I am the first to admit that I was completely underwhelmed
by everything I had seen and heard about Speed
Racer before its release. It just seemed like one of those films that had a
lot of studio hype around it, but that just seemed to have nothing of quality
going for it. I don’t mind a brainless action blockbuster, but the sickly-sweet
look of the film and its clear overreliance on CGI in every still image and
trailer just didn’t appeal to me. To be honest, I’m fairly certain the only
people it did appeal to were fans of the cartoon, which most people my age and
non-Japanese had never even heard of.
Although it did hold a certain fascination. Much like John Carter this year, it’s always
interesting to watch the development of a film that seems doomed to failure
from the get-go. After all, it was the new Wachowski brothers movie, and they
had done great things in the past. Well, one
great thing. The Matrix is of course
the film they will always be remembered for, and subsequently the film that all
their other attempts will be measured by, but I implore you, even if you think
you have absolutely no interest in a kid’s film about car racing, to watch Speed Racer.
Very rarely is it possible to really let yourself go in a
film and just enjoy every second of it, but Speed
Racer manages this effortlessly. The screen explodes with sound and colour
and crazy camera movements, odd patterns and whirlwind car races. It is
impossible to not get sucked in to the completely unfettered joy of the world,
as though you were inside your favourite childhood cartoon and loving every
second of it.
This is Speed Racer’s
greatest asset. By immersing you so completely, every slightly lame joke and
slapstick punch is suddenly far funnier than it would have been in every other
film because it just feels so right – John Goodman saying “more like a Non-ja”
(seriously, watch it) would otherwise be laughable, but here it’s hilarious.
Clichéd and overblown villains are suitably threatening and outlandish, and
even Christina Ricci’s dangerously styled and creepily non-movable hair starts
to look attractive and kind of cool.
It is really the feel
of Speed Racer that makes it great, which
is something that critics almost always overlook and marketing can never
convey. Everyone from Emile Hirsch to Matthew Fox plays it completely straight,
but only in the way you would expect
cartoon characters to, revelling in the energetic fantasy of the world they are
in but also clearly aware of its absurdity. It has been criticised for being
somewhat hyperactive in its colours and cinematography, but that is clearly the
point – no other film that I know of has managed to maintain such high energy
levels throughout without leaving the viewer completely exhausted by the midway
point.
But crucially, and perhaps even artistically, this plays a
vital role in the films central character – the races. I am really not a car
kind of guy, but the races of Speed Racer
are astonishingly thrilling. The cinematography and dynamic visuals make it
like Wacky Races on LSD made by the
guys who did The Matrix, which is of
course absolutely awesome. There are around 4 separate racing scenes, yet after
each one you find yourself really hoping that that there’s more – you want to
be back in the driver’s seat with Speed, or in the stands nervously biting your
nails with his watching family, or in Trixie’s helicopter, or frankly anywhere
just so long as you don’t have to leave just yet, as though you are nervously
awaiting the moment your mum says its time to come off the swings and go home.
Such creative flair, such energy, such joy and such gorgeous
visuals deserve to be witnessed by everyone, not just the few who saw it in the
cinema. It has since been largely forgotten, tragically relegated to discount
bins in supermarkets and quietly glossed over by the Matrix-loving fanboys, but please seek it out, and if possible on
Blu-ray or on an upscaling DVD player – there is no better looking film out
there. Even the closing credits song is great, although I will admit – the
younger brother and his monkey are annoying, but there’s so many other things
going on you really won’t care.
No comments:
Post a Comment