So, I went to see Speed Racer today with my five year old daughter. I didn’t go late at night with Jonny-Ri, I went on a date with my princess. Before I went I read some reviews by simply typing the title into Google News and here is what you see: entry after entry about how much the movie sucked. It’s too bad really, because I had a great time. Sure, Cinesnob would think this movie is trifle, but he is asleep until September anyway (He might stretch his legs a little for The Happening) This movie IS creative, it IS groundbreaking, and it IS entertaining. If you don’t think that’s the case, then you probably have a point. I took my kid, and we had a blast. This is a kid’s movie, hence the PG rating, so don’t expect much more. Personally, I loved that the storyline was fairly straightforward and that it was so family affirming.
I asked my daughter while I was tucking her in tonight to give me some words to describe her experience. She said that she loved it because it was “really super exciting when they were racing, and the fighting was funny. Chim-chim was funny too!” (Chim-Chim is the family chimpanzee.) We talked about rating movies with thumbs up or down, and she gives it a thumbs up.
I give it a thumbs up too. I have no idea how they created the crazy saturation of color that permeated every frame. Along with a new focus technique that allows certain areas of the frame to be in our out of focus, the color gave the whole film the feeling of a kinetic comic book. The silly fight scenes, the sublime vaudeville score from composer It-man Michael Giacchino, and Roger Allam in the Tim Curry role of the big, rich, evil, baddie all contribute to a movie that is vastly watchable and entertaining.
Trust me. Go see it. Just don’t go with high expectations.
Cinesnob & Fanboy 