*** Official SPEED RACER Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

If anybody sees the preview of this film can you answer the following spoiler for me because it's a deal breaker for me to see it.

They didn't change plot point that Racer X is Speed Racer's older brother unbeknownst to the family

 

[Robert Crawford]

Again, anybody that has seen this film can you answer the following:



They didn't change plot point that Racer X is Speed Racer's older brother unbeknownst to the family

 

[Nelson Au]

Robert, I'm curious about that spoiler you posted too.

According to IMDB, there is one actor portraying Rex Racer, and another portaying Racer X. So it's either becuase of your fear, and mine, or my guess is he changes appearance.

I'll find out tonight.

 

[Ray_Gootz]

To the guys that want to know about Racer X

Spoilers would ruin the movie. Just go and enjoy it. Racer X has one of the best storylines in the movie and it's best to just watch it spoiler-free.

 

[Nelson Au]

Yeah, I don't want to be spoiled. I'll know later tonight. I'd prefer to judge the movie myself.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Not for me, if that series plot point doesn't take place in this film then I don't want to see the film.

 

[Robert Crawford]

So much for any help from my friends.

Edit: It's a damn shame I had to go to another forum to get the answer to my inquiry, but I got it.




Crawdaddy

 

[Zack Gibbs]

I was thinking what a shame it was anyone would rule out a film so entirely because they--gasp--don't know what's going to happen in the movie!... If you want to know the story, maybe you should try watching it.

 

[Ray_Gootz]

Robert

Now that you know you've ruined two great scenes in the movie for yourself. Especially if your a fan. You should've just went.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Because I'm unsure whether I wanted to bother watching a film that is based on a cartoon I watched over 40 years ago as a kid. My taste in such entertainment has changed over the years and that spoiler meant something to me when I liked that cartoon as a kid.

 

[Robert Crawford]

That's it, not so sure I'm still a fan.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

This is the first film where I saw the trailer for a movie and thought "holy shit, that movie is gonna rock so hard on Blu Ray.".

I was a SR fan as a kid and I still remember the basics so I think i'm prepared enough for this film for the names of the characters and events to mean something to me.

I read a funny review in a free local weekly magazine, i'm paraphrasing but it said something like...

"If you have ANY history of siezures, skip it. You should also skip it if your pregnant lest your child be stricken with ADD in the womb."



Can't wait to see it.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Nelson what did you think of the score? After this is the man who will be doing the score for ST XI!

 

[Nelson Au]

Lou- I did try to listen for the music. To be honest, I was so focused on the visuals and following the story, so at times, the music was furthest from my mind. The sound levels were low in this theater. There were sequences when I was trying very hard to hear the dialogue. There were no surrounds!

But the score, for the parts I could hear, was good. For the first time I see a movie, I can't always soak in the score and recall it. The part that is memorable for me was the music during the climax, the big "Prix" at the end. Then the music would pull in the Speed Racer theme and mix it into the score. Since I knew it, then I can recognize something and register it in the memory. When it really pops out is the end credits. They used a recreated Speed Racer theme that follows the original. But they also sampled dialogue and sounds from the cartoon sound track into the score there before it turned pseudo techno-rap or whatever you want to call it.

Did anyone else have a similar reaction to the score? That is, their opinion of the Giacchino score?

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Yes, but I actually bought the thing! I remember liking the score when I noticed it, and I trust Giacchino. Haven't listened to a bit of it...it's pretty good. It works very well in the film, helping the tone stay fun and fairly even.

While it absolutely is style-driven, it did have some simple substance: good old-fashioned family stuff The actions of the characters in the film support the themes, and I found it very cohesive.

The end song isn't on the CD, but is available separately on iTunes.

 

[RobertR]

Emphasizing style over substance and making it only for fans of the original show explains the low RT rating. Unfortunately, it sounds like the Wachowski brothers are making the same mistake they made with the Matrix sequels.

 

[Phil Florian]

Maybe. Except there are fans of the original show and what made it appeal to me as a 10 year old in the 70's would still appeal to a 10 year old in the 08. I think I should have put it better...they made a movie adaptation of 60's cartoon and did it in a way where they didn't feel the need to "update" it. Sure, it had snazzy visuals that the 5 frames per second cartoon (okay, that's just how it looks to me today) couldn't do but for the most part it used many of the story and character elements of the original as well as a crazy 60's styling of color and in same cases decor. It looked like a crazy version of the future as realized by someone in the 60's.

The mistakes for the Matrix sequels was a serious disregard for tight storytelling and overwrought ideas. Actually, the former sin was present in this movie for the first half. I think they could have cut about 30 minutes of set up in favor of what they had in this movie to get us sooner to the awesome 3rd act.

There is a scene (minor spoilers coming) where Royalton spells out with flash forwardish things in the background (this is a huge style in this film...for forward and backward flashes...hard to explain but you see a bit of this in the trailer) what Speed's future will be if he goes it alone. It is quick, interesting, shot very well and tells a great possible future in 2 minutes. Then they spend the next 20 minutes showing the EXACT SAME THING in long form. They should have just stuck with that chilling and short version stand and then start in with a, "wow, he was right!" and moved on. It looked like they would do this but still they spent too much time rehashing what was foretold.

That said, I don't think what they did as a whole was a mistake. They made their movie their way and did so with far more artistry than 10 other animated features. Name anything interesting or unique about the last few "digital" animated movies like that one with the surfing or the one with the moose or the one with the zoo guys or whatever. Maybe that had a bear, too. Who knows. No one will mistake this movie for any other of its kind.

Chuck Mayer just said it better than me in a sentence but while it wasn't deep, they had solid characters with clear agendas and a good wrap up at the end. If they tightened up the 2nd act a bit, it would have been nearly perfect for what they were trying to do.

 

[Diallo B]

I can actually appreciate the W. Bros. for staying true to thier vision instead of letting the suits detirmine what type of movie they can make.

I really enjoyed this movie and I am not going to reiterate many of the ideas already stated. The one thing I will say is that if felt like a W. Bros. movie as I am initimately familiar with the Matrix Trilogy. The way it was shot the direction and some of the scenes were very Matrix.

I initially was going to let RT sway me into waiting for this on DVD but I changed my mind after a few of the early reviews here. As someone else pointed out earlier this movie is waaaaay ahead of its time, just as The Matrix was waaaaay ahead of its time.

"Live action anime" is just something that mainstream America is not ready for. I am sure this movie will do gangbusters in Japan and other Asian countries. Unfortunately this movie has to live in the shadow of Iron Man here in the US. When I went to see this yesterday there were less than 15 people in the theater at a 4pm matinee. Iron Man was playing on 3 different screens at the same time and all of them were at least 50 percent filled. Unfortunately, the style, art and awesome visuals will be lost as I don't think this movie will make too much money. I hope that it will get some great word of mouth otherwise we will not see anymore films like this.

We all know how Hollywood focuses solely on money made instead of a good story.

 

[Nelson Au]

I had smilar thoughts too about how mainstream America would take to it.

And I also wondered how it would do in Japan. I bet the studio is figuring this will do very well overseas.

My theater was about 80 % full, the seats way upfront were not filled. The audience was mostly kids from 10 years old and younger with parents for a 7:00pm showing Friday.

After the movie was over, I was wondering if they'd do a sequel. There was room left for one in the one particular storyline. Then my friend suggested, more likely 2 more for a trilogy, if this one does well enough and they go with another film.

I forgot to mention, there was criticism that the film was like a big video game. Well, you can say that, but I didn't see it as a problem, but an enhancement. If you play games like Gran Turismo, there's a scene that feels just like. And it worked great for the sequence and what it was trying to show. Nothing wrong with one art form or medium influencing another, it's been happening since the stone ages.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Well, amazingly, I've seen the first two biggies of the summer twice each. The first time alone, and the second with my wife and 4 year old. For Iron Man and Speed Racer both.

Iron Man was still fun, but it's definitely a first time viewing for me. It got a LOT of points from RDJ and the great suits both times My son enjoyed it quite a bit as did my wife. But it wasn't quite the same for me.

This movie was a bit different. I had a blast both times. I was in a theater pretty loaded with kids. My wife gave it a big thumbs up, as did my son. But my reaction was pretty much the same as yesterday. It's pretty much the exact same team as the Matrix trilogy (Owen Paterson, Kym Barrett, Josh Staenberg, Gaeta) behind the scenes, so it has a strong, familiar aesthetic to me. I love the way those guys work, so I admit my biases now. The score was new territory, and I listened hard this time. It was pretty great. Giacchino nails the score. Especially during the big climax.

Anyways, I have to agree that the film might not be for everyone, but the RT rating is absurd. It's sweet, it's visually amazing, it's fun, and it's simple. It's a near perfect PG film. Yeah, it's a bit long. Yes, it's full of the Wachowski trademarks (leather clothing, very precise diction, slo-mo usage), but they are so good at them. I actually enjoy the clipped manner of speaking. I think Speed is a bit underwritten, but Hirsch does a decent job with what is there.

Anyways, a second viewing to make sure the first wasn't just shock talking. And it isn't. I love this film, and I'll be sharing it with my son for years and years. I even bought the Wii game and a Wii wheel.

The W Brothers may not be for everyone, but as I said long ago in a Matrix thread, they make films on my wavelength.

Second viewing, might take in a third (free ticket from the game). Love this film.