More haste,
less speed
The days when the Wachowski brothers were the “next
big thing” (after they stunned the world with the first
Matrix movie) seem a long way away now. After two flaccid
Matrix sequels, they’ve taken on the task of bringing
the rather naff 1960s anime series Speed Racer to the
big screen. Sadly, the result does nothing to dispel the feeling
that they’re about to join the likes of Robert Rodriguez
as filmmakers who’ve failed to live up to their promise.
The
original series was clearly aimed at kids, but this big-screen
adaptation is such a confused mish-mash, I doubt anyone over 14
will be able to stomach it. Indeed, the film’s palette is
so garish and kinetic, the whole thing looks like neon vomit.
Even calling it a movie gives it a dignity it barely lives up
to – it’s more like a filmed video game, with all
that implies for things like theme, plot and characterisation.
But worse than all that, it’s simply boring
for much of its (over-long) 135 minutes running time. The race
sequences, which are admittedly well-staged, become so repetitive
that they all seem to blend into one. And there are so many of
them, it leaves precious little time for anything resembling a
plot to develop.
What plot there is involves – believe it or
not – a corporate battle over car technology. Basically,
Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is an instinctive and successful driver,
spurred on to victory by the memory of his older brother Rex who
was killed in a race accident. He races for his father Pop Racer
(John Goodman), until his on-track success brings him to the notice
of ultra-rich Alfred Royalton (Roger Allam). When Speed rejects
Royalton’s offer to join his team, Royalton reveals that
the whole racing game is essentially a sham to sell more power
plants. Shocked at this, Speed teams up with the man charged with
beating corporate crime Inspector Detector (Bruno Furmann) and
the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) to beat the baddies at their
own game.
How will this titanic struggle turn out? Well, no
prizes for guessing. There’s barely a surprise – or
even a good chuckle – anywhere to be found here. Maybe if
the Wachowskis had camped it up a la Hellboy, it might
have had some appeal. But they seem to play it straight down the
line, taking an oh-so-serious approach to material that really
doesn’t deserve it. And since the Wachowskis doubled up
as the credited writers on the project, they can’t even
blame the script.
No, the heart and soul (what little there is) of
this film are the animated action sequences. It doesn’t
help matters that much of the racing action is just physically
impossible (great if you’re playing a video game; not so
great if you’re using “live” actors in between
your action scenes).
Now,
there’s a sense in which the Wachowskis have stayed true
to the original anime series. I never really watched it when I
was a kid, but have since tracked it down. Certainly, it was pretty
dodgy, with simplistic graphics and minimal storyline. The Wachowskis
have produced a film with extravagant graphics and minimal storyline.
But while the hard-core of Speed Racer’s cult fans may “get”
what’s going on here, to ask the general public to shell
out $15 (and more) for the privilege of seeing it is a bit rich
in my view. It would have been more honest for the producers to
have simply developed the project as a video game and been done
with it.
The particularly galling aspect of the film is that
it uses the device of the corporate manipulator as a symbol of
evil, when it is itself both relentlessly corporate and manipulative.
Any parent who’s pestered by their child to buy one of the
new line of Lego toys based on the movie will know what I mean.
Emile Hirsch, fresh from some awards-season buzz
over his performance in Into the Wild, returns to Earth
with a thud here. His portrayal of Speed (while admittedly not
helped by some pretty dire dialogue) is one-dimensional and clunky.
John Goodman and Susan Sarandon struggle mightily with their roles
as Speed’s parents but make little impact. The same can
be said of Matthew Fox and Bruno Furmann in their roles; while
Christina Ricci and Australian Kick Gurry are woefully under-utilised.
The only one who makes any real impression is Roger Allam as the
baddie.
Speed Racer is an odd beast indeed. While
it’s physically a movie, it’s not really what you
could call part of movie culture. Traditional film elements are
missing or in vestigial presence only here, shoved aside in favour
of a garish, video-game sensibility. Perhaps kids will take something
from this; but surely there are better films for them to see in
the upcoming school holidays.
David Edwards
