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His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized-the legendary Rex Racer – whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill.
![speed racer 2008 rotten speed racer 2008 rotten](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Speed-Racer.jpg)
Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. The synopsis (if you can call it that) of Speed Racer looks like this: “Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer is a natural behind the wheel. Was it worth the hype and massive investment? In a word, NO. Off I went the other day to check it out.
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#Speed racer 2008 rotten movie#
Even after they announced that Matrix helmers the Wachowski brothers were going to be at the wheel (pardon the pun), i still didn’t see how even making a Speed Racer movie was a good idea. Quite frankly I was confused how anyone thought that there would be enough interest in the franchise to justify the type of massive budget they were talking about giving it. I must admit that I never understood some people’s fascination with Speed Racer when it was first announced that they were going to be making a film version. Yes, it's a candy-colored Day-Glo world, but there's a liveliness missing from this lead-footed Speed Racer.Thanks for checking out our Speed Racer review.
![speed racer 2008 rotten speed racer 2008 rotten](https://www.looper.com/img/gallery/sci-fi-films-with-terrible-rotten-tomatoes-scores-that-you-should-watch-anyway/intro-1506538578.jpg)
Though it's a simple tale that should be understandable for viewers as young as 6, the filmmakers put so much emphasis on visual panache that narrative coherence suffers. Speed, determined to restore the family honor by competing in the cross-country rally that took his brother's life, teams up with Racer X (Matthew Fox) to expose Royalton's corruption. When Rex dies in a mysterious crash, Speed honors his memory by following in his footsteps.ĭoggedly loyal to the family racing business, he turns down a profitable sponsorship deal from a conglomerate, so Royalton Industries' megalomaniacal owner (Roger Allam) promises to ruin Speed's career. Emile Hirsch is fine as Speed, though the role doesn't exactly offer the challenge of his Oscar-caliber performance in Into the Wild. Christina Ricci is his girlfriend, Trixie, and Susan Sarandon and John Goodman play his parents.Īs a child, Speed Racer is not much of a scholar, preferring instead to hang around with his idol, older brother Rex. Writers/directors (Lana and Lilly) Wachowski ( The Matrix trilogy) attracted some major acting talent. But the cars zipping around the track look interchangeable, and the action sequences are more video game than movie. Racer can look vibrant with its blend of live action and computer-generated animation. Or maybe it's the predictable story about a guy who goes up against crooked corporate sponsors. Perhaps that has a lot to do with its length: 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is at least a half-hour too long for a movie based on a cartoon. Maybe teens and twenty-somethings will pick up the slack.įor a movie about velocity, the excitement factor is low and the races feel like a drag. It may be a tricked-out ride, but Speed Racer is too long for kids to sit still and too frenetic for their parents.