Trailer: Speed Racer
posted at 11:30 am on December 8, 2007 by Bryan
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As good as the Prince Caspian trailer looks is as bad as the Speed Racer trailer looks. Ace gives this one a proper burial.
Good casting choice to put Christina Ricci in as Trixie. And that’s pretty much the only good choice they seem to have made.
I used to love the Speed Racer cartoon. I keep hoping some studio will come out with a great Speed Racer game. No, the 1998 PS 1 Speed Racer doesn’t count. It was terrible. Like this trailer, once you got past the opening it went sharply downhill. But a good Speed Racer game is still possible. There is a Speed Racer game coming out for the Wii, the DS and PS2, but, erm, it’s based on this awful movie. Oh well. One more for the cutout bin at CompUSA. Wait…
I’m sure I’m not the first to notice this, but Hollywood is becoming a crap factory. Or has become a crap factory. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 the other night after work (and therefore almost until dawn, since it’s nearly 3 hours long), the third in a series of films based on a theme park ride. The first one was pretty good. The second one was not as good. The third one. Oy. The giant whirlpool in the “maelstrom” scene isn’t the only thing that sucked mightily in that pile o garbage. That film tried to do so many amazing things that it ended up failing to do its most basic thing: entertain.
Enjoy your riches while they last, Hollywood. Keep pouring money into nonsense like Speed Racer and waste like the current crop of anti-war films that, combined, get beat in audience by a couple of YouTube videos.
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Trixie my eyes, my eyes! Hollywood is self destructing on its own. And recenty to find out NBC wont air a greeting to the soldiers in harms way for the holidays, is also just un-friggin-real.
johnnyU on December 8, 2007 at 11:36 AM
It’s depressing to walk into a movie store like Blockbuster these days. I have to walk around for an hour to find three movies. The rest look like 100% pure crapola. Quality of movies really does suck these days. I think only teenagers go to the movies anymore.
RW Wacko on December 8, 2007 at 11:38 AM
He’s not supposed to look like he’s dropping a deuce when he’s racing!!!!!
RW Wacko on December 8, 2007 at 11:40 AM
I just hope they get Sean Penn to play ChimChim.
Tony737 on December 8, 2007 at 11:42 AM
Might I offer up Will Ferrell’s “Semi-Pro” as a palate cleanser?
http://video.accesshollywood.com/player/?id=192153#videoid=192153
Vincenzo on December 8, 2007 at 11:42 AM
Craptacular!!
MikeZero on December 8, 2007 at 11:43 AM
I never liked speed racer; but at least this dialogue wasn’t filled with HAHA! HAHA! – It’s gonna suck – like all cartoon remakes do. Not sure what was expected here.
lorien1973 on December 8, 2007 at 11:43 AM
The main problem with this is that they just aren’t talking fast enough! And they actually pause between sentences. It’s just all wrong!
aero on December 8, 2007 at 11:45 AM
Speed Racer rocked! The mammoth car still sends chills up my spine.
Valiant on December 8, 2007 at 11:48 AM
The guy at CHUD said it best…it’s Peyote Racer.
ZP on December 8, 2007 at 12:02 PM
I’d never heard of Speed Racer, but if this stays the “G” rated that’s noted in the trailer, I think it will make money.
Still it looks crappy and this won’t be a feather in the Wachowski Bros’ caps.
Dusty on December 8, 2007 at 12:08 PM
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I dunno. Deja Vu and the Transformers movie were pretty good, I thought.
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Especially the Transformers. Special FX tour de force of the kind that’s likely to make the viewing public pant for Blu-ray next Christmas. (2008)
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Keith_Z on December 8, 2007 at 12:12 PM
If there is no Yippie-Kiyea then there is no point in watching it.
Limerick on December 8, 2007 at 12:15 PM
Transformers was awful. Come on. Rollerskating robots on the interstate? Humans, humans everywhere?
Sadly, the best scene in the movie (the scorpinok v humans fight in the desert where the ac-130 blows him to hell) was early on. The final part megatron/optimus fight sucked. A killing Jazz?
lorien1973 on December 8, 2007 at 12:23 PM
Bryan,
I’m not sure that this is so bad. If you watched Speed Racer you are used to crappy effects with that Japanese 60’s feel.
I think that’s what they are emulating here. I can’t say this is so bad.
Vincenzo on December 8, 2007 at 12:26 PM
I couldn’t agree more. I mean, there ARE some good movies that come out now and again…but for the most part, I end up renting…and giving up on the movie half way through lately. They stink.
And most of the movies that come out these days are crappy re-makes that never should have been re-made, or like “Speed”Racer”, they’re take-offs on old TV shows.
Or like Pirates, they keep trying to stretch out what was a decent first movie.
It just seems like there’s no writers left in Hollywood anymore…
JetBoy on December 8, 2007 at 12:30 PM
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Have you seen it on Blu-ray yet? I’m not talking about a thought-engaging plot here. Lol. I’m talking about visuals just as stunning today as Star Wars or Terminator were in their day.
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Anyway, I can re-watch it, and it’s gotta have something (apologies to Stevie Wonder) to compete with my frankly-staggering collection of black and whites!
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Keith_Z on December 8, 2007 at 12:31 PM
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Two words. (holding nose)
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OCEAN’S TWELVE.
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hahahahhahah…..still watch that when I want to laugh at the loon-fest hollywierd “a-list” goofballs,but..OK…….Oceans 13 was pretty good……dammit.
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Keith_Z on December 8, 2007 at 12:35 PM
stunning visuals will get tiring real fast.
Griz on December 8, 2007 at 12:37 PM
Enchanted was good… if you have a wife or girlfriend to go see it with.
frankj on December 8, 2007 at 12:37 PM
ill watch it, but only because emile hirsch is teh hawt.
its vintage duh on December 8, 2007 at 12:38 PM
Yikes. Any movie with Susan Sarandon in it will never get any bucks from me.
THIS is my kind of movie.
SouthernGent on December 8, 2007 at 12:48 PM
Wasn’t Speed only filling in for his big brother who had a horrible accident and disappeared (to re-appear perhaps as ‘Racer X’)?
At least that is the storyline I remember. Its been a long time.
Looks like this is going to try to make some sort of political ‘point’. (”You can’t race cars and change the world” “Perhaps not but its all I know and I got to do something”….).
CrazyFool on December 8, 2007 at 12:51 PM
I think it actually looks pretty good, for a live-action adaptation. It’ll be one to see on DVD or the matinee, but could be enjoyable.
And, personally, I enjoyed Transformers. It was funny, and had some great scenes–really picking up when the Autobots arrived.
American_Pride1701 on December 8, 2007 at 12:52 PM
I’ll wait for the DVD to come out, then probably watch it. But kind of expect it to kill a part of my childhood…
doriangrey on December 8, 2007 at 1:02 PM
If I recall, the original plot involved him overcoming his fear of various parts of racing to win for his family. It was a very Japanese theme, maybe, but it was better than this.
I think the effects are fine and look pretty smooth. I’m just tired of this bull:
“It’s like a religion”
“If you don’t sign that contract, you’ll never win again…”
Speed fails to be NORMAL, therefore failing to be exceptional when he does the heroic. Basic storytelling, but the W bros fail at it again…
RiverCocytus on December 8, 2007 at 1:05 PM
Why do I feel like I’ve just seen the movie?
Anything with a real chimp is better anything with Will Farrel.
Hening on December 8, 2007 at 1:06 PM
Was she the monkey?
Would be nice to have a site that lists what movies radical left kooks are in so they could be avoided. I didn’t know she was in this one.
Hening on December 8, 2007 at 1:07 PM
Reminds me of Austin Powers.
Only fast.
I just want them to put the Mach 5 into regular production. (no bells and whistles, just a real car)
Mazztek on December 8, 2007 at 1:09 PM
I agree about POtC, Bryan…I really liked the first one, was disappointed in the second, and totally confused in the third. I thought they left a few loose ends hanging and although there were many chucke-worthy moments, overall it engendered a big “Huh?” And my cousin was a pirate extra in the film, so I was hoping for better.
As far as Speed Racer is concerned, it’s too bad the movie looks like it’ll suck, because the cartoon was a campy delight.
Bob's Kid on December 8, 2007 at 1:10 PM
If there’s an 11 of Suck, I think this movie goes up to it.
ReubenJCogburn on December 8, 2007 at 1:19 PM
AHA.,,, thismoviehasnobearingonourfamily AHA!!!
–AHA
VolMagic on December 8, 2007 at 1:20 PM
Looks awful, but the soundtrack sounds like something I want to go buy…
Soundtracks keep getting better and better; directing, writing and acting keeps getting worse and worse… go figure.
Bring on Caspian!!!
JDinSC on December 8, 2007 at 1:21 PM
Maha Go Go Go!
AZCON on December 8, 2007 at 1:32 PM
ROFL! Looks just like a Windows95 game I used to play, MegaRace.
ViperPilot on December 8, 2007 at 1:42 PM
maybe the writers’ strike is a good thing…
urbancenturion on December 8, 2007 at 1:43 PM
I think it looks great. It just might make up for everything the Wachowskis have mutilated since the original Matrix (including Larry’s genitals).
Jim Treacher on December 8, 2007 at 1:43 PM
I think the Susan Sarandon bit was in response to the “Enchanted” reference.
urbancenturion on December 8, 2007 at 1:44 PM
Yeah, I don’t get the hate. It looks ultra-stupid but no stupider than any other Hollywood remake. And the FX are sweet.
Allahpundit on December 8, 2007 at 1:47 PM
Bigger isn’t always better, fx-wise. The maelstrom scene in PotC3 was incredible as a piece of visual effects. It’s nearly as good as the opening space battle scene in Revenge of the Sith. To describe the best visual moment in that scene would be to spoil the confusing plot, but in the end I was bored with it. I was also bored with Transformers, fwiw, so much that I fell asleep in the middle of it.
Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not a chick flick guy at all and I looooove me some explosions. But you can have visual greatness and story greatness too, like The Incredibles. That film and a few others delivered on every level. I doubt Speed Racer will. But I’ll rent it anyway, of course.
Bryan on December 8, 2007 at 2:06 PM
I am glad there are so many movie streaming sites so I don’t have to spend $ to find out it’s crap.
That movie looks like it is for 4th thru 7th grade.
TheSitRep on December 8, 2007 at 2:09 PM
I don’t see what the problem is. I think it looks cool.
I like how they do that cartoon-y, everything-in-focus thing with the cameras.
Ortzinator on December 8, 2007 at 2:09 PM
Could Battle Of The Planets and/or Marine Boy be next on the live act remake to do list?
ttevolla on December 8, 2007 at 2:49 PM
That’s not Sarandon in the clip 54 seconds in? If it’s not, that actress looks like her!
SouthernGent on December 8, 2007 at 2:56 PM
Here ya go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_l_uVEbxTs
ttevolla on December 8, 2007 at 3:15 PM
Let’s face it it is the morons who run out to the theatre and pay good money to watch this crap that drives Hollywood. There just isn’t an original idea in Hollywood these days, and if one gets through they drive it into the ground. Thank God there are John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Steve McQueen movies on DVD.
deadbackpacker on December 8, 2007 at 3:20 PM
Yeah, I’m underwhelmed also by this latest Wochowski brothers piece. Pat Dollard’s Young Americans has been picked up by Showtime as a weekly series. It’s in production now. Pat has a daily diary of his progress.
Egfrow on December 8, 2007 at 3:21 PM
That is Susan Sarandon I checked on imdb.com. There are seven, count ‘em, seven producers on this monstrosity, no wonder it sucks.
deadbackpacker on December 8, 2007 at 3:23 PM
I love special effects also but if you don’t care about what happens to the characters, it’s going to be a crappy movie. Seeing the chimp with the boy didn’t exactly assure me that we’re going to hit that emotional sweet spot.
Canadian Infidel on December 8, 2007 at 3:28 PM
it was a freaky japanese cartoon and they brought that feel to the big screen. looks pretty funny to me
tlynch001 on December 8, 2007 at 3:28 PM
Made to be a video game.
Vizzini on December 8, 2007 at 3:36 PM
Of course I’d like to see how the reviews go, but I thought it was a “fun” trailer.
I thought John Goodman as Pops was a great casting choice!
asc85 on December 8, 2007 at 4:50 PM
I thought Speed Racer was awesome as a kid, too. Then when you see the cartoon as a grown up…it sucks.
robblefarian on December 8, 2007 at 4:55 PM
Eh the new Dragonlance DVD movie looks better than that
http://willamos.myblogsite.com/entry202.html#track
HAs Keifer Sutherland and Lucy Lawless, Micheal Rosenbaum, Michelle Trachtenberg, ect
William Amos on December 8, 2007 at 5:01 PM
I know it is just the particular camera angle and lighting but I swear the angry guy warning against “walking away” looks just like Al Gore!
Beyond that, I gotta go with the comment above that it looks like we pretty much saw the movie by watching the trailer. It looks pretty mediocre which, of by Hollywood standards, means that it will be deemed a “blockbuster” and Speed Racer 2 is already being filmed.
highhopes on December 8, 2007 at 5:23 PM
I hated Transformers. I fell asleep during it. Everybody keeps telling me how great all these movies are, and then I am so disappointed after seeing them. The problem is that you have ‘businessmen’ making decisions about an art form, and a group of continually recycled writers who have massive egos and a ‘god’ complex. I’ve dealt with Hollywood, and let me tell you, it’s all who you know and little about what talent you have.
arteest on December 8, 2007 at 5:28 PM
I’m not too excited about Dragonlance. There’s no way they can condense one of the books into a two hour movie, and the artwork reminds me of this.
I never liked Speed Racer, so to me the movie looks just as dumb as the cartoon.
If you want to see an entertaining movie, No Country for Old Men is excellent.
Jezla on December 8, 2007 at 5:39 PM
I can’t even begin to express how much I hated this cartoon when I was a kid. The guy was a dork and his car was ugly.
dostrick on December 8, 2007 at 5:40 PM
l’ll see any movie with John Goodman in it. “It doesn’t work like that!” Hee! This movie looks like a spoof of itself.
B26354 on December 8, 2007 at 5:53 PM
I agree with Bryan. Cristina Ricci is the only good looking thing in that trailer.
The point of CGI is to make fake things look real. Those cars dont look in any way real it looks like a video game. I will believe the Star Waws ships were real before those cars. Just from that clip the acting is totally horrible and unacceptable. Someone fell asleep in makeup and wardrobe, John Goddmans fake mustache was practically falling off.
Resolute on December 8, 2007 at 6:36 PM
If they want to remake car racing movies they should remake something like “Winning” with Paul Newman. That was on cable recently and better then this crap.
Resolute on December 8, 2007 at 6:39 PM
I liked it. I wasn’t totally into the racing graphics but at least it’s better than the looped visuals they used in the TV show and so long as I get to see at least fifty car crash explosions I’ll be happy.
Nonfactor on December 8, 2007 at 6:49 PM
All I have to say is thank goodness the upcoming Gatchaman movie is going to be animated.
BRB, gotta go soak my eyes in bleach. XP
ZK on December 8, 2007 at 6:52 PM
oh. my.
I never thought I’d feel so old at the ripe old age of….38.
Come on, Dusty. ARE YOU SERIOUS?????
pullingmyhairout on December 8, 2007 at 6:53 PM
The only way they can make it truly like the original cartoon is to ensure that the dialog doesn’t match up with the characters’ mouths. he he he he he.
Dusty, you just wouldn’t understand…. poor, deprived little thing…
pullingmyhairout on December 8, 2007 at 6:56 PM
He was better as the crazy vet in Big Lebowski.
Tzetzes on December 8, 2007 at 7:40 PM
(Veteren, not vetrinarian…)
Tzetzes on December 8, 2007 at 7:41 PM
A Greek actor friend of mine once asked me,
“American movies were once the best in the world,
so beautiful and uplifting.
What happened?”
(Worst change of all: films about antiquity.
50s-60s had some fantastic ones.
The ones nowadays are craptastically crappy.)
Tzetzes on December 8, 2007 at 7:43 PM
Highly agree. Whatever happened to plots? Acting?
POTC 1 was funny, but 2 and 3 were chaotic and did not engage the viewer at all…so much emphasis on special effects and none on cohesiveness. I like things blowing up and all that as much as the rest–Bourne, e.g., but lately the stuff Hollyweird is putting out is soporific and sophomoric.
Transformers? ZZZZZZ too much of everything and no plot at all
300? CGI abdomens, everyone!!!
Vanquisher on December 8, 2007 at 8:27 PM
Is is just me, or does the villan look like Al Gore?
madmonkphotog on December 8, 2007 at 8:47 PM
the ongoing documentation of this is going on at libertas.
jummy on December 8, 2007 at 9:57 PM
It doesn’t look so bad – but then again, I have no loyalty to the cartoon – I never liked Manga. That’s why I enjoyed the Transformers – I was past cartoon age when they hit the scene, so I had no expectations that were unmet. And that Megan Fox, she turned in a brilliant performance(!) Likewise, Christina Ricci is cute as a button in this movie. I may see it – it has to be better than the two Matrix sequals.
The one I’m looking forward to is Iron Man.
DU NUH, DU NA NA! DUN NA NUHNA NUH NANA DUH NA NA!
Dork B. on December 8, 2007 at 11:09 PM
Watched a little Speed Racer when I was a kid. Thought it was stupid then, as now.
I have given up on most of what Hollywood puts out nowadays. I think I will put on Hellfighters, John Wayne, always makes my head right.
conservnut on December 9, 2007 at 12:26 AM
Why did Christopher Hitchens want him to sign the contract so bad at the :50 mark?
DaveS on December 9, 2007 at 12:32 AM
Agreed. PoTC3 and SW3 were waaaaaaaaaaay too busy with the FX stuff and attempts to tie in plot threads that made little sense. Then came the “jump the shark” moments in both: PoTC3 jumped when the two got “married” right in the middle of a battle aboard the Black Pearl; and SW3 jumped when, after Anakin slaughtered the child Jedi group (which if they had left Anakin’s fall with this scene, it would have tied back nicely to the “Vader is pure Evil” sense you got in the very first Star Wars movie), the writers tried to “humanize” his fall into evil by attributing it to guilt. Reality simply doesn’t work that way.
I think the best movie scene to illustrate reality in a fantasy context was the Nexus scene in ST7 where Picard realizes that his “dream come true” moment was not only not real, but came at the expense of millions of innocent lives. The rest of that movie wasn’t great, but that particular scene was very poignant.
Wanderlust on December 9, 2007 at 12:34 AM
I’m with Treacher and AP — willing to give it a chance. From what I’ve read, it’s going to be about the importance of family, so it may well hew to the original.
Plus, I always thought the Wachowskis’ “bullet-time” stop-and-fly-around in The Matrix was SR-inspired, which made them seem a natural choice to me.
For this one, they are apparently using new cameras with hellacious hi-def depth-of-field to get things to look subtly flatter and more cartoon-like — so those expecting the CGI to make things look more real will certainly be disappointed. And for those looking to be disappointed, I’ll note that Ricci thinks the chimp(s) may steal the show.
I also think it would be wicked if they went back and had the actors badly re-dub their lines, but I doubt they will.
Karl on December 9, 2007 at 2:05 AM
Indeed.
Karl on December 9, 2007 at 2:09 AM
Looks just as cheesy as the original series, so… not sure why it looks ‘crap’, really..
Reaps on December 9, 2007 at 3:29 AM
I don’t remember Speed taking racing so seriously in the cartoons. It was just what he did while saving the world, not his way of saving the world.
Gwillie on December 9, 2007 at 4:06 AM
I’ll give them casting John Goodman as “Pops,” maybe a brooding Matthew Fox as “Racer X” – although he should have a voice with more gravitas, etc. But my question is, what androgynous boy band did they have to break up to cast that guy as the lead in this movie?
This thing looks like a hyperactive bad cereal commercial. (Silly rabbit, Trixie’s for kids.) I’m sure my son will want to see it.
Captain Scarlet on December 9, 2007 at 4:08 AM
Hollywood didn’t do too well with one of my (and now my son’s) boyhood favorites: “Thunderbirds.” There was a certain thrill to hearing the “5-4-3-2-1 – Thunderbirds are Go!” and updated theme music at the beginning, but it went pretty downhill from there. It’s not a bad rent for kiddos, and it did introduce us to the lovely (pre-”HSM”) Vanessa Hudgens, but it eviscerated the rescue aspect of the organization “International Rescue” in favor of becoming a “Spy Kids”-type action flick. After a second look at the Speed Racer trailer, it seems all they’ll accomplish is…about the same. Pity.
Captain Scarlet on December 9, 2007 at 4:30 AM
I see McDonalds has already reserved the logo space on the front of Speed’s helmet.
Shy Guy on December 9, 2007 at 5:26 AM
Hang on, Bryan. There’s a Gigantor movie in the mix in Tinseltown. And possibly Astro Boy.
I never cared much for Speed Racer. A few really good Looney Toons spoiled my patience for lesser quality toons when I was a tyke.
Coronagold on December 9, 2007 at 9:22 AM
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lol. Very good.
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Keith_Z on December 9, 2007 at 9:56 AM
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We’ve got the Looney Tunes “Golden Collection” Volumes 1-5 for the kids when they come over. I’m constantly amazed at how well they stand up after all these years. (many before I was born!)
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I don’t INTEND to watch them. But I have to walk through the A/V room on the way to the garage, and I find myself sitting there 3 hours later, still holding the honey-do equipment that was supposed to be used that day.
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Great stuff, they..
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Keith_Z on December 9, 2007 at 10:01 AM
This is what Red Box was created for.
It’s just a buck.
Who gives a —-
The Monster on December 9, 2007 at 12:24 PM
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