1 post tagged “wachowski”
I never got into the Speed Racer cartoon. I've seen a few episodes over the years but I never liked it. I hated the animation. I hated the voice acting and I found the stories to be incomprehensible. The movie is much better.
After the second and third Matrix films I'm sure that I wasn't the only one questioning the Wachowski's abilities. Speed Racer is not only certainly a Wachowski film it is also much better than the Matrix sequels.
If you are someone who is prone to seizures, don't see this movie. It is totally unreal looking in the best way possible. At first it actually takes a bit to get used to it because it almost looks like everything is moving at a million miles and hour and covered in neon and leds. Visually the film is just stunning. It is amazing. It is as if an entire film had been made on the set of the interior of the chocolate factory from Burton's Willy Wonka movie.
The plot is pretty good as far as action films go. The acting is pretty good. Christina Ricci is pretty but is so skinny it is scary. Seeing her head on that tiny neck I couldn't help but think that someone was going to pop it off like the head of a dandelion. One of the odd things is that apparently her character, Speed Racer's girlfriend, lives with him and his parents. A live in girlfriend? Weird.
She also brings up one of the problems with the film. While she does get in a fight and drive for a while, she and all of the women are basically just visual ornamentation. There are attractive women everywhere in this film but all they do is stand there and look pretty with only a couple exceptions. Ricci fights and drives, mom consoles, a driver's sister gives Speed Racer some help but mainly they just stand there and look pretty.
three thumbs up
a visual feast
lots of great special effects
not too feminist...
