The Wachowskis aspire for something unusual and awfully contradictory with “Speed Racer.” They want an intentionally animated live action film, but a film that also looks as realistic as possible. They want a family film, but this is a film that may not be appealing to all children, and they want a story that simple but also quite complicated. Just when you think you’ve seen all of Spritle and his monkey, there’s an unusual tale about corporate corruption. Maybe it’s because of all the contradictions and hapless surrealism that I responded to “Speed Racer” with such enthusiasm. I know it won’t be for everyone, and it definitely has its own flaws present, but speaking as someone willing to meet the Wachowskis halfway, everything involving Speed and Racer X made for some interesting drama.
The first few minutes of “Speed Racer” are pretty much an indicator of what’s to come and who this is aimed toward. Speed sits on a bench preparing for a race and is bobbing his leg rapidly, which then immediately cuts to a young Speed (we need to see him as a kid, apparently), who is also bobbing his leg very quickly. ADD addled children, this movie is for you, says the subtle imagery. And boy howdy, is that ever correct. For many the imagery here will prove to be quite mind boggling and the Wachowski’s aim to flash the moving character/still imagery element to their film, and do it until it’s absolutely jarring. As for the narrative, it’s simply everywhere with incessant flashback after flashback, sub-plots that meander back and forth from our villain, to Racer X, to Speed, to Pops, and so on and so forth, to the point where not even the Wachowski’s are sure who the main character in this action tale is.
That said, not only do Matthew Fox and Emile Hirsch ace the chemistry as brothers, but the casting is competent. You have to appreciate the Wachowskis taking an awful franchise with a wholly uninteresting character turning it into a cheesy but fun pulp flick. Even if its sole intent is to appeal to children, the smell of pulp was so thick I found their effort quite endearing, and this is speaking as someone who never liked Speed Racer. I’ve suffered through many versions, given it many chances, and I’ve never been able to enjoy this series. But “Speed Racer” works on a level that wobbles back and forth from family entertainment to exclusive pulp cult classic. I may be proven wrong years from now, but I’m willing to watch this again and give it a fair shot. Some of the racing scenes are so chaotic and wonky that my head was spinning, but at the same time I sat on edge rooting for Speed and wondering if Racer X would admit he was Rex.
One of the staples of the franchise is the obvious twist in Racer X, and the Wachowskis accomplish that tension with the help of Fox’s strong performance. There’s also the great performance from Goodman who is perfect as Pops, and Ricci adds her own brand of charisma to Trixie. Hirsch adds a sense of humility and Skywalker-esque courage that makes him a great choice for Speed. As for Paulie Litt, I’m sure he tried his hardest in this role, but Spritle and Chim Chim are without a doubt two of the most obnoxious film characters I’ve seen since Jar Jar Binks. Not only do the Wachowskis spend too much time on them, assuming this would qualify as an appeal to a young audience, but most of their riffs are inane and blank white noise without a single purpose to add to the story. Had the film been cut by twenty minutes, including the material with the Spritle and his chimp, “Speed Racer” would have excelled.
The characters are often grating, and I often wondered if we were really supposed to see a movie about Spritle. I thought Speed was the main character here, but what do I know? I didn’t figure in spending two hours watching a kid and a monkey get into hijinks while the directors piss on “Freedbird” in one instance. You just don’t mess with “Freedbird.” The Wachowskis want to strive for a movie beyond simple family fare, and they succeed. Some of the scenes are bafflingly weird, but at the same time, quite exciting. It’s not perfect, but it’s entertaining enough to warrant a pleased smile from moi. The Wachowskis attempt an adult’s kids movie, and don’t always succeed. With a mixture of kitschy surrealism, over the top visuals, and an obscene running time, I don’t know who this movie is for, but it’s not for adults, and it certainly won’t appeal too much to kids. All I know is that I didn’t hate it, and that was enough for me.