Speed Racer

jcaffoe · Post by **jcaffoe** » Sat May 10, 2008 10:13 pm

I came in with low, low expectations and I was very, very impressed.

visually it was absolutely mindblowing, and in terms of storytelling they had some interesting techniques that worked surprisingly well. They nested/intertwined quite a few scenes, which messed with continuity but somehow wasn't confusing.

Absolutely a must-see as far as I'm concerned. I know a lot of people wrote it off from the beginning (myself included), but it's a great film that never takes itself too seriously.

dark77778 · Post by **dark77778** » Sun May 11, 2008 5:41 am

Thanks for taking that risk to tell us about the film. =D I'll consider seeing it now. I've always loved the Watchowski's visuals, it's just their script they need to improve.

b.patrick · Post by **b.patrick** » Mon May 12, 2008 4:26 pm

I thought it was too corny for adults and too complicated for kids - but it was gorgeous and fun and had a ton of the Speed Racer music which I loved.

dark77778 · Post by **dark77778** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:22 pm

b.patrick wrote: Had a ton of the Speed Racer music which I loved.

Now if only they did that with Transformers, I might not have outright hated it

ChevyRay · Post by **ChevyRay** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:10 pm

dark77778 wrote:
b.patrick wrote: Had a ton of the Speed Racer music which I loved.
Now if only they did that with Transformers, I might not have outright hated it

I still would've

After hearing this, I might just check it out now. I, too, am guilty of just shaking my head and turning the other way the moment I saw the first ad.

matthewart · Post by **matthewart** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:11 pm

I wasn't going to see this... but my brother made me.

I thought it was a whole lot of fun. It has some original imagery.

I don't really understand the wave of negative it got.

I'm going to see it again.

Ganter · Post by **Ganter** » Wed May 21, 2008 5:57 pm

Saw it, loved it. Can't wait to own it on DVD! The story was excellent, and I even shed a tear in the climactic ending. It was great! I have to say, I enjoyed myself watching this movie more than I did when I saw Iron Man.

The main character Speed is really well defined, and there's some really complex storytelling going on, but I was never confused. It's a shame it wasn't more well received. See it in theaters before it gets pulled off the big screen. With visuals like it has, it's worth it.

Post by **Kazu** » Wed May 21, 2008 6:31 pm

I'm gonna have to agree with the others. I thought I knew what I was walking into, but it turns out the film is a whole lot better than I expected. It's actually really good, with a solid script and strong performances, and it even got me all choked up at least twice.

I can see why the film was difficult to market with the material they had to work with, but I think the critics' negative reviews are unfounded and didn't help any. The kid and the monkey were slightly annoying, but the rest of it was very enjoyable. Great script, great acting, and some misguided but solidly crafted direction makes this an interesting case study for future films. I just hope they don't attribute the film's box office failure to its quality, because the story, script, and production are in good working order here. If you don't get turned off by the lavish, outlandish style (i.e. Moulin Rouge, Kill Bill) and are willing to go with it, then I highly recommend this one.

Joey · Post by **Joey** » Wed May 21, 2008 10:40 pm

Ganter wrote: I have to say, I enjoyed myself watching this movie more than I did when I saw Iron Man.

It's interesting that you bring this up, because it's a comparison that I've been thinking a lot about after seeing (and loving) Speed Racer.

Now, I have to preface this by saying that no, I have not yet seen Iron Man (I know, I know), and I'm not trying to start some sort of internet Iron Man vs. Speed Racer war or anything. BUT, the two stand out as the summer's first big nerd movies who are getting polar opposite reviews in the mainstream.

The thing is, Iron Man sounds like a good, solid super hero movie. Everyone can pretty much agree that it came together quite well. However, Speed Racer was something that I'd never seen before. It had a unique vision, and I thought it was beautiful and fun.

I am going to see Iron Man soon (hopefully this weekend in fact), but I plan on catching Speed Racer a second time before it leaves theatres

Ganter · Post by **Ganter** » Thu May 22, 2008 12:17 am

yeah, the more I think about it, the more I want to see Speed Racer again. I love spending time with his family (aside from the chimp and youngest son). I was telling Kazu... there's one or two really strong moments in Iron Man where I felt as if the director/writers really understood their characters and were really passionate about what they were going through, both of which made the movie for me.

The thing about Speed Racer is... I feel like the whole movie was packed with those kinds of moments, all the way to the very end. That's why I enjoyed myself more, I think.

Anyway, I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts after you've seen Iron Man. It's a fun movie too.

jcaffoe · Post by **jcaffoe** » Thu May 22, 2008 7:17 am

Ganter wrote:yeah, the more I think about it, the more I want to see Speed Racer again. I love spending time with his family (aside from the chimp and youngest son). I was telling Kazu... there's one or two really strong moments in Iron Man where I felt as if the director/writers really understood their characters and were really passionate about what they were going through, both of which made the movie for me.

The thing about Speed Racer is... I feel like the whole movie was packed with those kinds of moments, all the way to the very end. That's why I enjoyed myself more, I think. Anyway, I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts after you've seen Iron Man. It's a fun movie too.

I feel the same way, and I've been saying it since the day after I saw it. To anyone who hasn't seen Speed Racer, making the claim that you enjoyed it more than Iron Man is almost blasphemous, but I certainly had more fun.

dark77778 · Post by **dark77778** » Thu May 22, 2008 7:37 am

Okay then, so tonight's plan is to pick up a copy of Howl's from the public library after watching Speed Racer at the theater next to it [because this library is always cooler at night]. Big fun! Can't wait! Hopefully some of my friends are free tonight so I can coax them into seeing the movie with me. Anybody know if it's in IMAX?

squirpy · Post by **squirpy** » Thu May 22, 2008 10:45 am

I found myself grinning all the way through all the races - it was so much fun! I saw it in IMax - I recommend sitting further back and in the middle. We were sitting about midway up in the theater and on the side and it was a little hard to watch, but I could tell that if I just moved over and up it'd be great.

Joey · Post by **Joey** » Thu May 22, 2008 12:43 pm

Ganter wrote:yeah, the more I think about it, the more I want to see Speed Racer again.

Dude, I need to see it again just to figure out what the heck Speed does with the last two drivers in the final race. That last sequence had my head spinning!

Ainsmar · Post by **Ainsmar** » Sat May 24, 2008 11:46 am

Like many others, I enjoyed it.

I can understand why it's getting a bad review though, it's as ridiculous as the show and for some reason critics dislike it when movie adaptations of shows do not bastardize it's origins.

FLIGHT FORUMS

Speed Racer

Speed Racer

worth the ticket price

Re: worth the ticket price

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