Speed Racer is the movie equivalent of crack. On crack. In fact, it might even be too hyperactive for the ADD crowd. There’s a cut every two seconds, and when there isn’t a cut, the background is changing behind a character, or we’re given four different storylines, sometimes on the screen simultaneously. Regular two-shot conversations are replaced with heads wiping across the screen. The action scenes feel like a little kid taking Matchbox cars and ramming them together. And there are lots and lots of pretty colors. So…why did I actually like it?

The first 15 minutes alone are worth the price of admission — An introduction that jumps time and space, showing Speed as a little boy, then as a race car driver, then as a young boy again watching his brother race, then we follow his brother’s story, then we’re back to Speed as a race car driver, and Susan Sarandon shows up, and it’s all mashed together, establishing that there are no rules. And if the movie accidentally sets any rules, it will be sure to break them later. So many tricks are employed to keep your attention, it’s impossible not to be captivated by the breakneck storytelling speed. Even if you completely hate the style, you’ll be hard pressed to turn it off with all the crazy visuals unfolding in front of you. Like I said, crack. I’m not saying it’s good, but it’s so insane it demands you watch. At first. See, the problem with Speed Racer, as I guessed in Sticky Floor Friday, is that the movie is long. Wayyyy toooooo loooong. It comes in at 2 hours, 15 minutes. That’s at least 45 minutes too long, especially with the sugar-rush pace it holds. I was exhausted after a half hour, and there was still so much more to go.

The strange thing is, even though things happen so quickly, the story itself is fairly simple. Speed Racer is being wooed by a big time sponsor, but decides to stick with his father (John Goodman, looking a lot like Super Mario) and soon uncovers corruption within the racing world. Also, his brother died when he was a kid, and he is racing to avenge him. That’s it. I can’t really speak to the acting, because it’s one big scenery chew. You know, if they had scenery to chew on aside from green screens. All the tricks and colors are the Mach 5, the story and actors are just the track for it to drive on.

This movie accomplished its goal of being a live-action anime movie. It’s undeniably enthusiastic filmmaking, and for a while, that energy keeps you interested. It’s by no means a great movie, but it isn’t meant to be. It’s a big bag of M & Ms; Tasty, but if you eat them all, you’ll get sick.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am and is filed under Film, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.