By John Coyle

Editor

Probably, it did. Too much CGI, too much stupid green-screen acting, too much crap dialog. I haven' t watched it, but regardless of how terrible the reviews are, I will. So I want to know: Is it waste of time or not? Best critique gets a t-shirt.

Comments

Chuck
May 16, 2008 11:14:22 PM

No TRUE Speed Racer fan would EVER say this!
Given, seeing it on the IMAX screen was too much for a person with a headache, but it was worth every penny that I spent. I loved the fact that they went into details that were neglected in the tv series. although they completely accurate to the comics that were around before there was eer a theme song. Definitely 5* for the movie!

Andre
May 12, 2008 2:11:05 PM

I would rather lick a hairless dog than watch it.

GTwildfire
May 12, 2008 6:09:05 PM

Took my son to see it. Missed the last half hour unfortunately cause he got bored. I knew it was time to go when he smacked me in the forehead with his 'pit pass'.
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The action in race scenes were actually tough to keep up with on the big screen. Definitely gonna rent it to see it completely.
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Wasn't that bad but there was a lot of time spent on the backstory. Wishing there was MORE cgi in what I saw of it, since I had it figured out pretty much before we entered the theatre (follows the original cartoon's theme pretty faithfully, at least what I saw of it).
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I don't think it was a waste of time.

Stewart
May 12, 2008 5:49:49 PM

I'm gonna wait and Netflix it.
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That way, if it sucks, I don't waste my time...

Andre
May 12, 2008 2:11:05 PM

I would rather lick a hairless dog than watch it.

Mike
May 12, 2008 11:58:08 AM

It's okay, if you grew-up on video games and you like innane Japanese cartoons featuring character-less animated 'stars'. Let's just say that Bugs Bunny, et al, wouldn't be caught dead in a movie like Speed Racer(!).

Mitch
May 12, 2008 11:11:05 AM

I took my 13 year old daughter to this and we both enjoyed it. She didn't have any reference point, having never watched the cartoon. We both like cars, it's a movie with cars and racing, so of course we are going to see it.

I've been to a lot of movies with her, and this was a little different afterwards. It's the first time in a while that we both talked about it afterwords, she also had questions for me about the end and we both mentioned scenes from it several times over the next two days. Isn't that what movies are supposed to do, make you think?

This movie has a good ending, it teaches some life lessons and it is filled with mind numbing visual CGI effects. Maybe too much effect, but for both of us it worked. Kind of like a live cartoon.

But hey, we went into it knowing it was a fantasy, so that's what we got. There was good acting, there was bad acting (on purpose perhaps?) good looking actors/actresses and lots of fast paced action. Everyone in our audience laughed out loud several times and while I would not see it again in the theatre, i'll be renting it when it's out on video. The CGI really deserves to be seen on the big screen though, so if you are going to see it, see it in the theater.
I don't know how it made PG, it really should have been PG-13 for some language and violence.

Rich Truesdell
May 12, 2008 10:54:49 AM

No spoilers here. The first 90 minutes were a drag, the last 30 minutes, quite entertaining with a strong message for young kids. Christina Ricci was a redeeming visual element of the movie, much more so than all of the overblown CGI effects. She updated the Trixie character very well.

Speed Racer, dare I say, was my favorite cartoon when I was growing up...in spite of the basic animation, it conveyed both a sense of speed and realism.

If you want to watch the movie that many feel inspired the original Speed Racer cartoon, find yourself a copy of The Lively Set, a low budget James Darren (from TJ Hooker) flick that featured a white version of the 1963 Chrysler Ghia turbine car. Awesome racing footage, some of it shot in Death Valley (imagine the NPS letting that happen today) with some excellent eye candy in a then very young Pamala Tiffen.

I just found someone who is selling DVDs of The Lively Set, which is only officially available in long discontinued VHS tapes, from H20rocket@comcast.net. I spent the $20 and will add my comments as to the video quality as soon as it arrives. It is also available from www.thevideobeat.com at a higher cost, taken from an AMC broadcast some years ago. I had a copy of that disc and the quality was acceptable.

Jordan
May 12, 2008 5:23:17 AM

I'd rather fall in a puddle of AIDS than have to watch this again.

john
May 12, 2008 5:01:48 AM

It is a great movie for kids. It wasn't really that exciting for it all was CGI. I don't even think that there were really driving or stunts that were real. There were some scenes that the visual effects may have been exaggerated.

GTwildfire
May 11, 2008 10:16:15 PM

gonna take my son to see it. It'll be his first movie in a theatre. Hopefully we'll both like it. Wow! Trixi never looked so good. No critiques'll stop me from seeing it.

ub3rduck
May 11, 2008 7:39:56 PM

I remember watching the high-def trailers and I was amazed at the cgi quality. My brother saw it last night and said it was really really funny and enjoyed it. He said it definitely should not have been rated PG though.

Alex Henderson
May 11, 2008 7:27:35 PM

the thing i always liked most about the original TV show was how it was able to convey a true sense of speed and action with very basic animation. That was its heart and soul. That is lost in the new version, sure things look really fast, but you always feel like it is forced which is something i never felt with the original. In short the original was great because it didn't have to try to be, this new version is terrible because it is trying too hard.