Speed Racer

I hereby accuse the Wachowskis of illicit visual exhibitionism and wasting their enormous storytelling talents on a subject so predictable and bound by the conventions of the cheapest family pathos. On the other hand, it is very rare (if not impossible) to see a film that captivates and engrosses the viewer with its original visuals and absolutely ingenious spatio-temporal construction, so much that you want to remain a part of the "cheap and stupid" and, above all, incredibly rich fictional world that is presented at a tremendous pace and on a voluminous plot. The first 15 minutes represent one of the most beautiful narrative stretches in the history of cinema, while the rest of the film never ceases to surprise with an avalanche of revolutionary filmmaking ideas and bold decisions that, as we can see, have no chance of bridging the model habits of a significant part of the viewing public. But that's okay, great films have always stirred controversy and greatness is relative, and Speed Racer – a bold experiment with its own stylistic elements, an infinitely energetic tide with fade in effects at the level of shots, genres, narrative approaches and the cinematic underworld of the Wachowskis as such – is undoubtedly a tremendous film, deserving of detailed analysis to defend its rejected systemic modes and rules. Maybe some day, further screenings are unavoidable. (2016-11-01)

Beautifully kinetic, not only via movement on the screen, but also the movement around the story. Had I seen it as a child, my brain would have blown out of my nose. Anyway, it is elegant, funny, confidently told and poetically boyish with its pastel-manga-coloring book-family-chimpy style. Even the clichés that sometimes irritate me are completely smooth and high-octane in this cheeky injection. WW may be ahead of their time, or maybe they missed it completely, but to hell with the times, I watch movies and this one works better than any 3D prefabricated product. The added dimension of Speed Racer is probably the art of listening to a complex but completely effective machine for a simple story. Family movies have always bored me. Now I know why. None of them look like Speed Racer. (2012-11-21)

Brilliant! It’s a pity that the visionary visuals and direction of the Wachowskis is ruined by excessive childishness. I would throw the characters of the little brother and the chimp out of a skyscraper window, then I would scrape them from the street, bring them back up and throw them out again. But whatever, Speed Racer is an extraordinary and unique film and I can accept a couple of defects for all that beauty. (2011-06-30)

The Wachowskis show once again their technical skills and impress with an incredible range of perfectly tuned colors, visuals, a captivating concept of car races, and typical camera positions and shooting systems of some scenes. On the other hand, they have quite traditionally forgotten about the script, which oscillates between a “sketch” from a silly sitcom and entertainment for the whole family, especially for the younger ones. The plot is very dysfunctional, but technically breathtaking. The classic that we are used to, but this time we won't forgive it. (2009-01-02)

The audiovisual side of the movie is simply unbelievable. Painstaking racing scenes interspersed with a conflict between a family firm and a megalomaniac corporation represented by the slippery Roger Allam. Emile Hirsch gave a great performance in the role of Speed and I was equally surprised by Matthew Fox as the mysterious Racer X. Playful, sweet and funny (unfortunately sometimes too much so). Great for kids, remarkably digestible for adults. (2008-05-23)