‘Speed Racer’

By Harry Forbes
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) – The races are indeed speedy, but otherwise "Speed Racer" (Warner Bros.) is an overly long and only so-so live-action futuristic adventure yarn based on the 1960s Japanese animated TV series by Tatsuo Yoshida.

The titular young race-car driver (Emile Hirsch) who, with the loving support of his parents – race-car builder Pops Racer (John Goodman), who constructed his son's Mach 5, and Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon) – along with childhood sweetheart Trixie (Christina Ricci), stands up to the evil billionaire corporate sponsor E.P. Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) to compete in the race that killed his big brother.

Royalton is determined to thwart our hero after the latter altruistically turns down a sponsorship deal. He even proudly boasts that all the races are fixed. Speed Racer must also contend with several other rivals or downright villains, including business magnate Mr. Musha (Hiroyuki Sanada) of Musha Motors; driver Taejo Togokahn (Rain), scion of the opposing Togokahn Motors empire, which Musha is plotting to take over; and driver Jack "Cannonball" Taylor (Ralph Herforth).

Assisting the Racer family along the way are a heroic masked man, Racer X (Matthew Fox), whom Speed Racer begins to suspect may, in fact, be his deceased brother, and Inspector Detector (Benno Furmann) who's working with Racer X to prove World Racing League corruption.

Brothers Andrew and Larry Wachowski, co-writers and directors, employ colorful animated backgrounds, and provide fantastical stunts and races; these cars do plenty of gravity-defying maneuvers, which provide visual interest.

Exceptionally positive – if strictly by-the-numbers – family values are strongly emphasized throughout, with some well-written (and well-acted) parental affirmations of support (Sarandon has a particularly touching heart-to-heart with Hirsch), during some of the film's few nonaction stretches. Speed Racer also has a spunky kid brother, Spritle (Paulie Litt), who manages to tag along in the most unlikely places with the family's pet chimpanzee, and an unfailing ally in Sparky (Kick Gurry), the family's true-blue mechanic. The cast acquits itself well across the board.

Values of good sportsmanship, camaraderie and taking the moral high ground also run through the script.

But the alternately chaotic and sentimental plot will probably be of most interest to diehard fans of the cartoon series, while parents may feel that some of the violence and language are a tad strong – and elements of the plot too complex – for those youngest viewers who might appreciate the noisy antics most.

The film will be shown on both Imax and conventional movies screens.

The film contains some intense, but not graphic, action violence, some crass language and expressions, and mild profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II – adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG – parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

* Forbes is director of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.