Tribeca Film Fest

by Ari

Speed Racer (Larry and Andy Wachowski)

It doesn't really matter if you've seen or appreciated the '60s anime to be dazzled by this theatrical adaptation from the Wachowski brothers. Speed Racer will probably be the most gloriously trippy mainstream entertainment you'll see in theaters all year. I'm not sure "mainstream" is even the correct term for what the brothers have done here. Speed Racer is no doubt a kids movie, but beyond its playful sense of humor and incredibly over-the-top performances lies something too unique and creative to dismiss. It's not a movie for a cynical audience, it's not for people expecting another Matrix, and it's definitely not recommended to anyone looking for even the slightest trace of realism.

What I admire most about the Wachowski's is how they continue to explore their imagination without selling-out to the routine simplicity or formula of a lot of big-budget Hollywood filmmaking. This is, in a way, what the film is about. The brothers have never been very subtle when it comes to themes, and in this movie they make one thing perfectly clear about their work: they will never take the easy route. It doesn't matter if Speed Racer is their lightest or most accessible film, it doesn't matter if it's a kids movie or not, the Wachowski's will continue to push the idea of escapism and the technology used to make it happen.

It reminds me of something Tarantino said at one point, (quoting from memory) "I make my movies for myself, you're all just invited to the show". I like that mentality when it comes from someone who possess singular talent. With Speed Racer, the most visually spectacular CGI film ever made, the brothers have brought new meaning to "pop- art". The story is sweet, exciting and appropriately silly, but the visual imagination takes it to another level. This isn't CGI the way it's been done before. I mentioned Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow the last time I posted an article about this film, but even that comparison is off. It's not just the vibrant colors and crazy '60s-inspired atmosphere, it's the way the Wachowski's manipulate the background in almost every scene of the film, not just the racing set-pieces. The details and settings behind the actors are just as much of a character. Again, it's not about realism. The style on display is highly, highly exaggerated, as though the characters and environments existed in different realms.

To make this work on an emotional level, the cast has to be extremely effective. Thankfully everyone is just about perfect here, especially Matthew Fox as Racer X, Roger Allam as Royalton, John Goodman as Pops and, of course, Emile Hirsch as Speed. These are not deep characters, but then again, this is not a character study, it's Speed Racer. The film does have a few pacing issues in the second act, but once the major exposition with Royalton industries and fixed racing is out of the way, it picks up and never relents. The racing is seriously wild. At times the camera zooms and pans from one racer to another without cutting, at other moments you're spinning, sliding, twisting and flying through these huge futuristic racetracks at incredible speed. It's madness.

And if you see Speed Racer with the right crowd, it's a treat. The audience at this screening was laughing and cheering the entire time. I can't tell if the movie will be a surprise sensation or a cult favorite, but it's very easily one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen this year so far.