Review of Speed Racer (2008) by Ben S — 03 Jan 2014

Hyper stylised kids' racing adventure based on the iconic Japanese anime of the same name. Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch), a young driver on the futuristic Formula One circuit, has spent his life addicted to motor sport, after growing up idolising his older brother Rex who was disowned by his father for leaving the family team Racer Motors and was then tragically killed in a race. Honouring his brother's legacy Speed is determined to be the best driver he can be, but the Racer family's world is thrown into chaos by the sinister Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) and his dominant Royalton Industries team, amid speculation about corruption and race fixing. Teaming up with rival racer Taejo Togokahn (Rain) and the Mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) - who coincidentally appeared soon after Rex's death - they aim to bring Royalton to justice and save the family team.

It's as simplistic and formulaic as that sounds, pitching itself at a very young audience. There isn't really anything going on beneath the surface, and at 2hrs 15mins it's incredibly overlong - but this is a movie all about the visual spectacle, and for that alone it's worth seeing. A sensory overload of primary colours and glossy reflections, every frame has been meticulously put together and pops off the screen with energy and enthusiasm. The races themselves are awesome exhilarating fun with all the inventiveness of a child's imagination, full of flips, spins and explosions. The absence of any feeling of threat does detract from them slightly as every surface is so slick and digital - a sensation close to watching someone play a video game - but as the game is so inventive and poppy this isn't really a problem.

With so much happening on the screen you're frequently distracted from the story, and keeping up occasionally feels like hard work - but basically Speed needs to drive faster than everyone else in order to save the day, or something. This is a movie for young children that has obviously been made with passion and a singular vision. Its heart is in the right place and as a superficial pop explosion of vibrant colour it warrants a viewing.