Speed Racer is a bust
As I’ve said before, I don’t like remakes. Speed Racer is an adaptation of a well loved cult-classic Japanese cartoon and it just “flat out” does not work. 2 hours and 15 minutes in length, heavily based on hyperactive & over-the-top computer-generated effects, and designed for target demographics of 5-12 year olds. No amount of patience here will help any adult sit thru this.
The Wachowski brothers can and have done a lot better than this pointless piece of sugar candy. And the original Speed Racer deserves a lot better than this remake.
Nothing here for the Driving Enthusiast.
The original series was translated from Japanese for English-speaking audiences in the late sixties. It was known in Japan as “Mahha GoGoGo” or “Mach GoGoGo”. Teenager Go Mifune uses a high tech racecar built by his father to enter races, take on bad guys, and set things right. It pre-dates what we lump together as “anime” today, and is typically Japanese in it’s plot development and characterization. It was great fun in it’s time!
References:
- Review from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2008-05-07-speed-racer_N.htm
- IMDB “Speed Racer”: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0811080/
- IBDB: the original ’60s TV series: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061300/
Amazon Store: