Film The best live-action cartoon
I really don't know why people gave Speed Racer poor reviews. This is a wonderfully realized film that knows exactly what it is, and executes its purpose perfectly.
It's a cartoon.
The colours, the action, the stunts, the plot, the dialogue - everything is exactly what you would imagine if a cartoon involving cars came to life. And no, Transformers isn't it. This is.
The plot and story exists - it's simple, but not dumb. It's what you would expect out of a cartoon. Same with the action and physics - ever play with Hot Wheels cars as a kid? Well, here it is, in live action, complete with loop-de-loop racetracks.
If you've ever had a childhood involving toys with four wheels, this is the movie for you. If you ever enjoyed cartoons, this is the movie for you. If you ever enjoyed Speed Racer (the anime), this is as good as it gets.
If you like to complain that Bugs Bunny doesn't have a realistic body type for a rabbit, this is not the movie for you.
Film Go Speed Racer Goooooo!
A lot of people will tell you that Speed Racer is a bad movie. It was certainly not the kind of film that would be taking home any awards. But bad? HELL NO.
Speed Racer is not a good movie because it has a groundbreaking story or deep characters, because it has neither. What it DOES have is tons of crazy, colorful, over-the-top action in the form of car races that would make Captain Falcon shed a tear of pride. If real-world automotive racing was like it was in Speed Racer, I'd watch it.
As the article of this film says, it makes no apologies for the ridiculousness of the premise. It just takes it and runs with it as far and as fast as it can. And it is glorious to watch. You may have heard lots of things described as a "live-action cartoon", but if you ask me, Speed Racer is as close to such a thing as it is possible to get.
In my opinion, anyone who disliked this movie went into it with the wrong mindset. What this movie is not is particularly complex or surprising, but what it is is one of the most fun movies I've ever seen. Grab some friends to watch it with, get some snacks (and maybe some booze, if you're into that sort of thing), sit back, and enjoy the ride.
Film A fun but flawed trip to an anime world
Right from the first scene, Speed Racer tells you exactly what type of movie it's going to be: an unabashed thrill ride into a live-action anime world, complete with eye-popping spectacle, over-the-top drama, and a color palette that goes to eleven and then doubles it. This is probably why it failed to find an audience on its initial release, as moviegoers were ambushed by its bold and brazen love-hug to the original Tatsunoko anime.
This unabashed love for the original makes the Speed Racer movie difficult to review, because many of the criticisms can be justified by its adherence to the source material — that'd be like criticizing a Batman movie because one can't accept the idea of a vigilante sulking around darkened rooftops in a giant costume to begin with. Speed Racer is a proud Summer Blockbuster that runs on 110% Rule of Cool, and the best way to enjoy it is to sit back and enjoy the ride.
And yet... while many of the movie's flaws — most notably the uneven pacing, overuse of Spritle and Chim-Chim, and the lack of any Character Development or Hero's Journey — can be overlooked, the one flaw that keeps Speed Racer from greatness is the cinematography. For a movie that's built so heavily on Spectacle, many of the race scenes are very hard to follow. The races end up as a whirlwind dervish of quick cuts of toy cars careening haphazardly across the screen, like a Michael Bay Transformers movie with brighter colors. Perhaps this is due to the decision to set most of the races in tightly-enclosed arena tracks; there's a reason why most fans rave about the Casa Cristo race in act two, a cross-country rally that actually has enough room for viewers to follow the action.
In the end, Speed Racer is neither a bad movie nor a great movie; it is instead, a fun movie, one that should be seen at least once just for the eyeballs-overloading experience. And while you might forget the details in time, you won't easily forget the sensation.