Explosive
Summary
Speed Racer is surprisingly action packed and even has ninjas in it making it a fun, colourful and easy watch. The film isn’t perfect but if you’re a fan then this 4K is worth picking up as it looks and sounds amazing.
Plot: Born into a family business of race cars, Speed Racer is one of the track’s hot stars. Sitting at the wheel of his Mach 5, he consistently deflates the competition. When Speed turns down an offer from the head of Royalton Industries, he uncovers a secret. Powerful moguls fix the races to boost profits. Hoping to beat the executive, Speed enters the same arduous cross-country race that killed his brother.
Review: Believe it or not I had never seen this movie before until I blind bought it last week on 4K; when Speed Racer was first released I thought the CG looked crap and I had zero interest. It has since developed a cult following and I have to say now I understand why. I had seen the old cartoon from way back in the day and this captures the spirit of it and feels like a mostly faithful adaptation.
The visuals are bright and colourful and really pop on 4K; although some of the visuals are dated looking it didn’t bother me too much because I found it all surprisingly immersive. It’s meant to look like a cartoon brought to life and that’s exactly what it is.
Speed Racer has an impressive cast including Emile Hirsch, Rain, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Matthew Fox, Susan Sarandon and Hiroyuki Sanada. Some of the performances are a little jarring because it’s going for that cartoonish style and it doesn’t always work, but the leads are all fine. I liked Emile Hirsch who brought someone humanity to it as did John Goodman as the protective father.
It’s difficult to criticize a movie that has ninjas in it and Speed Racer does; it actually has a few fight scenes and shoot-outs which are all family friendly and not overly graphic. Although it is a little long at 2 hours and 15 minutes it mostly moves along at a breakneck pace with the races energetic and exciting even if they are all animated.
Special Features:
-
- Fast | Future | Family: Revisiting Speed Racer (New): A 13-minute featurette where the Wachowskis reflect on the making of the film.
- Spritle in the Big Leagues!: Tour the movie set with actor Paulie Litt (approx. 14 mins).
- Speed Racer: Ramping Up!: A look at the visual design and stylistic choices (approx. 10 mins).
- Speed Racer: Supercharged!: Meet the drivers of the World Racing League and explore the cars and tracks (approx. 16 mins).
- Speed Racer: Car-Fu Cinema: A deep dive into the revolutionary moviemaking and stunt choreography process (approx. 27 mins).
- Speed Racer: Wonderful World of Racing, The Amazing Racer Family: An overview of the characters and their dynamics (approx. 21 mins).
I picked up the 1 disc edition of the 4K and it was around $25 which was not a bad price as 4Ks can sometimes be much more expensive. There are enough special features to go through and the interviews with the Wachowski’s has them reminiscing about their own childhoods while looking back on making the film.
Overall, Speed Racer was far better than I expected and it looks great on 4K with bright colours and incredible sound; the special features are decent too so this is worth adding to your collection especially if you’re already a fan of the movie.