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Speed Racer
Warner Bros. // PG // September 16, 2008
List Price: $35.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
I love the work that the Wachowski brothers produce, but there's something they never cared to improve themselves on, and Speed Racer proves it. The Wachowski brothers are experts at visual mastery, but they make every film longer than it needs to be. When are these guys going to learn to edit their work, or look at a script and say 'this part isn't really needed'? I find myself torn in half over their latest offering, because while the second half is fun and quite enjoyable, the first half drags along as a lifeless history lesson.
Speed Racer is the next in line on the family tree to join the World Racing League. Speed grew up with nothing but racing on the brain. A big part of this was due to his brother Rex.
Rex was the driver of the Mach 5 when Speed was a kid, and he was one of the best. He was living the dream as a famed racer that wasn't backed by a money hungry corporation. The family dream came crashing down as Rex earned a reputation for being crooked, and eventually died in a fatal crash.
When Speed is fully grown and showing the same promise his brother Rex did some years ago, he's offered an opportunity for fame and fortune on a team backed by a wealthy corporation. Raised to fear large corporations, Speed declines and is spun into a world that's parallel to everything he knows. Races are fixed, and all that ever mattered had everything to do with money and stocks. Racing was never about talent, or honor. Speed decides to stand up against the corruption and change the world through driving.
A mysterious driver known only as Racer X enlists the help of Speed to expose the conspiracy to the public, ending the corruption once and for all. In order to do that though, Speed needs to participate in a couple of extremely dangerous underground races, the same which claimed the life of his brother.
It's a plot that sounds simple enough on paper, but the Wachowskis felt the need to beef up the film's length for some odd reason. Why an idea as uncomplicated as Speed Racer needs to top two hours is beyond me. If they cut out the heavy financial history of the World Racing League, and simplified the 'evil corporation' angle, this film easily could have been a fun hour and a half of jaw dropping popcorn fun. Instead, we have to endure what the Wachowskis must have considered a brilliant blend between business factoids only adults would care about, and a fun family film.
Speed Racer never makes the audience connect with its main characters until close to the end, and if it ever tries to make the audience sit on the edge their seats, it fails miserably. This is partly due to the style of the film and its determination to stay as physically true to the source material as possible. The cars bounce off each other and spin around so much, there's never a feel of any real danger. The movie is a living breathing cartoon, so we learn to forget about the notion of danger.
The cast is fantastic and they all portray their characters extremely well. The problem is that they're overlooked by the true star of the film - the special effects. They bring the anime vision of Speed Racer to life with a quality that's meant to look unrealistic, and it's taken to the max in every frame. Even the scenes that don't focus on stylized racing are loaded with eye candy. The race scenes are so fast and overblown with effect after eye popping effect, you feel like you could have a seizure from watching them! I know that sounds like a bad thing but believe me; it's quite insane in a very, very good way.
As I said at the beginning of this review, the first half of the film drags because of the story, but the second half is loaded with action that's mindless, highly stylized, and a hell of a lot of fun. So that's where I find myself torn. Overall the film as a whole has a lot of pacing issues and needed quite a bit more than just a trim. Yet after watching the film and experiencing the thrills Speed Racer offered during the latter half, I actually find myself wanting to watch it again, and again.
Aside from the amazing visuals that are going to knock your socks off, Speed Racer can never find its true voice. It's pulling in one direction to be dark and sinister for the adults, and in the other direction it's a fun kid's film. Catering to a certain audience usually doesn't make for a good movie, but Speed Racer is the exception. The entire movie feels like an anime brought to life and I don't think anybody is going into this film to sit for an unnecessary one-hundred and thirty minutes. All a film like this has to do is deliver the goods and keep everything else to a minimum. Unfortunately we're left with a movie that never knows what its true calling was supposed to be. This film should have had a distinct voice for a specific audience. What we have instead, is the feeling that we really have two movies mixed into one.
Video
Wow, just wow. I felt the standard definition version of the film looked very good, but I always had this tickling in the back of my brain that wouldn't stop questioning how it was going to look in high definition. The short and simple answer is that it's reference quality. If there's one Blu-ray I'm going to throw into my player to show off what my HDTV is capable, this is the one.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, you'd be hard pressed to find any flaws with this transfer at all. To find anything, you'd have to do some serious looking my friends. Scrutinizing the picture quality was all I could do, as I've seen this on standard definition and couldn't believe what I was seeing now. I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot while checking out the insane quality throughout the entirety of the film.
The extreme color saturation is extremely bright and vivid. There's insane clarity that utilizes every pixel on the screen, thanks to the artistic decision to keep everything in the background in focus, which was done to add to the experience of bringing animation to life. The colors never bleed, and the sharpness never looks unnatural, and doesn't appear to be mangled with any edge enhancement.
There had been a couple of instances of extremely minor noise, but again, you had to really be looking. This film is fast paced, and always blowing you away with how detailed and vivid it looks on Blu-ray. So the noise isn't something you would notice unless you're really looking for it.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track provided me with exactly the experience I was expecting. There were a lot of scenes where race announcers were moving across the screen from right to left or vice-versa, and the front channels were constantly sliding across the spectrum. The music and races were roaring all around me with the rear channels, and I got a bit of 'boom' from the bass. A film as highly stylized as Speed Racer is all about getting you in the 'anime brought to life' experience. With a film that's all about presentation and effects, it's only suitable the sound comes out as good as this.
Despite how good the Dolby Digital track sounded, it's unfortunate this high definition release didn't get a Dolby TrueHD track. There's been a lot of debate over this, but all things considering, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track isn't as bad as some people have been making it out to be. I didn't catch this film in theaters, so I can't comment if the film is supposed to really blow you out of your seat. I can say, that the track provided is pretty satisfying.
Also available in Dolby Digital 5.1 are tracks in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Subtitles are included in the same languages as well.
Extras
Spritle in the Big Leagues is fourteen and a half minutes with the kid that plays Spritle showing us around behind the scenes. Everything is touched upon very briefly, from showing us one of the very few physical sets, computer design, martial arts training, and other various works for the film that involved artists. It really doesn't go too in depth, but it's not like it's a big secret. Green screen and a lot of computers are what did the trick. A little more information would have been nice that wasn't as obvious.
Speed Racer: Supercharged! plays as a fifteen minute documentary that explains the background of the World Racing League. It takes itself pretty seriously so it's not a lot of fun to watch. We get a look at how some of the tracks were designed around the environment they inhabit, and we get a look at a lot of vehicle guts and what they are and what they do. I know the Wachowskis take their work pretty seriously, but this just shows yet again that they don't know when to quit. Are kids really interested in watching this? I think they'd be bored to tears.
Exclusive to the Blu-ray release, is a feature called Car Fu Cinema. This provides us a bit more insight into all the technical work that went on to make Speed Racer look as pretty as it does. Unfortunately, as far as real information goes for the adults, you're not going to find it here. Would you believe there's no commentary on this edition of Speed Racer? With the film feeling as lost as it does, I would think the Wachowskis would want to explain their thought process with us.
The second disc includes a game called the Speed Racer Crucible Challenge. You can use your remote to drive the Mach 5 through some obstacles, but there isn't anything here that's really worth playing. I had my nine year old brother-in-law over, and he didn't care for it at all.
A third disc is included, and all that awaits you there is a digital copy. The standard definition version of the movie had an additional charge for this, but for Blu-ray, it's yours for free.
All in all, the extras are all pretty lame. Not only are the extras lame, but we have not one, but two coaster discs. This is an extremely bad habit that's been getting a little more rampant as of late, but throwing two in this package is just a bit a much. Just like the film, the special features aren't really sure who they're trying to relate to.
Overall
Speed Racer does an excellent job at bringing its anime origins to life on digital film. The first half of the movie is a rough start, but the second half ditches it all for the popcorn movie fun we expect. Where it fails, is at its attempt to accomplish it 'all'. It tries too hard to be a film that's rich in depth with a story about money and greed, while still trying to be a family film that's fun for the kids. The Wachowskis have self-indulged and played every angle. Unfortunately, it makes Speed Racer feel like a confused mess. Other Wachowski films have been geared towards adults, and too much of that is implemented here. When they mish-mash it with a kids flick, the end result is a sub-par effort on each end of the spectrum.
Despite the extreme lack of any relevant special features, I recommend this title for anyone who's looking for some mindless fun. On top of that, this is the disc for the time being to show off your home theater.
Everyone should see Speed Racer at least once for its incredible use of special effects and high octane racing. The style is fast and in your face, and I honestly couldn't take my eyes off of it. An inferior movie it may be overall, but it's certainly an experience everyone should see, especially on Blu-ray. If you're not one that can justify watching any film no matter how pretty it may look, then this one may not be for you.
**Compared to the standard definition review I provided, the scores have gone up in recommendation, extras, and replay value. This is due to the extras providing an extra feature, as well as the digital copy being included for free. As far as the recommendation and replay value, high definition is the only way to see this film. It really enhances the experience, and is great material for anyone who's looking for a great disc to show off their home system.
Speed Racer is the next in line on the family tree to join the World Racing League. Speed grew up with nothing but racing on the brain. A big part of this was due to his brother Rex.
Rex was the driver of the Mach 5 when Speed was a kid, and he was one of the best. He was living the dream as a famed racer that wasn't backed by a money hungry corporation. The family dream came crashing down as Rex earned a reputation for being crooked, and eventually died in a fatal crash.
When Speed is fully grown and showing the same promise his brother Rex did some years ago, he's offered an opportunity for fame and fortune on a team backed by a wealthy corporation. Raised to fear large corporations, Speed declines and is spun into a world that's parallel to everything he knows. Races are fixed, and all that ever mattered had everything to do with money and stocks. Racing was never about talent, or honor. Speed decides to stand up against the corruption and change the world through driving.
A mysterious driver known only as Racer X enlists the help of Speed to expose the conspiracy to the public, ending the corruption once and for all. In order to do that though, Speed needs to participate in a couple of extremely dangerous underground races, the same which claimed the life of his brother.
It's a plot that sounds simple enough on paper, but the Wachowskis felt the need to beef up the film's length for some odd reason. Why an idea as uncomplicated as Speed Racer needs to top two hours is beyond me. If they cut out the heavy financial history of the World Racing League, and simplified the 'evil corporation' angle, this film easily could have been a fun hour and a half of jaw dropping popcorn fun. Instead, we have to endure what the Wachowskis must have considered a brilliant blend between business factoids only adults would care about, and a fun family film.
Speed Racer never makes the audience connect with its main characters until close to the end, and if it ever tries to make the audience sit on the edge their seats, it fails miserably. This is partly due to the style of the film and its determination to stay as physically true to the source material as possible. The cars bounce off each other and spin around so much, there's never a feel of any real danger. The movie is a living breathing cartoon, so we learn to forget about the notion of danger.
The cast is fantastic and they all portray their characters extremely well. The problem is that they're overlooked by the true star of the film - the special effects. They bring the anime vision of Speed Racer to life with a quality that's meant to look unrealistic, and it's taken to the max in every frame. Even the scenes that don't focus on stylized racing are loaded with eye candy. The race scenes are so fast and overblown with effect after eye popping effect, you feel like you could have a seizure from watching them! I know that sounds like a bad thing but believe me; it's quite insane in a very, very good way.
As I said at the beginning of this review, the first half of the film drags because of the story, but the second half is loaded with action that's mindless, highly stylized, and a hell of a lot of fun. So that's where I find myself torn. Overall the film as a whole has a lot of pacing issues and needed quite a bit more than just a trim. Yet after watching the film and experiencing the thrills Speed Racer offered during the latter half, I actually find myself wanting to watch it again, and again.
Aside from the amazing visuals that are going to knock your socks off, Speed Racer can never find its true voice. It's pulling in one direction to be dark and sinister for the adults, and in the other direction it's a fun kid's film. Catering to a certain audience usually doesn't make for a good movie, but Speed Racer is the exception. The entire movie feels like an anime brought to life and I don't think anybody is going into this film to sit for an unnecessary one-hundred and thirty minutes. All a film like this has to do is deliver the goods and keep everything else to a minimum. Unfortunately we're left with a movie that never knows what its true calling was supposed to be. This film should have had a distinct voice for a specific audience. What we have instead, is the feeling that we really have two movies mixed into one.
Wow, just wow. I felt the standard definition version of the film looked very good, but I always had this tickling in the back of my brain that wouldn't stop questioning how it was going to look in high definition. The short and simple answer is that it's reference quality. If there's one Blu-ray I'm going to throw into my player to show off what my HDTV is capable, this is the one.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, you'd be hard pressed to find any flaws with this transfer at all. To find anything, you'd have to do some serious looking my friends. Scrutinizing the picture quality was all I could do, as I've seen this on standard definition and couldn't believe what I was seeing now. I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot while checking out the insane quality throughout the entirety of the film.
The extreme color saturation is extremely bright and vivid. There's insane clarity that utilizes every pixel on the screen, thanks to the artistic decision to keep everything in the background in focus, which was done to add to the experience of bringing animation to life. The colors never bleed, and the sharpness never looks unnatural, and doesn't appear to be mangled with any edge enhancement.
There had been a couple of instances of extremely minor noise, but again, you had to really be looking. This film is fast paced, and always blowing you away with how detailed and vivid it looks on Blu-ray. So the noise isn't something you would notice unless you're really looking for it.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track provided me with exactly the experience I was expecting. There were a lot of scenes where race announcers were moving across the screen from right to left or vice-versa, and the front channels were constantly sliding across the spectrum. The music and races were roaring all around me with the rear channels, and I got a bit of 'boom' from the bass. A film as highly stylized as Speed Racer is all about getting you in the 'anime brought to life' experience. With a film that's all about presentation and effects, it's only suitable the sound comes out as good as this.
Despite how good the Dolby Digital track sounded, it's unfortunate this high definition release didn't get a Dolby TrueHD track. There's been a lot of debate over this, but all things considering, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track isn't as bad as some people have been making it out to be. I didn't catch this film in theaters, so I can't comment if the film is supposed to really blow you out of your seat. I can say, that the track provided is pretty satisfying.
Also available in Dolby Digital 5.1 are tracks in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Subtitles are included in the same languages as well.
Spritle in the Big Leagues is fourteen and a half minutes with the kid that plays Spritle showing us around behind the scenes. Everything is touched upon very briefly, from showing us one of the very few physical sets, computer design, martial arts training, and other various works for the film that involved artists. It really doesn't go too in depth, but it's not like it's a big secret. Green screen and a lot of computers are what did the trick. A little more information would have been nice that wasn't as obvious.
Speed Racer: Supercharged! plays as a fifteen minute documentary that explains the background of the World Racing League. It takes itself pretty seriously so it's not a lot of fun to watch. We get a look at how some of the tracks were designed around the environment they inhabit, and we get a look at a lot of vehicle guts and what they are and what they do. I know the Wachowskis take their work pretty seriously, but this just shows yet again that they don't know when to quit. Are kids really interested in watching this? I think they'd be bored to tears.
Exclusive to the Blu-ray release, is a feature called Car Fu Cinema. This provides us a bit more insight into all the technical work that went on to make Speed Racer look as pretty as it does. Unfortunately, as far as real information goes for the adults, you're not going to find it here. Would you believe there's no commentary on this edition of Speed Racer? With the film feeling as lost as it does, I would think the Wachowskis would want to explain their thought process with us.
The second disc includes a game called the Speed Racer Crucible Challenge. You can use your remote to drive the Mach 5 through some obstacles, but there isn't anything here that's really worth playing. I had my nine year old brother-in-law over, and he didn't care for it at all.
A third disc is included, and all that awaits you there is a digital copy. The standard definition version of the movie had an additional charge for this, but for Blu-ray, it's yours for free.
All in all, the extras are all pretty lame. Not only are the extras lame, but we have not one, but two coaster discs. This is an extremely bad habit that's been getting a little more rampant as of late, but throwing two in this package is just a bit a much. Just like the film, the special features aren't really sure who they're trying to relate to.
Speed Racer does an excellent job at bringing its anime origins to life on digital film. The first half of the movie is a rough start, but the second half ditches it all for the popcorn movie fun we expect. Where it fails, is at its attempt to accomplish it 'all'. It tries too hard to be a film that's rich in depth with a story about money and greed, while still trying to be a family film that's fun for the kids. The Wachowskis have self-indulged and played every angle. Unfortunately, it makes Speed Racer feel like a confused mess. Other Wachowski films have been geared towards adults, and too much of that is implemented here. When they mish-mash it with a kids flick, the end result is a sub-par effort on each end of the spectrum.
Despite the extreme lack of any relevant special features, I recommend this title for anyone who's looking for some mindless fun. On top of that, this is the disc for the time being to show off your home theater.
Everyone should see Speed Racer at least once for its incredible use of special effects and high octane racing. The style is fast and in your face, and I honestly couldn't take my eyes off of it. An inferior movie it may be overall, but it's certainly an experience everyone should see, especially on Blu-ray. If you're not one that can justify watching any film no matter how pretty it may look, then this one may not be for you.
**Compared to the standard definition review I provided, the scores have gone up in recommendation, extras, and replay value. This is due to the extras providing an extra feature, as well as the digital copy being included for free. As far as the recommendation and replay value, high definition is the only way to see this film. It really enhances the experience, and is great material for anyone who's looking for a great disc to show off their home system.
-About the Author- Michael Zupan is primarily a film guy, but has a variety of places where you can enjoy his work otherwise. Check Bytesizeimpressions.com for video game op-ed pieces and podcasts, and be sure to check out the sister site, Byte-Size Cinema, linked up top. This writer also contributes significantly to in-print magazines such as Minecraft Explorer and Fortnite Explorer!
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