I want to thank you for this review! I saw Speed Racer with about 20 co-workers and we all waited in line for 30 minutes for an IMAX screening opening weekend! It's like the negative reactions never existed! Everyone was responding at just the right times! Only until after it was released (and when Iron Man was already its clear competitor having been released a week prior) was when I discovered how nobody liked it, and I find that timing completely unfair. So much for making mainstream American audiences appreciate anime all the more! :(
Well, I just watched this movie after reading your review and I'm glad I did. It was the single most colorful thing I have ever seen. The CGI is at Spy Kids 3d levels but here it actually works. There is a certain something about movies as audacious as this one that I just love. Who cares if it's ridiculous, as long as it's fun?
Although a warning must be made: DO NOT WATCH IT IF YOU ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SEIZURES INDUCED BY FLASHING IMAGERY!
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Go Speed Racer Goooooo!
A lot of people will tell you that Speed Racer is a bad movie. It was certainly not the kind of film that would be taking home any awards. But bad? HELL NO.
Speed Racer is not a good movie because it has a groundbreaking story or deep characters, because it has neither. What it DOES have is tons of crazy, colorful, over-the-top action in the form of car races that would make Captain Falcon shed a tear of pride. If real-world automotive racing was like it was in Speed Racer, I'd watch it.
As the article of this film says, it makes no apologies for the ridiculousness of the premise. It just takes it and runs with it as far and as fast as it can. And it is glorious to watch. You may have heard lots of things described as a "live-action cartoon", but if you ask me, Speed Racer is as close to such a thing as it is possible to get.
In my opinion, anyone who disliked this movie went into it with the wrong mindset. What this movie is not is particularly complex or surprising, but what it is is one of the most fun movies I've ever seen. Grab some friends to watch it with, get some snacks (and maybe some booze, if you're into that sort of thing), sit back, and enjoy the ride.