percent less character growth and 98 percent more references to upcoming Marvel movies. Speaking of which, when exactly did early product branding (AVENGERS MOVIE OUT 2011) somehow get repackaged as fan-friendly referencing (Look, Captain America just waved at the Hulk!!)? If DC follows Marvel’s lead and I get a “Dark Knight” post-credit stinger of Superman and Green Lantern eating a sandwich, I’m going to scream.

But I digress, the point is this: amidst all the splendor of the studio tent-pole films raking in the cash, there has been one casualty, that of young Speed Racer. While Indiana Jones whips his ass out of retirement for the 300 million mark, Speed Racer has failed at the box office in every country its been released in, with only Japan left as a potential success (which would be fitting, given the show’s origins). Maybe by now you’ve heard the talk of your peers telling you that Speed Racer is too long, aimed at audiences with the attention span of hummingbirds, outlandishly cartoonish or just plain bad. Well, it stands to reason that these people are not your friends, nay, they are the voice of the predictable movie-going audience. I say is easy to be lazy and give Speed Racer a pass for all the wrong reasons. Back when the movie first came out WAMG‘s Travis gave the film a positive review, and I’m here on my knees in the dirt to back him up with 5 final reasons why you should give the obvious choices a rest this weekend and throw Speed Racer a little charity on its way out the door:

5. It’s an honest-to-blog visual experience. (ironic hateful Juno reference accomplished)

Sure, you’ve been worn down by the CGI blitzkrieg the last few years, and rightfully so. You’ve seen more hastily thrown together backgrounds than anyone should have to bear, and this summer alone you’ve been personally forced through (admittedly good) CGI men in robot suits, aliens recreating the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and most recently the Hulk punching a naked monster with no dick around for an hour and 54 minutes. But guess what? Speed Racer looks as good as Iron Man, and it’s a completely fabricated world. It is easier to fall into Speed Racer’s bubblegum LSD-trip of a planet than any of the multiple worlds that George Lucas tried to sell you in the last two episodes. Furthermore, it’s an original stylistic experience. Remember when Sin City came out and everyone was oohing and aahing over the film’s true to comic book visuals? Funny how that film gets credit for cutting and pasting a look directly out of a comic book onto the screen, but Speed Racer which creates a visual palette from scratch is the one struggling to survive. Frank Miller’s ego apparently likes the Sin City look so much he’s dumping it directly onto Will Eisner’s creation in the upcoming The Spirit, but apparently everyone’s ready to swallow a second helping of mediocrity instead of taking any risks.

4. You won’t feel the length.

At 2 hours and 15 minutes, Speed Racer has some viewers crying foul. The studios wanted to cut it down, so why didn’t they? Oh, probably because all the test screenings had no problem with the running time (I think Variety mentioned 95 percent positive feedback), and thus the studios had no choice. Guess what? You’ll have no problem with it either, because that visual style I was just championing in reason number 5 will keep your attention the whole way through. And its not a matter of attention span issues at all, Speed Racer is just savvy enough to create a fluid experience, with flashbacks, conversations and visuals moving in and out of one another to create a hyper-kinetic narrative. I can guarantee you won’t see a movie like this one again this summer (or for the foreseeable future, thanks box-office!).

3. It doesn’t shit on any of your childhood memories.

I know between George Lucas rerouting the Star Wars tracks directly into his bank account and Hollywood’s unending remakes of everything you ever loved you’re probably feeling a bit like an abused spouse on Cops, ready for that next slap across the face (upcoming Star Wars: Clone Wars anyone?) and feeling confused and uncertain when it doesn’t happen. Speed Racer doesn’t want to hurt you, it wants to take you to the amusement park and buy you cotton candy and maybe kiss you on the ferris wheel if it feels right. It stays true to the original series, right down to the characters, story and environment. Furthermore, it ENHANCES all the old elements and turns it into a fun cartoon-like experience without cheapening the themes along the way. Speaking of themes…

2. It has a point.

It’s a little guy versus big corporation story. Think Rocky meets Wacky Racers meets Deathrace 2000 meets an acid trip. But it has a message, and it will make you feel good. If you take your kids to this movie, the film’s themes of family will probably make you feel closer. Sure, your kids will hear the word “shit” and see a little kid flip someone the bird, but DAMMIT that’s a small price to pay for a film in which the number one message is the importance of responsibility to the ones you love. What is the Hulk going to teach your kids? That when they get angry they’re allowed to smash everything in your home because some people just can’t help themselves?

1. It’s got heart.
Speed Racer has a lot of flash and fun but it’s also genuine and if point number 1 sounds like point number 2, so be it. It’s got spirit in all the right places. The ending is a triumph on all counts.

So, do yourself a favor. If you’ve been one of those folks who has told themselves “I am never going to see Speed Racer” while you shovel popcorn into your mouth during everything else this summer throws at you, why don’t you listen to Travis and me and a handful of others who say “take a chance”. Do what I did and initially get pissed that “Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg” and the new Werner Herzog documentary aren’t out in the city where you live yet (NY > LA apparently) and then find Speed Racer at the last theater it’s playing at in your town and go have some fun with your kids, or your guy/girl, or the ushers at the theater or whoever. There’s worse ways to bring a piece of your childhood to life again than Speed Racer, The Little $120,000,000 Engine That Could.