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SPEED RACER REVIEW BY GRACE RANDOLPH SPEED RACER: Is a movie art or entertainment? The ideal answer is a combination of both, but these days movies tend to be more entertaining than artistic. The Wachowski Brothers go in the opposite direction, painting a bold visual image while unfortunately forgetting the importance of entertainment. Yes, the movie could be shorter - yes, it could use a little more action - and yes, it should have decided to be either a family drama or an anti-capitalism allegory instead of trying to be both.
But SPEED RACER is enjoyable, that is if you're the kind of person that can enjoy and appreciate a work of art. But if you're not someone who's into introspective, then you might find yourself looking at your watch. Sitting in the theater, watching the movie unfold, I was intensely aware that history was being made and the Wachowski Brothers were taking the medium of film to new heights. But some might say that kind of awareness also means a distance from the film, and they'd be right: I never got lost in the world of SPEED RACER.
What keeps the viewer from breaking through the fourth wall of SPEED RACER? Stylization. The Wachowski Brothers have painstakingly recreated Japanese anime in the live action world. It's all there: from colorful landscapes to freeze frame attacks to spinning camera pans. And if you've ever watched Japanese anime, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you don't watch Japanese anime, you'll be sitting in the theater wondering what you're looking at.
Not since Ang Lee directed HULK has a filmmaker tried to bring the style of another storytelling medium to the big screen. Lee made a valiant effort to incorporate the panels of graphic storytelling into live action film, but it failed. Perhaps because The Wachowski Brothers are imitating another form of moving pictures - cartoons - it's more successful. Before now, stylistic visionaries like Tim Burton, Wes Anderson and The Coen Brothers have relied on set design, costumes, and music to create their worlds. But harnessing the power of CGI like nobody else, The Wachowski Brothers don't enhance what's on film, they change it at an elemental level. We're not talking a coat of paint, we're talking about DNA manipulation.
I could comment on the actors in the film, but unfortunately they're secondary to what I can only describe as the essence of SPEED RACER. Is it a good thing the actors fade into the story, or should they pop, giving us memorable characters to latch onto? Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer doesn't take command of the film, but he doesn't get in its way either. It's nice to see Christina Ricci get behind the wheel of a racecar like all the boys, but her Trixie isn't particularly well-defined beyond the stereotypical supportive girlfriend. Matthew Fox fares the best with his anime-esque line delivery and deepened voice, and he cuts a nice figure in his Racer X uniform - even if his mask does look a little silly.
Ahh, Spritle, the little kid with the chimp ... annoying or charming? It's hard to decide. Surprisingly, this is more his movie than anyone else's ....
Actually, scratch that. This movie belongs to the audience. The Wachoswki Brothers made it for you, to show you something you've never seen before. And believe me, you haven't. Personally, I think you owe them the benefit of the doubt. Think of it as a trip to museum. You might not enjoy it, but then just chalk it up to cultural enlightenment.
P.S. I saw this on IMAX. You should too. Seriously.
Grace Randolph is a comedic actor and writer in NYC. Her issue of Justice League Unlimited #41 for DC Comics is out now and her upcoming projects are Nemesis: Who Me? for TOKYOPOP's new Shining Stars program, and the manga The Adventures of CG! for CosmoGirl magazine. She's also the host/writer for TitanTV's "RevYOU" which gets the genuine pulse of the week's new film releases from real moviegoers who've just stepped out of the theater! Go to www.TitanTV.com to watch the latest episodes. Grace also studies and performs at Upright Citizens Brigade. To learn more please visit her website, www.gracerandolph.com, which is highly informative, not to mention awesome.
Posts: 21384 | From: PA | Registered: Aug 2002
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Good review..... Someone who actually gets it.
-------------------- The floggings will continue until morale improves. ~ anonymous
Why can't people with closed minds come with closed mouths?
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. Posts: 627 | From: Chicagoland | Registered: May 2002
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