Site Meter Anime Fans Online » Blog Archive » Speed Racer (Live Action)

Speed Racer (Live Action)

by Jason

While I enjoyed the live action Speed Racer movie, a few things bothered me. Part of it had to do with how the characters were treated. How anime, and it’s fans, were presented bothered me even more. Was it enough to ruin the movie for me though?

Story

Speed has always been in love with racing. He was born for it. His older brother Rex was the best driver in the world and Speed idolized him. After a family tragedy Speed tried to live up to his brother’s legacy, but that may be more difficult than he’d ever imagined.

Can Speed follow in Rex’s footsteps? Would he want to follow him into a world of corrupt sponsors and fixed races?

My Opinion

There are times during the movie where I’m amazed that it was so perfectly done. That perfection was not only in the races, but also during scenes involving the Racer family. Everyone in the movie did a wonderful job. Everyone, from Emile Hirsch as Speed, down to the racers who were only there to be bumped off the track. Matthew Fox was great as Batman… errr, I mean Racer X. I loved the appearance of Peter Fernandez as an announcer at the Thunderhead track. Awesome.

There’s a lot of great stuff in Speed Racer. That made some of the bad moments even worse.

There are at least 2 moments that are so completely out of character that I was shocked and violently thrown out of the movie. Addressing the most grave infraction, I know why it was done. Speed needed a line that made him sound like a badass. Coming from anyone else it would be a good line, but it’s out of character for Speed.

The other problem I had with the movie was somewhat less obvious, but far more insulting. Anime and it’s fans seemed to be portrayed in a skewed manner. It’s like the film makers weren’t concerned with anime itself, but with reinforcing misconceptions about anime.

All of that aside, I enjoyed the movie. I tried to view it the way I viewed the Speed Racer cartoon. It had a cool, but vague, story and lot’s of action with impossible driving. Sounds a lot like Speed Racer to me.

Extras

There are a couple of featurettes, and are pretty good, but that’s it. The Special Features are almost non-existent. Wait a couple of months and there will probably be a deluxe version with more extras.

Is it worth it?

It’s definitely worth renting. If you love it, or if you have to buy everything Speed Racer related, I’d recommend waiting a while to see if a version with better extras will be released.


, , , , , , , ,


Posted in Reviews on October 9th, 2008

Link to this Entry

Recent Posts

Related Posts

Leave a Reply


About Anime Fans Online

Anime Fans Online isn't just about anime and manga. It's about the culture that surrounds it. Fansites, cosplay, conventions and even food. Being an anime fan isn't just about watching cartoons, it takes you much deeper. AFO would like to go with you.

Anime Fans Online Author(s)
    » Jason

NAVIGATE

LINKS

CATEGORIES

TOP COMMENTERS

RECENT COMMENTS

SUBSCRIBE

ARCHIVES

Blogging Flair

 

Special Interests Channel Links

 

Special Interests Channel Posts

  • Finding Tween Manga
    The other day my nephew asked me to recommend some good manga. (I'm so proud) He wanted something with action and comedy. Seems simple enough, but I was stumped. Sure there's plenty of action manga, [...]
  • Air Master Anime
    Story Maki Aikawa is a former Olympic gymnast who uses her acrobatic skills in a new sport, street fighting. Her high flying gymnastic fighting style earns her the name "Air Master". Maki [...]
  • Gundam 00 Season 2 on Ani-Monday
    Season 2 of Gundam 00 started last night on the Sci-Fi Channel (soon to be SyFy) and I very nearly missed it. My g/f was watching it while I was on the computer. I walked through the living [...]
  • The U.S. Comic Industry and the Growth of Manga in America.
    Here's a very interesting piece on the comics industry in America. The growth of manga is compared to the growth of import cars in the U.S.A. in the 70s and 80s. All around some very good points [...]
  • Bleach Manga Volume 5
    Story Ichigo finds out who that mysterious guy he'd met really was. It turns out he was in his class at school. Uryû Ishida is a Quincy, whatever that is, and he's got a problem with Soul [...]
  • Funimation Online Video Coming Back
    Funimation is putting their streaming episodes back online. That's good, but it looks like they've still got a lot of work to do. I tried watching an episode of Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino, but [...]
  • Anime Sale w/ Free Messenger Bag
    RightStuf.com is having a sale on Geneon and Funimation anime box sets. They've got some pretty good deals normally. The sets included in the sale are 40% off. That's a great deal. I'm gonna have a [...]
  • June Giveaway Update
    Wow. Not many people have entered the June giveaway. By that, I mean no one has entered. I thought there would be more entries simply because it's open to everyone with no geographical [...]
  • Bleach Manga Volume 4
    Story This volume start with Kon striking out on his own. Declaring his independence he sets off on an adventure to find the place where he belongs, or a cute girl. Whichever comes [...]
  • Switch Manga Volume 2
    Story The Narcotics Control Division continues to pursue Ryugen. The investigation of a popular entertainer provides some insight into how the criminal orgainization works. That may be all [...]

 

Hot Off The Press

  • JM One - Craving Zero
    Things have been going great for me over the past month and a half or so. I’m finally seeing weight loss, I’m feeling better about myself, I’m actually happy to exercise… So far, so [...]
  • Little things
    There are a lot of things that suck about being a part time dad. Not having him here all the time. Going half days on holidays and birthdays. The big stuff that you think about when seperated parents [...]
  • Happy Birthday, Thomas Gibson!
    Here's a picture of Thomas Gibson looking all smiley, which I thought was appropriate for his birthday. Wish Thomas the best, and have a happy Third and Fourth of July! Have a safe weekend and [...]
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Chapter Twenty-Eight Wrap Up
    Chapter Twenty-Eight of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is called "Flight of the Prince." Snape rushes the Death Eaters out of the tower after the killing Dumbledore. Harry soon realizes [...]
  • Alienware TactX Headset
    The Alienware TactX™ Headset gears you up for serious, nonstop gaming sessions. The full-size headphones are designed to help maximize comfort and minimize background noise. Optimized for [...]
  • Movie Review - "Public Enemies"
    ** STARS In the action-thriller "Public Enemies", acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Best Actress Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard in the story of [...]
  • 2009 NFL Fantasy Preview: New York Jets
    This division probably had the most story-laden season in 2008, and the Jets are no exception. After a strong 8-3 start, they collapsed much in the same fashion that the Dolphins regathered, losing [...]
  • QWSTION Office Bag
    Don’t forget your office essentials, connect to business as-you-go. The two-way access reveals a separate 17-inch laptop compartment with neoprene padding for extra protection. Front section [...]
  • Jericho "Steamboat is Better than 80% of Roster"
    -WWE star Chris Jericho got an interview with Hawaiian news Star Bulliten for the SummerSlam tour 2009. Here is an excerpt from the article: I'm looking forward to it. I don't really look at [...]
  • Is their Relief when Eating Healthy?
    There comes a huge sense of relief when I am eating natural foods like fruits and vegetables. I don't question what I am putting into my body because it is all natural. If I had the money, I would [...]