Go Speed Racer,hahhah

Ok, so, one of the movies I saw with my friend Mili the other night, was Speed Racer by the Wachowski brothers siblings brothers. The previous statement is totally unnecessary in this review/reaction, but writing it gets the ball rolling, and it takes care of awkwardness of a blank page staring at me. Anyway… Speed Racer. Ok, go. Wait-wait, dont u know theres a cartoon series so-called “MAHA GO!” in SPACE TOON?? hahahahaha…… ok. Go!.

Whats on my mind is, Speed Racer is cleverly nuanced. Spritle Racer buzzing around high on candy like a racer on speed has got to be a take on the title. Speed Racer is a 2-hour long vindication of the Wachowski brothers against their studio. The movie is the Wachowski brothers pointing their fingers at the studio’s big wigs going “ha-ha, you wanna make us do this commercial flick, eh? Based on a Japanese cartoon, huh?” One can’t help but notice the Wachowskis imposing themselves all over the movie.

Which is made concrete by the movie’s theme of filial love against selling-out to the industry. The Wachowskis’ triumph is all-too loudly articulated by their Speed Racer’s, their celluloid avatar, own victory in the final act: in the rat race of global commercialization, everything is a marketing tool. But to rise above the gross prostitution of everything we hold in high regard (“Racing… is our religion.”), the key is to stay sincere, true, real, to what you know you love to do. Doing what you love for no other reasons than loving it makes you do it best. Yes, that sounds much like sex, but this is Speed Racer, and majority of the audience is sensitive to “cooties”.  Point is, if you try to make The Wachowski Brothers do a commercial flick, they’ll do it true to their way of making movies: mind-blowing, crazy shit, and dammit, definitely awesome.

Thank God for stubborn artists.

But whereas the Wachowski’s defiant imposition of their aesthetic imprint succeeds, one can’t help but feel the lack of thematic restraint and consistency of tone in the movie. From the trailers alone, we were warned of an over the top, campy re-interpretation of an 80’s classic, but the opening act where Speed Racer races against the “ghost” of his brother is so complicatedly layered that the sudden shifts in the audience’s gears (excited during the race parts, lost during the flashbacks) is audible like a motor having trouble going uphill. It’s fun for adults, but I wonder how it’s like for kids to watch those parts.

See, while the entire audience finds a very thrilling middle ground during the racing parts, the movie’s all-demographics-encompassing tone failed at getting the best of all ages, and instead, ended up with a double flat: the jokes were too childish to make the adults laugh, and the issues were too sophisticated to reach the kids.

But all in all, Speed Racer is such an awesome eyecandy that one can’t help but surrender to the Wachowski Brothers’ vision of this 80’s racing animation. It’s fast, it’s on track, and, simply, pure fun.

Space Toon Go Go Go!!!