Why the Speed Racer movie might just save the world

Speed Racer was released in theaters this past weekend to some fanfare and excitement. For some, this is any other kids’ movie or racing movie. For others, it’s a monumental film experience that’s been decades in the making. For any of you who don’t know who Speed Racer is or what this is all about, a bit of history is required. See, Speed Racer, originally Mach GoGoGo, was one of the first anime shows brought to the US in the late 1960s, along with Astroboy and Gigantor, and it proved to be one of the most enduring.

Now, to be fair, Speed Racer was a pretty corny cartoon. The editing of it reached a point of almost re-imaging what its creator, Tatsuo Yoshida, originally created. Nevertheless, like the Jetsons and the Flintstones, for it’s time, it was something truly innovative. Many, many cartoons and anime series since its release have taken their cues from Speed Racer and you’d be hard-pressed to find a show that doesn’t incorporate some technique of animation or story-telling that it wasn’t one of the pioneers of.

The movie itself deviates very little from the original cartoon. It follows the Racer family (yes, that’s their actual last name) as they try to navigate the world of competitive racing. Entrenched in their world are criminals and unethical businessmen of almost every persuasion. Corporations and big businesses that want to control everything are set as the proverbial criminal masterminds behind most of the world’s ills. The movie is rife with quality, if stylized, acting and amazing action. The driving sequences defy words. They simply must be seen to be believed. Visually, the movie is a masterpiece, no two ways about it.

And part of what makes it so impressive is the anime-style that the movie incorporates. In Japan, live-action remakes of anime shows and movies are not that uncommon. But usually, they fall short of capturing the anime aesthetic in the new medium. They simply re-imagine the work as live-action. Speed Racer doesn’t. This movie is truly anime brought to the real world. Visuals, story, character, this movie has more in common with any anime you can pull off the shelf than it does with most live-action films.

Even taking the anime-ness into account, this movie is still radically different from just about anything that’s been seen. It’s been a long time since a movie has come out this unique in both visual appeal and in overall presentation. This is not another racing movie like Cannonball Run or It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World or Mad Max. This is something VERY different and VERY unique. And most people would agree that Hollywood has been in need of some new blood.

To be fair, though, this movie is kids’ film. If you go in to watch it, expecting a truly epic movie of depth and subtlety, you might be disappointed. This film is made for kids. But not kids in the way that many cartoons currently are made. This is a film that is meant to appeal to the 12-year-old as much as the 50-year-old who can step back in time for a moment. This movie is very bright and optimistic, visually and substantively. Its wholesomeness is truly refreshing to see. It’s gotten to the point where it seems that while Disney and Pixar can pull off the occasional kids’ film that adults like, in general, a movie made for kids appeals only to kids. Nothing could be farther from the truth here. This movie appeals to anyone and everyone.

Probably the best reason Speed Racer is so important a film is because it proves that a film can be undeniably true to the material that inspired it. Ask any comic book fan and they’ll tell you a critical element to making a movie adaptation is going to be how accurate and loyal the film is to the comic that inspired it. And they’ll usually name only a few movies that have succeeded. And this film succeeds. You could not imagine a more accurate and loyal interpretation of the original series as a film, live-action or otherwise. And so it’s set the bar to a new height of accuracy, of loyalty to the original material. Comic movies have improved considerably in this regard, but nothing can compare to this.

Twice now, the Wachowski brothers have made a film that has forever changed the way movies are made. With their seminal work, the Matrix, they upped the ante on special effects and the involvement of actors in their own action sequences. Now, with Speed Racer, they’ve proven that even a corny but loveable cartoon can be re-imagined as a brilliant, breath-taking movie, as unique as it is loyal, as vibrant as it is tangible, and as perfect as could be imagined.

If you’re a movie fan, do yourself a favor; Go see this film. If you’re an anime fan, do yourself a favor. Go. See. This. Film. And if you’re a fan of the original series, for the love of god, do yourself a favor. GO. SEE. THIS. FILM.