Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Misunderstood Brilliance, 28 Dec 2008
There is something about the Wachowski Brothers that film critics, and much of the general public, simply don't get. We have already seen how their brilliant Matrix sequels were panned by critics - largely on the grounds that these people simply didn't understand them - and now we're seeing the same thing with Speed Racer, which is being subjected to some of the most undeserved vitriol from critics that I have ever seen.
I loved this movie. It's not perfect, and it's not a work of genius like the Matrix trilogy was, but it's yet another example of how these two brothers attempt to push the boundaries of film-making. The editing - including the floating wipes and non-linear narrative - are top-notch. As one online reviewer put it, the Wachowskis have managed to transcend the boundaries of time and space in this movie. Not only have they achieved shots in which we are looking at two different things happening in two different places at the same time, they are also able to move us back and forward through time with effortless ease, and without disrupting the flow of the story.
If you're an idiot bent on hating Speed Racer no matter what, though, it's likely that the complex, visual style of storytelling on display here will befuddle you beyond redemption. I read with amazement, for example, the amount of people who found the opening sequence, during which we see scenes of one of Speed's races interspersed with his back-story told through flashbacks, completely bewildering. And yet the storytelling couldn't BE any clearer, in reality. I even shook my head in dismay as I read the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw claim that in the film, cars go through other cars "like ghosts". No one who understood the film (and thus was worthy of reviewing it) could have made such a simplistic, embarrassing assertion.
Anyway, this is in fact a brilliant film. Ignore all the reviewers' tropes about "over-reliance on special effects", "style over substance", "no characterisation or soul", etc. All of these criticisms miss the mark at a basic level. Watch it free of the shackles of prejudice and prepare to be blown away by a tour de force in imaginative, visual film-making. I certainly was.
Besides, the film has a chimp in a hard hat, riding a buggy while rockin' out to Freebird. Need I give it any higher an endorsement?
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Ultimate Blu-Ray, 7 Jan 2009
If ever there was a movie to show off Blu Ray, this is it.
The film is apparently based on an old Japanese TV show that made it to the west. I dont remember it at all. It's about a family called Racer and the son is called Speed, hence Speed Racer. It's also a film about very fast race cars, but dont think of Silverstone, think more of your old toy TCR race cars with loops, twists and perhaps the occasional concealed weapon.
It's a pretty basic story from The Wachowski brothers involving race fixing and the small Racer family against "The Man".
The cast are excellent: Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Christina Ricci, John Goodman all looking like they're enjoying themselves playing larger than life characters. There's even a chimp in clothes and Ninjas. What more do you want from a popcorn flick!
The races though! Absolutely stunning. The colours! The neon! Just incredible and beautiful scenes. It really is a stunning showcase film for how good Blu Ray is.
I have seen a bit of controversey with the American version not having decent audio, but I bought British and it's all good.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A film made for Blu Ray if ever there was one!, 4 Mar 2009
This is a very good concept film. The effects are even more ground-breaking than the Matrix - it's the first film ever where EVERY level of distance is in perfect focus and shot in glorious HD - the visuals are simply gorgeous with the colours all being deliberately bright, vivid and 'hyper-real'.
Based loosely on the Anime from the 70's the 'story' is an excuse to have a lot of fun with larger than life characters and races that combine cars with extreme skate tracks (think Carmageddon meets Skate2) - all against some of the most stunning backgrounds ever filmed.
This film is all about fun. It's unashamedly over the top, it's fast, furious and outrageous. It's has absolutely no sub plot or any real character progression. The film doesn't take itself, it's characters or it's story seriously - it sets out with the sole aim of being hugely entertaining, and it is!
It's also cute and no-one dies due to innovative 'escape' mechanisms in the cars. Watch it with the kids or when you don't feel like thinking about what you are watching. It's a visual treat - and the music video on the credits at the end is worth listening to/watching.
The special features are reasonable but sparse, but who cares - this film was made for blu-ray and will put your system to the test with superb audio and visuals.Speed Racer [Blu-ray] [2008]
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