Here is one persons point of view after a private screening.............Sounds cool. I am there!
Below is from thedigitalbits.com
All right... so first things first today. Yes, I saw Speed Racer yesterday. And yes, I loved it. I LOVED IT.
The story of Speed Racer will be familiar to anyone whose seen the original 1960s cartoon. Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a wunderkind driver with the coolest race car in the world, the Mach 5. His father, Pops (John Goodman), is a genius car designer with racing in his blood. He's got a great Mom (Susan Sarandon), a fun kid brother (with a pet chimp) and his gal pal Trixie (Christina Ricci) is always at his side. Speed lives in the shadow of his older brother Rex (played here by Scott Porter from Friday Night Lights), who was killed in a car crash years before. Speed's exploits at the local track earn him a lucrative offer from the head of Royalton Industries, who wants Speed to join his World Racing League team - the best of the best. But Speed prefers to stay loyal to his father instead, and soon learns that Royalton and other companies are fixing all the races. His offer refused, Royalton sets out to ruin Pops and make sure Speed never finishes another race. But just when all looks lost, the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox from Lost) and Inspector Detector arrive at the family's doorstep with a offer Speed can't refuse: A chance not only to race, but to bring down Royalton and his cronies once and for all.
I should say right now, up front, that this movie isn't going to be for everyone. Like the original Star Wars back in 1977, high-minded critics are going to pan this as representing everything they've come to hate in the cinema, all flash and no substance. But I'm here to tell you, just as they did back then, most of the critics are getting it wrong. Speed Racer is a gas. This is the most fun I'VE had in a theater so far this year, Iron Man included. Now, don't get me wrong, Iron Man is a better film, certainly in terms of story complexity, character sophistication, etc. But Speed Racer is a helluva lot more fun in my book. Unabashed fun. Over the top, trip you out, goofy, blow your mind fun. The fact is, sometimes as a moviegoer you just want to turn off the Thinkin' Cap, strap in and hold on tight. You want to take the ride, feel the thrill and enjoy it for all its worth, every penny's worth. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that, critics be damned. Don't let ANYONE tell you otherwise. The Wachowski Brothers weren't trying to make Citizen Kane here. They were trying to make the best damn Speed Racer film they possibly could, with all that entails... and they've succeeded brilliantly. On top of that, they've managed to push the visual language of film another big leap forward.
To say that The Wachowski's have done something different here is massive understatement. Nearly every effects house in the business was involved in the making of this film, and it shows - it's two hours of straight eye candy (it's also no coincidence that the DP is David Tattersall, who shot Star Wars: Episodes I-III). Speed Racer is as visually revolutionary as The Matrix films were before it, except this experience is the opposite of The Matrix in almost every other way. Whereas Matrix was dark, gritty, and Byzantine in its complexity, Speed Racer is bright, glossy and unashamedly simple. This is a pure popcorn family film, through and through. In fact, kids are going to go bat-s__t crazy for it. Not just boys who love Hot Wheels cars either, but I think girls will get a charge out of this as well. In terms of suitability, there are two or three curse words (one of which is beeped) and one of the characters flips a bad guy the bird. And that's it. There are a couple of fight scenes, but they're very stylized and no one dies. Even the car crashes (and there are DOZENS) are tame - the drivers all bounce free of the explosions to safety in balls of rubbery "Kwik-Save" foam. This is pretty safe PG material, so don't be afraid to take your kids. They'll have a blast.
Who else is this movie for? Well, if you enjoy The Wachowski's unique cinematic perspective, you'll enjoy this film. If you want to see something truly new, here it is. If you love racing and ever played with Matchbox cars, buy your tickets now. If you're young and/or young at heart, I think you'll dig it. Most importantly, if you loved the original animated Speed Racer, you will LOVE this. The Brothers absolutely nail the tone and spirit of the original. There are SO many little touches right out of the cartoon. All of the family relationships are here, but the great thing is that they've been expanded and fleshed out in a lot more detail. And you believe them - there's real heart here, genuine emotion (decent values are on display here too, like choosing family over fame and fortune, and standing up for what's right, even when it's difficult). Remember the Mammoth Car? It's here - Racer X duels it in the Shooting Star! Remember all those bad guys from the toon - Cruncher Block, Snake Oiler, The Grey Ghost? They're here too. There's even a moment when Speed finishes a race, where he leaps out of the Mach 5 and strikes the classic pose right out of the cartoon's opening credits (the original Bullet Time shot). I'll tell you when the movie got me: For about the first half of the film, I'm sitting there just trying to absorb it all (this film is MASSIVE visual input, almost to the point of overload). Then there's this scene where Ninjas burst into the hotel suite where Speed and his family are staying, hoping to put Speed out of action (and thus out of the race). One of them backs up into Pops, who grabs the guy with his beefy hands. Suddenly, there's this quick shot of the ring on Pop's hand. I'll be damned if it didn't say Westside Grunters and Groaners! Pops picks the guy up and spins him over his head... and that was it for me. I almost fell out of my seat laughing. That's a moment STRAIGHT out of the cartoon, just for the fans, and it's perfect. Even composer Michael Giacchino's score nails the mark, taking dozens of cues from the original show and expanding them into full-blown orchestrations that are a perfect match to the visuals. In a nice nod, the closing portions of the score even include samples not just from the animated show's theme song, but also from the original Japanese theme (so whenever you hear "Mach a-go-go!" you'll know why). By the way, original Speed voice actors Peter Fernandez and Connie Orr do have quick cameos as race announcers in the film, so be sure to watch for them.
The original Speed Racer was goofy, vibrantly-colored, kinetic and wore its heart on its sleeve. This new movie takes those very same things and (respectfully) runs wild with them. As a lifelong fan, I was not disappointed. I can't wait to see it again (in IMAX this time) and I REALLY can't wait for the Blu-ray. I may have to get two copies on Blu, 'cause I'm gonna wear one of them out. If you're looking for Masterpiece Theatre... you're in the WRONG movie, boy. But if you bring the kids, check your higher brain at the door, and go in expecting to be dazzled and entertained... that's exactly what you'll get. This is good, pure fun.
Now I wonder if we'll be seeing Racer X and/or the car acrobats....
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