speed racer ( film )
speed racer is a american 2008 action film and the live - action film adaptation of the 1960s japanese animated series speed racer .
film crit hulk smash: speed racer as artist | birth. movies. death .
peter fernandez and corinne orr, the original english voices of speed racer / racer x and trixie / spritle in speed racer (1967), voice race announcers in the film .
speed racer promotional art featuring rain as racer taejo togokahn. ©2008 warner bros. ent .
speed racer. dir. andy and lana wachowski. warner bros. , 2008. film .
blair: and racer x, the mysterious masked racer who was really speed' s brother .
that' s really all that needs to be said. speed racer is the god hand of film .
emile hirsch as speed racer christina ricci as trixie matthew fox as racer x john goodman as pops racer susan sarandon as mrs. racer roger allam benno fürmann hiroyuki sanada rain richard roundtree
speed racer the movie is an american compilation film produced by streamline pictures in association with speed racer enterprises, containing three episodes from the original speed racer television series. it was released theatrically as the speed racer show in select markets in 1992, before being re - released on vhs and laserdisc in 1994, and later on dvd in 2001 .
the korean superstar discusses his role in the new speed racer film author: keith aiken source: warner bros. official site: speed racer the movie special thanks to gemma cacho, warner bros .
orr is the last surviving member of the
speed racer
main cast .
fernandez conceded to the times that he would be best remembered as speed racer .
speed racer / the real mach 5 [ s4 ep. 3 - 3 ]
aha gives speed racer
unacceptable
rating. no one notices. | peta
wkd prediction: problem - plagued ‘speed racer’ distant no. 2 to ‘iron man’
same is true of this poster, which further validates speed racer being awesome .
mtv: you couldn' t go from more of one extreme to another with your next film ,
speed racer .
also, i need to check out the speed racer film. i barely remember the show but i see a lot of people saying the film is a lot of fun .
the wachowskis developed a positive working relationship with rain during the speed racer shoot, and tailored a subsequent film – the 2009 james mcteigue film ninja assassin – specifically for him .
speed racer intends to convey a sense of heedless momentum, but it drags painfully .
how speed racer reminds me to look at the world through my little brother’s eyes .
in the immortal words of speed racer himself… get that weak shit off my track .
we are very excited about this natural extension from the speed racer film to the videogame. larry and andy are videogame fans themselves, so they believe that an interactive game is a key component to the entire speed racer experience ,
said film producer joel silver .
: inspector detector asks racer x if he really wants to be at the racer house for the attempt at recruiting speed. racer seems unusually emotional about it. we learn later that
speed is also rex’s. rex is scrupulously careful to refer to speed as his brother
“get smart, ”and
speed racer
by far is the riskiest of them all .
michael giacchino used musical cues from speed racer (1967) when he composed the score .
it’s all about the need for speed for susan sarandon in her next film, speed racer. she’ll be playing ‘mom’ in the new adaptation from andy and larry wachowski and joel silver .
[ xxvi ] jack giroux, “matthew fox transforms for alex cross and mourns the fate of speed racer”, film school rejects, 17 october 2012 .
cooke’s film has picked up numerous awards including best documentary at the magners irish film festival 2006, best documentary award at the 2006 boston irish film festival and winner at the chashama film festival, new york city 2008 .
showdown:' speed racer' vs.' cloud atlas' vs.' jupiter ascending'
[ iv ] steven weintraub, “joel silver interview speed racer”, collider, 7 may 2008 .
[ xxii ] steve weintraub, “emile hirsch interview speed racer”, collider, 5 may 2008 .
[ xxiii ] steve weintraub, “matthew fox interview speed racer”, collider, 3 may 2008 .
the original car - racing anime aired in 1967 - 68 under the name mach go go go. when it was released in the u. s. they renamed it speed racer. other speed racer series' followed over the years, such as the new adventures of speed racer in 1993, the speed racer x remake in 1997, and spinoff shorts such as mach girl in 2008. it was that same year that lionsgate developed speed racer: the next generation, and the wachowskis released the american live - action film adaptation .
stacey vanek - smith: happy meals are among speed racer' s $ 80 million worth of promotional partnerships. general mills put
speed racer
action figures in cereal boxes. there is a
speed racer
lego set. and puma made
speed racer
shoes. so what happens to all that stuff when the movie crashes and burns? consumer retail consultant burt flickinger .
there’s a very strong argument to be made that speed racer is, when all is said and done, the most expensive experimental arthouse film ever produced .
in june 2004 vince vaughn was going to produce the film and star as racer x. however, production never became fully active, so he left the film .
... little does speed know that the mysterious racer x is actually his long lost brother rex, who went missing and reappeared as the mysterious racer x, in actuality rex racer, the long lost brother of speed ...
and in case you missed them, here’s a link to 7 movie clips from “speed racer. ”
check out everything we' ve got on
into the wild
and
speed racer .
part 3: speed racer is born! mach go go go comes to the u. s .
commercial: speed racer, the movie, rated pg, is now in theaters and at mcdonalds .
[ v ] quoted in speed racer production notes, warner bros / village roadshow pictures, 2008 .
[ x ] quoted in speed racer production notes, warner bros / village roadshow pictures, 2008 .
[ xi ] quoted in speed racer production notes, warner bros / village roadshow pictures, 2008 .
everything goes to shit after the race, and racer x finds speed at thunderhead. all speed really wants is his brother back, and racer x can’t give him that; but he can at least tell speed that rex would be proud of him
initially panned on release, and a subsequent box office bomb, speed racer is finally being recognised as a game - changing film which redefined and reconceptualised the film form as we know it. kaleidoscopic and mesmerising, the visuals, editing, and pace of the film are perfectly in line with 21st century aesthetics and the way a new generation of film fans see the world. an adaptation of the 1960s anime, speed racer is pure and simple at its heart – speed racer loves to race, and must keep winning in order to race .
the movie based off of the anime series speed racer, directed by the wachowskis. it features the titular speed racer characters with their same basic personalities thrown into a racing world where corporate greed determines everything .
if you want to answer the questions ,
who starred in the movie speed racer ?
and
what is the full cast list of speed racer ?
then this page has got you covered .
fighting fingerprint: played with. speed suspects racer x of being his long lost relative rex, because racer x drives in the same distinctive way rex did .
best bit: speed drives almost vertically up the side of a mountain to thwart evil driver snake' s dastardly plans. go speed racer! go !
a new version of the 1960' s cartoon
speed racer
is set to debut next year on nickelodeon' s 24 - hour cartoon channel, urltoken reports. the new toon will come out around the same time the live - action
speed racer
film hits theaters. in the series, young speed racer enters a racing academy for the fastest kids on earth and then discovers that he' s the son of the legendary speed racer and that he has a brother, racer x, who he never knew existed .
an excellent cast, story and visuals combine for an adrenaline - fueled experience. go, speed racer !
this cast list of who was in speed racer includes both lead and minor roles. (20 items )
new york — “speed racer” is emerging from a prolonged pit stop with director alfonso cuaron at the wheel .
juego de autos 19: speed racer the great plan: meteoro y el mach5 en el camino serpiente .
[ xx ] paul fischer, “ricci fast tracks her career in speed racer”, girl, may 2008 .
in the month since “speed’s” spinout, there’s been much second - guessing about what went wrong. but the reasons aren’t as elusive as the film’s mysterious racer x. here are the top 10 factors leading to the film’s failure :
there’s more than speed racing going on on the set of emile hirsch and christina ricci’s upcoming film. a chimp bit an actor on the set of “speed racer” — and there are allegations that the chimp was beaten .
a film about real cars being driven fast; that' s about all there is to need for speed .
so: assume a trans speed racer. since we’re sticking with the movie essentially as written, this speed will be female - assigned and male - identified .
racer x
wears a black suit with a black mask in the movie, but wore a white suit with a black mask in speed racer (1967) .
racer x is rex, speed' s older brother who everyone believes died years before in a racing crash .
speed racer is anime - the animated form of japanese graphic novels, which really became popular in the 1990s. kelts says those seven buttons on speed racer' s car back in the' 60s are typical of anime .
' speed racer' crashes & burns to become first summer bomb:' iron man' still no. 1
“speed racer. ” imdb: the internet movie database. imdb. com - amazon. com, 1990–2015 .
[ xvii ] sheila roberts, “john goodman talks monuments men, speed racer”, collider, 4 february 2014 .
[ xviii ] quoted in “speed racer: interview with rain”, sci - fi japan, 9 may 2008 .
after winning a race, speed racer jumps out of his car while it' s still moving and strikes a pose as his car slows and stops just behind him; in addition, the lights flashing in the grandstand behind speed briefly dissolve into a red - yellow checkerboard background. this scene replicates the trademark pose of speed racer in the opening credits of speed racer (1967) .
i used to watch the speed racer cartoons as a kid, so i was happy to see this bluray with the remake (i must have missed it in the movies). the special effects, picture quality and sound are terrific! the story, well, that' s speed racer (afterall it' s not shakespeare), but why did they change racer x into someone else! every speed racer fan knows racer x is rex racer, speed' s brother. i was kinda irritated by that, anyway, call me silly: -) )
but trixie, like the racers, takes speed at face value. she’s not as into cars as speed is, but she’s into how into cars speed is. she’s generally into the whole weird speed package .
everything from young speed’s fantasy to the racing visuals, and even spritle’s manic shenanigans, make this film a great peak into the head of a kid. the film apparently did very well with the child demographic, as it should since”speed racer” is basically everything great about a kid’s fantasy with speed. this is the true magic of the movie, as it evokes such child - like wonder that it makes you feel like a kid again! when you watch it with this mindset, “speed racer” is a truly wonderful film .
the reason that setting up capitalism as the villain of “speed racer” works so well is because the film focuses on speed and his relationship to his family, especially rex and pops. family values and hard work stand at the core of this film, supporting the racers as they go up agains big - name racing companies. “speed racer” is a classic underdog sports narrative with some other fun elements thrown in .
go speed racer go written by nobuyoshi koshibe and yoshida yoshiyuki performed by ali dee and deekompressors (as the deekompressors) produced by ali dee and jason gleed ali dee and the deekompressors appear courtesy of deetown entertainment contains samples from the
speed racer
classic television series (1966 - 1967) licensed courtesy of speed racer enterprising, inc .
' speed racer' film a far cry from its anime roots the movie speed racer opens thursday. it' s based on the japanese animated series that was a hit with american kids in the late 1960s. the movie is directed by larry and andy wachowski, who directed the matrix .
blair: when people write about
speed racer
today, they often mention how japanese it seems. but it turns out tatsuo yoshida created
speed racer
with the american market in mind, says author roland kelts .
speed racer cast list, listed alphabetically with photos when available. this list of speed racer actors includes any speed racer actresses and all other actors from the film. you can view additional information about each speed racer actor on this list, such as when and where they were born. to find out more about a particular actor or actress, click on their name and you' ll be taken to page with even more details about their acting career. the cast members of speed racer have been in many other movies, so use this list as a starting point to find actors or actresses that you may not be familiar with .
the second director signed on to helm speed racer was julien temple, best known for his 1985 film absolute beginners. at this stage the project was budgeted at us $ 30 million dollars, making speed racer a mid - range studio picture but by no means intended as a major summer blockbuster .
at one point during the film' s early development in the 1990s, nicolas cage was offered the role of racer x .
spritle and chim chim are obsessed with candy and food, just as they were in speed racer (1967) .
full disclosure: i dressed as speed racer for halloween the year of its release. it was a great costume .
speed racer premiered on may 3, 2008 at the tribeca film festival, and was released in the united states on may 9, 2008. the film received negative reviews. speed racer was criticized for its storyline, characters, dialogues, and for being very childish, while the film was praised for its capacity to entertain the target audience and its cast performance. speed racer was noted to use overmuch special effects by some critics that criticized it, while others praised its visual. it received nominations of awards that both qualified the film as one of the best in a certain category and as a golden raspberry award .
the
mach
series vehicles are designed, built, and stored in the
racer
family' s garage, just as they were in speed racer (1967) .
families can talk about whether speed racer feels more like a live - action film or a cartoon. why? what do you think the filmmakers wanted watching it to feel like? é
and now, warner brother pictures has announced the family adventure film ,
speed racer
, which has already entered pre - production and set to be released may 9, 2008 .
the big damn kiss: speed and trixie' s kiss at the end after speed wins the grand prix .
a female - assigned speed’s early childhood is pretty much the same. in the racer household, assigned sex informs very little beyond diapering logistics. speed still grows up tooling timing pins. his parents dress speed in sturdy, colorful clothes
in addition to the speed racer content, the film included unrelated commercials contemporary to the show' s broadcast era, as well as a colonel beep cartoon short. the home video release included a commentary track with peter fernandez and corrine orr, and a music video featuring a remix of the original theme song spliced with footage from the series, live action dancers and speed and racer x from the new adventures of speed racer .
warner bros. interactive entertainment announced speed racer, based on the upcoming film by the wachowski brothers, where players will be able to take on the role of the characters from the film, getting behind the wheels of each character' s signature vehicles to experience firsthand the film' s high - adrenaline, combative racing style .
so much of “speed racer’s” charm, beauty and excellence comes from the design work of the film. most critics address the visuals as the film’s strongest element, and they’re completely right. the design work on “speed racer” evokes the zaniness of the anime, amps it up and gives it just the right dose of reality; all present in the costume, car and world design .
you can check out speed racer on may 9, 2008, and in the valley of elah in theaters september 21st .
: speed and trixie tell a fib to help racer x and inspector detector by racing in the race that killed rex .
: taejo togokahn offers to turn over incriminating evidence if racer x and speed help his team win the casa cristo 5000 .
a different version of the mach 6 appeared in the television sequel cartoon speed racer: the next generation (2008) .
high octane, low wattage: speed racer (emile hirsch) can' t outrun the wachowski brothers' tiresome technomania .
' speed racer' crashes & burns to become first summer bomb:' iron man' still no. 1 | deadline
this week' s round of new movie release information contains release dates for shooter. pathfinder, speed racer and more .
you don' t climb into a speed racer thread to defend individual qualities, you do it because it is quality .
well, maybe “burst” is the wrong word. in reality, the speed racer movie “fizzled” onto the scene. the critical reception of the film was less than stellar, with a 39% on rotten tomatoes, and a 37% on metacritic. speed racer drew criticism for its weak writing and sickeningly colorful effects .
the film had been in development since 1992, changing actors, writers and directors until in 2006 producer joel silver and the wachowskis collaborated to begin production on speed racer as a family film. speed racer was shot between early june and late august 2007 in and around potsdam and berlin, at an estimated budget of $ 120 million. the film score was composed by michael giacchino, and the film' s soundtrack, which contains the sound effects and theme song from the original series, was released on may 6, 2008 .
rex goes back home as racer x, and watches speed’s back at casa cristo. when ninjas attack them in the hotel, rex ends up in the racer family’s room, and sees speed in his pajamas, without a binder. and for the first time, speed is really, really scared about that
speed racer is a fantasy action film about a young racing prodigy who becomes a star and has to balance the demanding world of big money racing with his family' s racing tradition and values .
racer x is secretly rex racer, speed’s older brother. in the anime, rex left his family and donned the racer x identity after feeling ashamed for racing recklessly and crashing the mach 5. the film amps up x’s origin a bit, having him fake his death during a race to escape his ties to the mafia. ashamed, rex undergoes plastic surgery and dons the racer x mask .
japanese voice artists katsuji mori, kiyoshi kobayashi and kenji utsumi voiced ben burns, mr togokahn and pops racer in the japanese dub of the film. these three all worked in the original speed racer (1967) series: mori in particular voiced the title character .
and when young speed sees young trixie for the first time and when they kiss at the end of the film they are hearts .
actor also describes what it was like to shoot' speed racer' with the wachowskis (and a pair of chimps) .
there are many troubling elements in speed racer, front and center of which was the casting of emile hirsch as speed racer — a whitewashed casting trend that continues to plague anime and comic book adaptations, from dragonball: evolution to ghost in the shell .
speed' s first encounter with racer x, a mysterious masked driver who is rumored to cause car crashes whenever he races .
emile hirsch was a big fan of the speed racer (1967) show, and used to watch it on cartoon network .
speed racer is objectively the greatest movie of all time, and if you talk shit about it, i will fight you .
as warner bros’ speed racer movie opens in theaters today, audiences will be reintroduced to the wonderful cast of characters from the classic anime series. the film brings back a slew of familiar faces, from speed, trixie, racer x and chim - chim to supporting players such as inspector detector and recurring villains like snake oiler .
( cnn) - -
speed racer ,
the wachowski brothers' first film as writer - directors since
the matrix reloaded
five years ago, is a dizzying pop - art confection .
fast track to nowhere: it' s anime on overdrive in the wachowski brothers' souped - up, tricked - out speed racer | film stories | st. louis news and events | riverfront times
it is revealed that rex racer faked his death and had magic plastic surgery as the ultimate disguise to fight against corruption as racer x .
shooting on the latest wachowski brothers opus, speed racer, has just got off the grid, marked by a berlin press conference to introduce the cast, the look and very key prop of the film .
“speed racer, the score, is nothing like what i expected, and just about everything i dared not to hope for. ”
so they went from the shiny leather and dour visual style of the matrix to speed racer' s full contrast and splashy color .
if family members have seen the matrix movies, you can talk about what they have in common with speed racer, if anything .
there’s no doubt in my mind that the speed racer movie isn’t exactly citizen kane, but after seeing it lambasted by all manner of websites, i’m going to do something contrarian and crazy. i’m going to try and convince people to watch and enjoy speed racer .
this is because “speed racer” didn’t force a gritty take. it’s not “a speed racer movie, but…” it’s just a speed racer movie, and that’s what makes it great. from “batman begins” on, every comic book movie had to throw something else into the mix to keep things from being too campy and fun, two things that producers thought audiences didn’t want. “speed racer” is a true adaptation of the anime; it’s fun, silly, colorful and not afraid to get cheesy. some might fault the film for not taking itself too seriously, but honestly, that’s what makes it work so well .
the film, silver says, will have a
retro future
look and will center on speed (hirsch) trying to make a name for himself in the racing world despite the efforts of corporate giants to foil his career. the film also stars christina ricci as girlfriend trixie and matthew fox as speed' s older brother, racer x .
another aspect of speed’s driving that resembles a video game is the “race” with his brother for the track record at thunderhead at the very beginning of the film. with speed ahead of the pack by a sizable margin, speed’s mechanic sparky remarks, “holy cannoli, speed! do you know who you’re racing? ” just then, the ghost of rex’s car appears slightly ahead of speed’s car .
it is easy to see why this film didn’t fare well at the box office. it wasn’t an easy film to market and it still isn’t going to be a film for everyone. however, it is pure cinema and a film that demands to be watched through the eyes of your inner - child .
the moment of truth is a fictional film about real life bullfighter but he actual did fight the bulls, stab them, etc. in the film .
speed racer is a 2008 american action film based on the japanese anime and manga series speed racer by tatsunoko productions. the film was written and directed by the wachowskis, and stars emile hirsch, christina ricci, john goodman, susan sarandon, matthew fox, benno fürmann, hiroyuki sanada, rain and richard roundtree. the plot revolves around speed racer, a 18 - year - old automobile racer, who follows his apparently deceased brother' s career. he is very loyal to his family, particularly to his father, pops, who is a man of solid convictions. however, these convictions lead the enmity of mr. royalton, a business man, after speed refuses a contract offered by him .
the wachowskis’ film adaptation of speed racer has a rating of 39% on rottentomatoes, was panned by most critics and was complete box office failure. but how well does this reflect upon the film? it’s campy, over - the - top and incredibly fast - paced, but these aren’t flaws. it’s these very elements that make the film an under - appreciated masterpiece .
the wachowskis’ anime adaptation may be their most underrated, and subversive, film .
although light on plot and performances, the film delivers exactly what it promises .
this film comes out next week. (may 9th to be exact. )
faux affably evil: despite being warm and friendly while initially courting the racer family, after speed rejects his offer, royalton reveals his true personality by giving speed a
the reason you suck
speech .
: rex teaches speed to
drive, not steer
by listening to the feel of the car. speed later uses this ability
speed racer: while it was poorly received at the time, the wachowski’s speed racer succeeds by being exactly what it set out to be—a bright, colorful adventure for kids. which, in turn, makes it exactly like its source material. unfortunately, the film’s poor critical reception and box office performance very likely served to further stigmatize anime adaptations to big studios .
` speed racer, 'the animated tv series that aired during the 1960s and '70s and followed the adventures of a hotshot race car driver, is racing to the big screen as a full - length animated film. streamline pictures, which will distribute the film in february, is producing the 95 - minute animated film using episodes gleaned from the classic animation series. warner bros. also holds an option to produce a live - action version of
speed racer ,
a project that is in active development ...
speed racer, bless its heart, only made just shy of $ 94 million in worldwide gross off of a budget of $ 120 million .
speed racer
is rated pg and runs - - and runs and runs - - 135 minutes. for entertainment weekly' s take ,
npr' s elizabeth blair reports that the original
speed racer
was the way a lot of young americans were introduced to japanese anime .
and then speed racer came along. for my brother and me, speed racer was a movie - length game of cars and blocks, one we could both enjoy together. we could lose ourselves in the dazzling cinematography, a cinematic language of imagination that he, as a kid, intuitively understood, but which i had completely forgotten. speed racer is what cars and blocks looked like to him. speed racer taught me how to see through his eyes again, to remember what the world was like when it was full of something new and exciting every single day .
like many of you, i dismissed the wachowski' s effort to recreate speed racer back in 2008. the lukewarm critical reception mixed with moviegoer reaction sullied me on taking a chance on a film i had high hopes for .
the character depictions of rex, speed, and spritle in speed racer (2008) demonstrate a range of how children can be empowered within their own environments and understanding. the aesthetic, technology, and depiction of the family in the film allow speed, the representation of the empowered child, to exert control over his situation and express himself through his own strengths .
i believe that wb did an alright job in marketing this film, not great. the real problem this film faced was that nobody knew what it was. was it ment to be a kids film, directed at the people in their 40' s that knew all abou the cartoon, or a hybird of both. it was too different, in which nobody had even seen. and because of this, cirtics bashed the hell out of the film. even though speed racer did got better reviews then what happens in vegas, people knew the vegas film was a chick - flick and knew what to expect, but had no idea what speed racer would offer. therefore, people staied away from sr .
high speed over the top action with lots of crazy cgi gave this live action film a great feel for the old cartoon. fun but not great .
loved ones montage: during the grand prix at the finale of the live action speed racer film, speed' s heroic second wind after restarting the mach 6 is accompanied by flashbacks to his discussions with his friends and family throughout the film, mixed with cuts to each of them watching in pride as he comes from behind to take the lead for the second time in the race .
upon its release ten years ago (time certainly flies), the wachowski' s speed racer was met with largely negative reviews, but over the years, the live - action cartoon has steadily increased its cult following with many now viewing the film as an underrated masterpiece. the wachowski' s already had plans for a sequel before the release of speed racer, but as the film wound up becoming a bit of a... read more ...
the film is written and directed by the wachowski brothers who also serve as co - producers. it has been in development since 1992, changing writers and directors. finally, producer joel silver and the wachowski brothers collaborated to begin production on speed racer as a family film so the directors could reach a wider audience .
we failed this film is a series about various films that simply didn’t get the love that they deserved upon initial release. for the third entry, we’ll be getting behind the wheel of lana and andy wachowski’s criminally underappreciated speed racer, a film that flopped upon release but is far better than initial reaction would suggest .
adam is using letterboxd to share film reviews and lists with friends. join here .
. the film is due in october 12, 2018 with rob letterman directing again .
the cast: emile hirsh as speed racer (yes, that' s his real name), john goodman as pops racer (his dad), susan sarandon as mom racer (his mom), christina ricci as trixie (his girl), matthew fox as racer x (his teammate), roger allam as royalton (his nemesis), three kids and a monkey .
speed racer was produced in germany at babelsberg studios, where filming took place entirely against greenscreen. the wachowski brothers also filmed in high - definition video for the first time, using a layering method to put both the foreground and the background of scenes in focus to have a real - life anime appearance. marketers have prepared toys and video games to coincide with the film' s release. speed racer will premiere on may 3, 2008 as the closing film at the tribeca film festival, and will go on general release on may 9, 2008 .
, with the exception of susan sarandon, who played the wholesome mom racer .
hell, prior to this i just assumed racer x was a bad guy .
i don' t see how you can make
straight
film about a guy called speed racer. the wachowskis hit the mark bang on. there was no other, no better way to do it. and it rocked! 😀
written and directed by the wachowski brothers (the matrix trilogy, v for vendetta) and produced by joel silver, speed racer is based on the classic series created by anime pioneer tatsuo yoshida. a live - action family adventure, speed racer follows the young race car driver speed in his quest for glory on and off the track in his thundering mach 5. the film will feature other characters that fans of the show will remember, including speed' s family and his mysterious arch - rival, racer x. the new high - octane actioner will combine the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting - edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the wachowski brothers' films, bringing speed racer into the 21st century. the film stars emile hirsch (
alpha dog
) as speed, christina ricci (
black snake moan
) as trixie and matthew fox (tv' s
lost
) as racer x as well as oscar winner susan sarandon (
dead man walking
) and john goodman (
evan almighty
) as mom and pops racer .
i should add that i' ve never seen the original animated movie or any other speed racer material. this was my first exposure to the franchise. hell, prior to this i just assumed racer x was a bad guy .
ironically, the nostalgia appeal is equal parts herculean bicep and achilles’ heel. if you watched the show as a kid, there’s a decent chance that speed racer will bring back memories of good times gone by. but if you never saw the show, you’d probably just think it was a nauseatingly colorful and poorly - written film. and frankly, you wouldn’t be wrong. but folks who watched the original show are more likely to find amusement in speed racer ’s idiosyncrasies, and it’s to these people that i most powerfully recommend speed racer .
random fact: joel silver has held the rights to develop speed racer for nearly twenty years - other development ideas included johnny depp in the title role .
high octane, low wattage: speed racer (emile hirsch) can' t outrun the wachowski brothers' tiresome technomania. warner bros. pictures hide caption
they also created a co - branded tv spot that pitted esurance’s spokes - cartoon erin against speed racer’s mach 5 in a race to a movie theater .
in this case, much of that imagery revolves around the mach 5, the white, futuristic race car driven by speed racer (emile hirsch) .
speed racer is a young man with natural racing instincts whose goal is to win the crucible, a cross - country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, rex racer. speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents pops and mom. pops designed speed' s car, the mach 5. the owner of royalton industries named arnold royalton makes speed a lucrative offer, but speed rejects the offer, angering the owner. speed also uncovers a secret that top corporate interests, including royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit. with the offer to speed denied, royalton wants to ensure that speed will not win races. speed finds support from his parents and his girlfriend trixie and enters the crucible in a partnership with his one - time rival, racer x, seeking to rescue his family' s business and the racing sport itself .
the story begins with speed racer who is a young man with natural racing instincts whose goal is to win the crucible, a cross - country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, rex racer. speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents pops and mom. pops designed speed' s car, the mach 5. the owner of royalton industries makes speed a lucrative offer, speed rejects the offer, angering the owner. speed also uncovers a secret that top corporate interests, including royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit. with the offer to speed denied, royalton wants to ensure that speed will not win races. speed finds support from his parents and his girlfriend trixie and enters the crucible in a partnership with his one - time rival, racer x, seeking to rescue his family' s business and the racing sport itself .
blair: there' s a reason speed racer looks a little like an anime elvis with the pompadour hairstyle and scarf around his neck. kelts says yoshida modeled speed after elvis presley in the movie
viva las vegas .
producer and anime distributor william winckler told anime news network that he was glad that renewed interest accompanying the 2008 live - action speed racer film, fernandez
finally got the attention and respect he deserved from the general public and mainstream press .
scott porter and matthew fox, who play the same character at different ages (rex racer and racer x respectively), have the same birthday of july 14th .
at one point julien temple was attached to direct with johnny depp starring as speed. both dropped out of the film due to delays in production and personal issues .
big bad: e. p. arnold royalton is the main antagonist of the film .
is the only film opening wide this weekend. the real competition are three other films that opened earlier, sometimes much earlier. the first is the film that started this summer ,
director doug liman told ign that the film will
revolutionize how people make sequels .
the third film in the series is still, thankfully, going by the american definition of
pants .
a british version would make for a very, very different film .
asked about how well they knew speed racer before coming onto the film, the far eastern cast members (hiroyuki saneda and korean pop idol rain) had the best credentials, but hirsch and ricci both claimed to have loved the show as kids .
emile hirsch was 6 years old when he saw his first episode of the cartoon speed racer and, more important, caught a glimpse of the mach 5 .
a young driver, speed racer, aspires to be champion of the racing world with the help of his family and his high - tech mach 5 automobile .
adaptation distillation: the wachowskis managed to distill the feel of the animated speed racer, keeping the bright colors, but bringing it into the live action arena .
mr. peter fernandez (as speed racer): these are the controls of the most powerful and amazing racing car in the world, the mach 5 .
[ xix ] cole smithey, “matthew fox talks to cole smithey about vantage point, speed racer, and staying lost”, cole smithey, 21 february 2008 .
[ xxv ] lauren a. e. schuker, “speed racer stalls, highlighting a risk”, wall street journal (eastern edition), 12 may 2008 .
speed racer is a film that upon initial release polarized audiences due to its story, performances, dialogue and visual style. however, visually, this film is a real treat. to be honest, i wasn' t sure what to expect from this film, but i came out of it surprised. speed racer is a film that pure entertainment value from start to finish, if you enjoy films that are visually appealing, then this is a film for you. sure, i agree that the film is over stylish, but that' s a good thing. although the script does seem a little rocky at times, the payoff comes in the races themselves. overall this is a fun, entertaining film that is underrated, and it definitely deserves more praise just for the creativity alone. if you enjoy a good, effective and captivating picture, this film is worth seeing. keep an open mind, it' s a film that deserves much more recognition than it deserves. sure, it' s a flawless masterwork of cinema, but it' s nonetheless a worthwhile and memorable viewing experience that anyone can enjoy if you' re in the right frame of mind. the film' s strong points are the visuals, races and overall look at the film, its flaws are in the dialogue and sometime cheesy performances, but really all that goes out the window because of its entertainment value. speed racer is a film that works well because its cast are good, and the direction is effective enough to grab your attention. although it' s not perfect, the film is well worth your time if you' re looking for a pleasant visually charged time waster to watch. upon seeing the film, i was surprised that mainstream critics couldn' t see the merit in such a movie. speed racer deserves far more credit than it deserves, and most importantly, it deserves a second look .
if there’s truly one thing to love about “speed racer, ” it’s the cast. there’s emile hirsch as speed, susan sarandon as mom racer, john freaking goodman as pops racer and roger allam as villain arnold royalton. how these high - profile actors were cast in an anime adaptation is mind - boggling, but it sure worked out well, the cast put all of their heart into these roles .
speed racer ’s failure at the box office was clearly down to two key reasons. the first was the competition. the summer of 2008 was a highly competitive season for hollywood, and in the face of numerous superhero films, animated extravaganzas and high - profile sequels, speed racer was simply squeezed out of the marketplace .
the debt that the film franchise owed to anime would be acknowledged in the direct - to - video release the animatrix, an anime anthology of short stories set in the film’s world .
the story resolves around speed racer, who is loyal to the family business run by his parents. after turning down an offer to race for one of the big companies he uncovers a race fixing plot and joins forces with former rival racer x .
the exteriors in speed racer are completely computer - generated, their artifice seemingly intent in order to heighten the gonzo nature of the film. rather than cheap, it feels innovative. most films use cgi in order to make the unreal look real, but this film is unashamed and chooses to use cgi to make the unreal look fantastical. the effect is undeniable euphoria. i saw speed racer twice in theaters, and both times i spent the entire two hours of it with the widest smile on my face .
lana wachowski: got it. here’s one. it was an encounter that happened after we had finished speed racer and there was something quite depressing in peoples uh…uh… .
that he’s a boy, speed and rex are brothers. speed is adamant about this, and rex is fine with it, and no one really wonders whether it speaks to larger issues of identity, because speed always wants to be
if there was ever a film that proved how wrong critics can be it' s speed racer. if you skipped it initially. give it a shot. i can' t promise you won' t be disappointed but it at least deserves your attention !
in fact, the james bond film goldfinger was an inspiration for the creator, tatsuo yoshida when he created the original speed racer television show. thus, this scene plays with multiple layers of intertextuality. speaking of the television show, there is even a scene in the speed racer film in which spritle and chim chim imagine that they enter the anime they’re watching, a direct nod to the film’s japanese and anime roots. the easy incorporation of and flow between different genres, styles, and texts reflects a child’s multitextual learning, mirroring how a child processes different aspects of reality and synthesizes them into a single understanding .
the puppies one is a shame but not really the fault of the film maker / producer .
tags: film stories, reviews, wachowski brothers, manhattan, bridget riley, dr. seuss
there’s no doubting that “speed racer” is a campy movie, but that’s what gives the film so much heart. the film hits a lot of emotional beats, each evoking very real reactions. the fun, crazy, downright silly action keeps you on the edge of your seat, while the family moments have you tensed up and on the verge of tears .
it still feels surreal working with them. i’m currently doing another project with them, ninja assassin, and i think i’ll be in the next speed racer as well .
blair: the new
speed racer
movie was directed by the wachowski brothers, who almost never give interviews. but they, too, loved the 1960s show .
this week' s round of new movie release information contains release dates for charlotte' s web, speed racer, the dark knight and more. more...
speed racer is a 2008 american sports action-comedy film written and directed by the wachowski brothers and based on the 1960s japanese anime and manga series of the same name . the film stars emile hirsch , christina ricci , matthew fox , john goodman , susan sarandon , roger allam , benno fürmann , hiroyuki sanada , rain and richard roundtree . its plot revolves around speed racer , an 18-year-old automobile racer who follows his apparently deceased brother 's career . his choice to remain loyal to his family and their company racer motors causes difficulties after he refuses a contract offered by e.p. arnold royalton , the owner of royalton industries . the film had been in development since 1992 , changing actors , writers , and directors until 2006 , when producer joel silver and the wachowskis collaborated to begin production on speed racer as a family film . speed racer was shot between early june and late august 2007 in and around potsdam and berlin , with an estimated budget of $ 120 million . its score was composed by michael giacchino , and the film 's soundtrack , which contains the sound effects and theme song from the original series , was released on may 6 , 2008 . speed racer premiered on april 26 , 2008 at the nokia theater , and was released in regular theaters in north america on may 9 , 2008 . although it grossed over $ 93 million , it was considered a box office bomb due to its production cost . it was subsequently nominated in multiple categories at the teen choice awards , and was nominated for the golden raspberry awards . the film received mostly negative reviews by the time of its release ; it was criticized for its storyline , characters , dialogue , and use of special effects , but received praise for its capacity to entertain the target audience and the performance of its cast . years later , however , the film received more of a positive reception , with some commentators calling it an " underrated " film . 
speed racer is a 2008 american sports action-comedy film written and directed by the wachowski brothers and based on the 1960s japanese anime and manga series of the same name. the film stars emile hirsch, christina ricci, matthew fox, john goodman, susan sarandon, roger allam, benno fürmann, hiroyuki sanada, rain and richard roundtree. its plot revolves around speed racer, an 18-year-old automobile racer who follows his apparently deceased brother's career. his choice to remain loyal to his family and their company racer motors causes difficulties after he refuses a contract offered by e.p. arnold royalton, the owner of royalton industries. the film had been in development since 1992, changing actors, writers, and directors until 2006, when producer joel silver and the wachowskis collaborated to begin production on speed racer as a family film. speed racer was shot between early june and late august 2007 in and around potsdam and berlin, with an estimated budget of $ 120 million. its score was composed by michael giacchino, and the film's soundtrack, which contains the sound effects and theme song from the original series, was released on may 6, 2008. speed racer premiered on april 26, 2008 at the nokia theater, and was released in regular theaters in north america on may 9, 2008. although it grossed over $ 93 million, it was considered a box office bomb due to its production cost. it was subsequently nominated in multiple categories at the teen choice awards, and was nominated for the golden raspberry awards. the film received mostly negative reviews by the time of its release; it was criticized for its storyline, characters, dialogue, and use of special effects, but received praise for its capacity to entertain the target audience and the performance of its cast. years later, however, the film received more of a positive reception, with some commentators calling it an " underrated " film.
speed racer is a 2008 american sports action-comedy film written and directed by the wachowski brothers and based on the 1960s japanese anime and manga series of the same name. the film stars emile hirsch, christina ricci, matthew fox, john goodman, susan sarandon, roger allam, benno fürmann, hiroyuki sanada, rain and richard roundtree. its plot revolves around speed racer, an 18-year-old automobile racer who follows his apparently deceased brother's career. his choice to remain loyal to his family and their company racer motors causes difficulties after he refuses a contract offered by e.p. arnold royalton, the owner of royalton industries. the film had been in development since 1992, changing actors, writers, and directors until 2006, when producer joel silver and the wachowskis collaborated to begin production on speed racer as a family film. speed racer was shot between early june and late august 2007 in and around potsdam and berlin, with an estimated budget of $ 120 million. its score was composed by michael giacchino, and the film's soundtrack, which contains the sound effects and theme song from the original series, was released on may 6, 2008. speed racer premiered on april 26, 2008 at the nokia theater, and was released in regular theaters in north america on may 9, 2008. although it grossed over $ 93 million, it was considered a box office bomb due to its production cost. it was subsequently nominated in multiple categories at the teen choice awards, and was nominated for the golden raspberry awards. the film received mostly negative reviews by the time of its release; it was criticized for its storyline, characters, dialogue, and use of special effects, but received praise for its capacity to entertain the target audience and the performance of its cast. years later, however, the film received more of a positive reception, with some commentators calling it an " underrated " film.