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- First reviewMay 9, 2008
- Last reviewMay 9, 2008
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ScreeningRoom's Reviews
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Ignore the Critics; It's Ahead of Its Time
PostedMay 9, 2008
ScreeningRoom
I'll admit it. I'm a movie snob. Nearly my entire film collection comprises movies made before 1960, and my TiVo is full of films from Turner Classic movies. I usually hate movies like this: the loud colors, frequent explosions, feel-good dialogue, and inclusion of an animal "actor" should have left me running away from the theater screaming. But they didn't. In fact, 'Speed Racer' was some of the most fun I've had at the movies in years. More exciting than 'Cars' and less pretentious than 'Transformers,' 'Speed Racer' allows you to just sit back and enjoy the show; and there's nothing wrong with that.
Let's address some of the common critic complaints. Some have cried that the colors hurt their eyes and didn't look realistic enough. Anyone not intent on disliking the film can see the color choices are intentional, since the film is literally a huge cartoon. In fact, the movie's strength is that the humans blend seamlessly into their environments, as opposed to other SFX extravaganzas in which the CGI elements stand out jarringly (e.g. the Star Wars prequels). Other critics have blasted the actors for not standing out enough. I disagree, and suspect that those critics were complaining because they were still preoccupied with the colors, and wanted to complain about whatever they could. Finally, some have accused this movie of a 'ridiculously thin plot' that the viewer 'won't care about anyway.' This reveals a flaw common to modern movie critics: they can't accept when a movie is simply meant to be fun. 'Speed Racer' is essentially a giant cartoon, and its plot is perfect because it doesn't take itself too seriously. The movie isn't campy, but it's also not overreaching its own bounds to be falsely great; 'Speed Racer' makes last year's SFX bonanza, 'Transformers,' look bloated and silly.
The actors are pitch-perfect; the plot is much better than other cartoon adaptations; the visuals, cutting edge and thrillingly atmospheric. Critics have been wrong about other films, including 'Fantasia,' 'The Wizard of Oz,' 'Jaws,' and 'Dr. Strangelove.' I won't pretend that "Speed Racer" is a great movie like those; but it, like those classics, is simply ahead of its time.
Let's address some of the common critic complaints. Some have cried that the colors hurt their eyes and didn't look realistic enough. Anyone not intent on disliking the film can see the color choices are intentional, since the film is literally a huge cartoon. In fact, the movie's strength is that the humans blend seamlessly into their environments, as opposed to other SFX extravaganzas in which the CGI elements stand out jarringly (e.g. the Star Wars prequels). Other critics have blasted the actors for not standing out enough. I disagree, and suspect that those critics were complaining because they were still preoccupied with the colors, and wanted to complain about whatever they could. Finally, some have accused this movie of a 'ridiculously thin plot' that the viewer 'won't care about anyway.' This reveals a flaw common to modern movie critics: they can't accept when a movie is simply meant to be fun. 'Speed Racer' is essentially a giant cartoon, and its plot is perfect because it doesn't take itself too seriously. The movie isn't campy, but it's also not overreaching its own bounds to be falsely great; 'Speed Racer' makes last year's SFX bonanza, 'Transformers,' look bloated and silly.
The actors are pitch-perfect; the plot is much better than other cartoon adaptations; the visuals, cutting edge and thrillingly atmospheric. Critics have been wrong about other films, including 'Fantasia,' 'The Wizard of Oz,' 'Jaws,' and 'Dr. Strangelove.' I won't pretend that "Speed Racer" is a great movie like those; but it, like those classics, is simply ahead of its time.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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