Speed Racer (2008) review

(7/10)

This movie suprised me in a lot of ways; I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The effects are colorful, the script is great, and the excitement is amped-up.

PLOT:In this adaptation of the popular TV series, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsh) is very famous on the standard racing tracks. Along with Pops (John Goodman), his mother (Susan Sarandon), Trixie (Christina Ricci), Spritle, and Chim Chim, Speed has worked his way to a top racer, with several other companies trying to sponsor him. One sponsor (Roger Allam) is in league with the underground and will do whatever it takes to dominate the racing league, especially when Speed decides to take on the Crucible, a dangerous cross-country race. Speed joins with Racer X (Matthew Fox) and others to conquer this race on his way to the Grand Prix. It's a good plot executed fairly well.



ACTING:The acting is pretty good. Emile Hirsch plays a pretty good part as Speed Racer. The most outstanding role aside from Speed would be John Goodman as Pops; he played the role in a pretty legit way. The other shiners would be Susan Sarandon as Speed's mom, Christina Ricci as Trixie, Matthew Fox as Racer X, Roger Allam as Royalton, and Kick Gurry as Sparky. However, a lot of the minor characters and brief appearances were pretty mediocre and badly-acted.

SCORE:The score was very fitting and inspirational by Michael Giacchino. There were some pretty good themes.

EFFECTS:The effects in this movie were what mainly led it on for me. The effects, though cheaply made, are bright, colorful, and exciting. They really took me on a trip and kept the action going.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie, though I liked it so much, still has its flaws. Aside from the minor actors, the execution had problems and it moves in too fast a pace for its own good. The execution was pretty bad in terms that this movie doesn't really have a true plot, but just a bunch of racing. The pacing was also too fast; it made the use of effects headache-inducing to some and made some things seem ridiculous along with the execution. However, this movie is packed full of excitement and a pretty good script. It is a pretty big change from the original series, but I say it wasn't all that bad.

OVERALL,a good movie with a decent plot, good acting, inspirational score, colorful effects, lots of excitement, and a good script, but the minor actors are mediocre, the execution had problems, and the pacing was way too fast.