Members Super 8 Posted May 9, 2008 Members Share Posted May 9, 2008 I loved The Matrix. When I was a kid Speed Racer was my favorite show. I never missed it. I have all the DVD's. My kids love the show too. I've waited for like 35 years for something like this to happen and...and...and....the reviews stink! Why are they doing this to me? The Wachowski brothers made some cool movies, they get the medium, they seemed like naturals to bring a classic anime show like Speed Raver to the big screen. What the hell is going on??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 9, 2008 Moderators Share Posted May 9, 2008 My daughter and I are going. The reviews might stink but the trailer rocks! I'm hoping it's a matter of taste. I doubt the reviewers much liked the TV show. I loved it! "Speed!! Don't you see? Racer X is your..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Magpel Posted May 9, 2008 Members Share Posted May 9, 2008 I'm skeptical. It and Batman were the most important TV shows of my childhood. This movie looks like a big McDonald's ad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members felix Posted May 9, 2008 Members Share Posted May 9, 2008 I'd bet most of the reviewers aren't fans of the classic cartoon, and that this movie isn't aimed squarely at the age group these reviewers is in either. I've heard criticism that the story isn't deep (it's just about a bad corporation and Speed is just a good guy who wants to win the race) - that the dialogue is choppy, etc. Also that there's so much going on onscreen that it's overwhelming. Sounds like it's true to the original, but with lots and lots of CGI action. I'm going to hold off on my opinion until I see it tomorrow at the IMAX (yes, I already have tickets for me, my kids, and my wife too). I'm not looking for deep storylines or Oscar-winning acting. I'm looking forward to a fun, special fx-laden ride full of cars that do impossible tricks on unimaginable tracks. And I fully expect to remain disappointed when Trixie keeps her clothes on (some things truly never change). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted May 9, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2008 "Speed!! Don't you see? Racer X is your..." I know, I know. "RacerXissecrectlySpeed'solderbrotherRexwhoranawayfromhomelongago." You gotta say it as one word or it loses it's effect. I do want to go, but movies are so expensive now, and I'm told Ironman is supposed to be good. But damn, I hate to blow that much money on a movie that's going take a piss all over my childhood favorite. Speed Racer had it all! It was a cartoon that played out like something a 5 year old boy would dream up with his toys. A really cool looking car that could do anything, go anywhere, was nearly indestructible, and could go 500mph. A hero who could win races, solve crimes, and was a martial arts expert. A girl friend who flew around in a helicopter. A kid brother and a monkey who rode around in the trunk. A protective older bother. Like the mind of a 5 year old boy, the show paid ZERO attention to plausibility, and relied solely upon imagination and whatever idea seemed cool at the time. The trailer did look cool, and at certain points I thought I saw the Mammoth Car, and Snake Oiler of the Car Acrobatic Team, which were two of my absolute favorites in the series. I think the GRX is in it too. But of course, no one can drive that car and live! I dunno. I'm nervous about this movie. Should I risk it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wwwjd Posted May 9, 2008 Members Share Posted May 9, 2008 I don't care if it sux. *I* will enjoy the visuals, the sound, the graphics and the concept brought to life. It will not suck to me. I swear half the critics on IMDB are probably from competing film releases. SR will probably be tops at the box office based on "By the Matrix guys" alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 9, 2008 Moderators Share Posted May 9, 2008 Speed Racer had it all! It was a cartoon that played out like something a 5 year old boy would dream up with his toys. A really cool looking car that could do anything, go anywhere, was nearly indestructible, and could go 500mph. A hero who could win races, solve crimes, and was a martial arts expert. A girl friend who flew around in a helicopter. A kid brother and a monkey who rode around in the trunk. A protective older bother. Like the mind of a 5 year old boy, the show paid ZERO attention to plausibility, and relied solely upon imagination and whatever idea seemed cool at the time. You've absolutely summed it up. Point by point as I read your list I thought, "Yep", "absolutely, "sho' nuff"... Like the mind of a 5 year old boy for sure. Oh... and those cool circular saw blades that popped out the front of the Mach 5 on those long arms. I mean, even the Redwoods couldn't stop Speed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 9, 2008 Moderators Share Posted May 9, 2008 We are off to see it now. I'll report back late tonight or tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 9, 2008 Members Share Posted May 9, 2008 I loved it as a kid. The fact that my parents didn't allow me to watch it made it all the more enticing. They thought I'd learn to drive like that. But I'm not going to see it because I think the general look is really ugly. I know that they are trying to make it look cartoonish, but I don't like the way it looks. I am going to see "Iron Man" this weekend, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 IRON MAN f*cking RULZ :phil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 9, 2008 Members Share Posted May 9, 2008 Everyone seems to love that movie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 I can't help... Iron Man -if I ever had one- was my favorite Super Hero. The acting was very good -Downey Jr. was simple the right choice-, awesome FX and a decent story to tell. Even Gwyneth Paltrow character was well played. Speed Racer, on the other hand... I did't even liked the cartoon, so I guess I'm simply not seeing the movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 10, 2008 Moderators Share Posted May 10, 2008 Just got back from watching Speed. If you dug the cartoon, I think you'll love it. I think. I did. They seemed to capture the other worldly quality the cartoon had. The cars move in ways cars don't move. Racer X's voice is perfect as is Inspector Detector's whole shtick. Christina Ricci is... uh, utterly gorgeous. When she gets an idea her eyebrow goes up on one side just like Trix. Chim Chim was great. Pops. The buildings are total modern Japan just as they were way back then. The victory scene as the crowd cheers is surreal. The way the evil corporate baddie characters slide cross the screen in front of the action is just as I remember. Bwa-ha-ha!. And it's all done while being totally new. Color is over the top. Lots of beautiful women everywhere in the background. Lots of them. Victory milk instead of Champagne. What's not to dig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted May 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 10, 2008 Okay...Just returned from the movie. If any of you saw the stargate scene from 2001 or the lightcycle scene from Tron on any kind of hallucinogens I now know how you felt. That was {censored}ing intense! I think I can say that nobody who has never seen the cartoon is going to know what to make of this film. It stays very true to the quirky style of the original. I can totally understand why the critics can't make heads or tails of it. There's no way that they could. It's just too weird. As a fan, I understood who some characters are and how they fit in. But I'm still reeling from this. It's going to take me some time to put it all together. I thought the choice to actors to play the cartoons characters was generally quite good. John Goodman was a perfect Pops. I mean, perfect! Matthew Fox was a great Racer X. He sounded like Racer X. I liked him a lot. Paulie Litt did as good a Sprittle as you're probably gonna get. He was totally annoying, but then that's how Sprittle was in the series. He's a loud obnoxious anime child. You embrace it, and then you like him. Sprittle would sell his soul for a bag of candy. Chim Chim was....well, Chim Chim. He would also sell Sprittle's soul for a bag of candy. He's on equal intellectual ground with Sprittle. I liked Christina Ricci as Trixie, but the movie's Trixie was a little more sure of herself than the cartoon Trixie. I didn't care for the treatment of Sparky. Sparky is supposed to be a young kid who loves working on cars. This Sparky was too old and not too bright and too Australian. If they were going to change his nationality, it should have been a 17 year old Japanese kid. Snake Oiler was a bit of a let down too. They totally reworked the character. Snake in the series was as talented as Speed, and very sly and shifty. The Car Acrobats were a sort of an animistic religious cult and Snake was a devoted member. This Snake was more of a gun for hire, and a brawler in my opinion. I was glad they included him though. I enjoyed Tim Curry Cruncher Block and part of the Mammoth Car make an appearance. They are about what you'd expect, mob gangsters. I wish I could have seen the mammoth car in all of it's glory, but since the car was made entirely out of stolen gold in the series I guess it didn't really make much sense. The GRX is in it, but it's a totally different car. The GRX in the series traveled at such high speed that the drivers became incapacitated and usually died in a crash. This is the GRX in name only. Even it's distinctive engine drone is gone. It was still a cool part of the film though. The pace of the movie is really fast and moves a little like the comic book style of the Incredible Hulk only more so. The racing sequences are incredibly fast. It's nearly impossible to keep up with the action. I'm not sure what to say about it. I wish I could have slowed it down and got know some of the other drivers. It was like a neon Hot Wheels track. I liked it, but I think I need to see it more times to keep up with everything going on. My 7 year old son loved it. My 5 year old daughter enjoyed it as well, but she's also quite familiar with the series so that may have been a factor. I think parts of it were a little too intense for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 10, 2008 Moderators Share Posted May 10, 2008 That was Tim Currie? I missed that entirely. The corporate bad guy right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted May 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 10, 2008 Oops! Looks like I was wrong. Roger Allam played the bad guy. He sounds and looks like Tim. I never even bothered to check the credits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 12, 2008 Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 I can't help... Iron Man -if I ever had one- was my favorite Super Hero.The acting was very good -Downey Jr. was simple the right choice-, awesome FX and a decent story to tell. Even Gwyneth Paltrow character was well played. Speed Racer, on the other hand... I did't even liked the cartoon, so I guess I'm simply not seeing the movie. Completely agreed (except that I actually did like Speed Racer as a kid). I loved "Iron Man", and thought it was a cool update. Acting was good, and the special effects were also good. I often don't like CGI stuff. Often looks cartoonish, with no sense of physicality or mass. Not this. This was nicely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 12, 2008 Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 Super 8: It's funny you should mention Tron. The first time I saw a trailer for Speed Racer, I immediately thought of Tron. However, in my case, this isn't a compliment, as I think Tron is one of the ugliest movies I've ever seen!!! Sorry. Now, I realize that I'm judging Speed Racer without having seen it, but I just can't get into the look from the advertisement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flemtone Posted May 12, 2008 Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 I loved Speed Racer as a kid. I had been introduced to Japanese early-period anime thru '8-Man' a few years earlier, and thought SR was great. When I saw this on Dexter' Laboratory, I thought it was absolutely brilliant. Check it out when you have a few minutes to kill. Dexter's Laboratory: "Mock 5" [YOUTUBE]E3O5JWuUyIQ[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 12, 2008 Moderators Share Posted May 12, 2008 Nice! I love the angry Pops dance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members felix Posted May 12, 2008 Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 We saw it - on an IMAX screen - on Saturday. Intense x 10! My boys (ages 8 & 11) said it was awesome. Even my wife liked it. There were so many little things that directly referenced the original cartoon (certain poses in the fight sequences, etc). And my kids loved all the Spritle / Chim-Chim antics, of course. During some of the race scenes, I just had to give up on keeping track of what was actually going on. Everything about that imaginary world was so brightly colored! Still, very cool and true to the original series. I think I'm going to go see it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members amplayer Posted May 12, 2008 Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 I absolutely HATED that show as a kid. I thought it was the most boring show with poor writing and cheesy animation. Now that it's a movie, I can think of nothing I'd less rather waste my time with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mudcat007 Posted May 12, 2008 Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 I absolutely HATED that show as a kid. I thought it was the most boring show with poor writing and cheesy animation. Now that it's a movie, I can think of nothing I'd less rather waste my time with. I had a love/hate relationship with the show as a kid. I was always troubled by the Mach 5's total disreagrd for the laws of physics and the location of the switches in the middle of the steering while (what's up with that?). The main thing that drove me nuts was the catapault launching thingies coming out of the bottom of the car. There's no way they wouldn't snap off as fast as the car was moving. I could never get past that. As much as the show aggravated me I felt compelled to watch it every afternoon anyway. I may have to take the kids to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted May 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 the catapault launching thingies coming out of the bottom of the car. There's no way they wouldn't snap off as fast as the car was moving. I could never get past that. I think you're missing the point. The point wasn't whether or not it was plausible, the point was that they were cool. If you're looking for any kind of plausible realism, don't even consider seeing this movie. It's a reality that exists on whim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted May 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 The REVIEWS ARE IN!!!The CRITICS have spoken!!! "Uhm it's not really that bad. I guess it's an okay movie, you can go see it if ya want."Kevin -Movie and Videogame Reviewhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFD9_9lQRKk(Can't get the embed thingy to work on this one, so screw it. Just click on it.) "Best movie I've seen this year! It brought a tear to my eye!" Chris - Prime4Pres08[YOUTUBE]g0tagRQTTDI[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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