Holy bad box office! Chim-Chim the chimp has a right to go bonkers. OK, no one really expected Speed Racer to beat Iron Man, still selling like $50 million worth of platinum in its second week. But to see the brainchild of Andy and Larry Wachowski in a photo finish for second with romcom crap like What Happens in Vegas is just effing depressing. Look, I felt Speed Racer couldn't find the human touch that would make its visual pyrotechnics stick. Even Chim-Chim, who hangs with Speed's younger brother Spritle, mugs way beyond the call of chimp duty. But the Wachowskis are real filmmakers. Watching them, even when they fail (see the conclusion of The Matrix trilogy), is far more edifying an experience than enduring Cameron Diaz shrieking at Ashton Kutcher for two enervating hours. So why did Speed Racer hit the wall? The know-it-alls give these reasons:
Marketing the PG movie to kids turned off anyone past puberty.
Animated TV shows almost always suck as movies.
All the Speed Racer toys and action figures came off as overkill.
Fill in your own reasons why audiences stayed away. I'm interested in the movie itself. Now that you've had a chance to see Speed Racer and maybe see past the pounding reviews, is there anything good you have to say about it? Are there any places where you think the Wachowskis went right?
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Elizabeth~ | June 16, 2008 2:48 AM
I totally loved this film! The Wachowskis did an amazing job...Yes it was a bit long and yes some of the lines were a little cheesy, but so what!!!! I still enjoyed myself!!!! All the actors did a great job too! I was a fan of the cartoon as a child and it was cool that the Wachowskis stuck to the origianl concept of the original storyline...A positive message on family values people!!! Honestly I wish the critics would stop talking trash about a film that genuinly emphisizes the importance of family. I guess the self absorbed arrogant prick character of "Iron Man" gives a more positive influence to our youth huh?
michael | May 26, 2008 3:20 AM
"Kids think it is wonderful to see a monkey in this movie. Too bad they don't know how the mokey was treated off the screen. Almost every movie that contains an animal doing something unnatural requires training where they are abused. This poor monkey was abused by his trainer to get the part right. Yes, let's show our children a "fun" movie. Let's promote the cruelty to have some "fun." No, I will never see this movie. I will not promote any movie where this happens. Don't believe me, look it up yourself."
Sarah
Its a movie, enjoy yourself.
michael
Sarah | May 21, 2008 5:56 PM
Kids think it is wonderful to see a monkey in this movie. Too bad they don't know how the mokey was treated off the screen. Almost every movie that contains an animal doing something unnatural requires training where they are abused. This poor monkey was abused by his trainer to get the part right. Yes, let's show our children a "fun" movie. Let's promote the cruelty to have some "fun." No, I will never see this movie. I will not promote any movie where this happens. Don't believe me, look it up yourself.
Love Speed Racer | May 18, 2008 12:04 AM
I thought Speed Racer was fantastic. The acting was terrific and the movie was entertaining. From an artistic point of view, it was beautiful. The colors are great! Emile Hirsch made the movie worth watching. The only downside I found was some lines were a little too cheesy.
s- | May 16, 2008 9:14 AM
lack of interest. plain & simple. the fan base to move this film beyond a cult following is just not out there. plus--- here's a brave idea in this day & age.. make a movie based on an original concept.
JMG | May 16, 2008 6:45 AM
Speed Racer was some of the most awesome, insane, and revolutionary graphics I have ever seen. The colors were truly amazing, and some of the scenes were like nothing i've ever seen- so incredibly innovative. I think the movie truly missed hitting a niche audience, in that it was to complicated and maybe even too violent for small children, and adults presumed it to be too childish to bother with. I guess Peter Travers was right when he said it's a "stoner movie." I was high as a kite in that imax theatre and loved every minute of it. Go, Speed, GO
Johnny Kickass | May 15, 2008 3:11 PM
Young kids have never heard of Speed Racer.
And adults have probably sussed out by now that the Wachowski Bros are hacks. I know I'm in the minority on this but I thought even the first Matrix was lame. I almost left the theater - it was that silly and boring.
You can only entertain people with technical razzle-dazzle for so long. You need real characters and an engaging story to make good movies. The Wachowskis dont seem to know how to do that.
Having said that, for some reason I still really want to see Speed Racer. It looks just like the classic video game series Wipeout - a reference I'm surprised nobody has made yet. And Christina Ricci looks like a real-life cartoon.
HUNNK | May 14, 2008 2:45 PM
The number one thing that killed this movie in the box office was targeting it to the younger crowd. I'm a fan of the cartoon so I was going to see this movie no matter what the critics said. I'm in my 20s and could not find anybody to go see it with me. All my friends said the visuals looked cool in the trailers but they had the impression that it was a children's movie. The theater was filled with nobody but parents taking their kids to see it.
Film Guy | May 14, 2008 2:05 PM
Great movie. Critics are dropping the ball huge here. It is 15 minutes too long but the movie has heart, action and is totally unique. I had a great time and never liked the TV show (in fact, I actually hate Anime). People need to see this one with an open mind and I'm sure they'll be impressed.
whalespoon | May 13, 2008 9:38 PM
I remember the TV show sucked when I was a eight year old kid. How could it do anything else but suck on the big screen?
E | May 13, 2008 8:33 PM
How about lame dialogue, cheesy acting, and that stupid monkey. It's the same reason Planet Terror failed, overly excessive, well produced and stylishly innovative, intended camp doesn't sell. Wachowski's overindulged themselves in their own universe instead of their characters. This movie is Star Wars: Episode I without the anticipation and the hype.
Jay | May 13, 2008 8:05 PM
Seems like the majority of the positive reviews are from fans of the TV series. I HATED the original series, so there is no reason for me to see this.
Anonymous | May 13, 2008 4:50 PM
This movie was incredible critics suck
Albert | May 13, 2008 3:23 PM
Yes Iron-Man is a great movie but the marketing failed Speed Racer. I took my sons 6 and 9 to this and they loved it. So did I and I remember the anime fondly. It should have focused on Speed and Racer X relationship.
There is so many cool scenes that never made the previews. That shot of Emile in the helmet looked chessy but the movie is fun.
Thanks to the sad box office the Wachowskis may have to revisit the Matrix.
Brendan | May 13, 2008 2:48 PM
If you have the privilege of seeing this film at an IMAX location, you will better experience the magnitude of Speed Racer's greatness. I don't understand how anyone who enjoyed films such as Sin City, or Dick Tracy could dislike Speed Racer. The end of the final race is a cinematic orgasm that needs to be seen to be believed. These critics are out of touch. The most accurate review I have read is Richard Corliss'(TIME magazine). If you are curious about the film at all, but undecided because of the monstrous stupidity of critics, read his review and go check out Speed Racer.
Roger | May 13, 2008 12:35 PM
I saw the movie on Saturday and LOVED IT. I went in with the mind-set that this was a movie for kids and as such I would have to suffer through a few kiddie moments to get to the good stuff. And I was right (as usual). I think this film is WAY underrated. The visual candy is expectedly awesome. The story is expectedly not as awesome but the performances were way beyond what I was expecting. Susan Sarandon brought me to tears and me and my racing buddies were freaking out about the race action. I just think there aren't enough Speed Racer (cartoon) fans out there to make this a HUUUGE film. Maybe if it weren't going up against Iron Man. Either way I'm glad I saw it and I encourage every race fan out there to go see it.
film student/ stoner's take | May 13, 2008 3:23 AM
as someone who enjoys the green/all types of films, I can't wait to see Speed Racer. It looks silly, campy, and totally trippy. Although I just saw a loved There Will Be Blood(one of the best films I have seen in years), I sure enjoyed seeing my childhood love Transformers last summer on the big screen(completely silly). Sometimes you just gotta have fun, and let go.
Anonymous | May 13, 2008 12:40 AM
I can only give the reasons I don't want to see it, but I doubt they're unique. Over 2 HOURS...for an adaptation of a wafer-thin premise. The Wachowskis' preference for technical razzle-dazzle over interesting characters and/or dialogue. The fact that it just looked kinda cheesy in the preview.
right here. | May 13, 2008 12:16 AM
I honestly believe a lot of the reason why people (especially those toting kids) didn't see it is because (as you mentioned in the review video) it's so flipping LONG. 2 hours and 15 minutes. Ouch.
Honestly, the kids near me could barely keep it together. And for parents with children who are a bit too young to see Iron Man, that extra half hour can be brutal.....
Tyler | May 13, 2008 12:00 AM
This movie was incredibly intense. I went into it under the assumption that it would suck, as most movies based on old TV shows do. It didn't. It had the emotion and the great special effects. Granted, the story was stupid, but it was fun stupid. I would certainly see this movie again and recommend it to others.
Mike | May 12, 2008 10:32 PM
The movie was visually interesting, and the story line held my interest as the good ol' fashioned Speed Racer fanboy that I am. However. The whole cartoon + live-action gig has been pioneered by "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?". I see no reference so far... Also, I feel that it's stylistically spot on for 60's anime-turned-live. It's bright and chaotic.
It's the reason Blu-Ray was invented.
Mark D | May 12, 2008 7:49 PM
Somebody fire the WB marketing staff, this movie was poorly marketed, and they failed to GENERATE buzz, The WB marketing staff should have hauled the Mach 5 to all of the NASCAR tracks, bought time on CW shows like "Smallville", "Reaper", "WWE Smackdown", and even "Gossip Girl" [to get the girls interested in Emile Hirsch], and whored this thing to the max.
Now I saw the movie and this was EXCELLENT [but you are pleasing a LOOONG time fan of the show who remember when it came out way back in '67, and has every episdode on DVD] and was one of the Wachowski's best creations. I think America completely missed the point of the entire movie, and never learned to sit back and let their internal 12-year-old with a "Hot Wheels" set take over and enjoy the flick, like I did.
Although I plan to see it again in IMAX, the movie box-office is lost, but I hope that this film has a second life when it comes out on home video [DVD]. Maybe the "stoners" can make this film into a camp classic!
Savon | May 12, 2008 7:18 PM
I do think the movie went right in casting Scott Porter and Matthew Fox. It's always good to see both of them on the big screen. Also, the "Go Speed Racer" mix music on the credit was a trip down memory lane.
Malice | May 12, 2008 4:53 PM
If this were completely CGI, I think it would've been bigger. A shame it didn't find its audience.
I think Speed Racer's always been a cult thing stateside. Most of my friends (20s/30s) had no nostalgia for the show.
To be honest, I wanted to like the movie more than I did, but I still appreciated all that they put into it. Gorgeous, ballsy moviemaking -- you don't see this kinda riskiness in family films too often.
Matt | May 12, 2008 3:03 PM
I had a chance to see the film "Speed Racer" this weekend and in Imax and the movie was pure ART! It was amazing in every way. I have never seen a movie like this. The editing blew me away and the effect's are just perfect. The filmmakers bring the audience into the world of Speed Racer and this movie is worth the ride. Is it a kids film? Yes and its also for adults as well. The film has a real-life anime appearance to it. Why I think it did bad at the box office.
1. Iron Man is still doing good at the the box office and is playing to a kids audience and also to their parents. That just killed Speed Racer this weekend. Iron Man is a film that both adults and Parents want to see.
2. The marketing made it look like it was only a kids film and made it look like a film that adults would hate to see. Has anyone seen the commercials to it then you know what I am talking about.
3. The release date was juts BAD. Why release this on May 9th??? Right next to Iron Man and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. These are powerhouse releases with huge built in fans. Why not in June?
Well all I can say is go see this movie. It stands to be a cult classic like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or A Clockwork Orange. If you seen those movies you can get a feel for what to expect when you see "Speed Racer" so see it soon in IMAX before it is to late. I give this film a A+.
pete | May 12, 2008 2:54 PM
speed racer? when was that on tv? the 70's? i'm in my mid 20's and it still was before my time or maybe during my time. have kids today ever seen it? the cartoon was lame, why even look at the movie. special effects don't mean a thing if the movie doesn't have a story worth getting interested in (see Spider Man sequels: both sucked). a human-cartoon movie isn't worth the $10.
Mike | May 12, 2008 2:15 PM
I just think it's too different for people to buy into.
People weened on sleek and snark from Michael Bay and his action sequences are going to gravitate to a film like Iron Man over Speed Racer.
Having seen Speed Racer, I know those people who don't see it are missing out. It truly is a litmus test for your inner child.
Dan | May 12, 2008 1:53 PM
I think that the most important reason that "Speed Racer" did poorly at the box office isn't related to marketing, the Wachowskis or anything else...its Iron-Man. Kids dont want to see the movie they're "supposed" to want to see, they want to see the movie the older kids and adults are seeing. Iron Man has the flashy superhero, intense action sequences, tanks, bombs and everything else that gets a 10 year old's heart racing. Speed Racer just has enough color that it would send anyone into a bad trip, drugs or not.