SPEED RACER
RYAN: The second blockbuster to come out this season is “Speed Racer” starring Emile Hirsch and one of my favorite actresses, Christina Ricci.
CAROLINE: All I can say is it’s a shocking two hours and fifteen minutes long. For a family film, that’s unheard of. I was already a little concerned about not liking this movie once I found out it’s rated PG and aimed at kids, but the length clinched it for me. I’m sorry, but no child can sit through a movie that long. I barely could.
RYAN: I was surprised at that too. But I must say, it’s the most colorful film I’ve ever seen. The world that the Wachowski brothers, who also directed “The Matrix,” created for this film is absolutely spectacular. Clearly most of it was shot on green screen and then computerized, but it’s really a sight to behold. I also liked the transitional wipes of people’s faces. It was unique, though they started to overuse them a little.
CAROLINE: Nary a primary color is left out of this film, and the costumes and sets are really amazing. I liked all the actors though I didn’t think Emile Hirsch was anything special. He’s cute and fresh looking, but he didn’t stand out.
RYAN: He’s playing an iconic character, so it’s tough. I was a little confused during the film though, which surprised me because this is a film even children are supposed to be able to follow.
CAROLINE: I noticed that too! There were a couple times I wasn’t following the plot very well, and I was thinking, “If I’m confused right now, what is a 5-year-old child gonna do?” We did have a couple young ‘uns sitting in front of us, and they were very squirmy. At one point, the girl said, “Mom, when is it over?” My thoughts exactly, honey.
RYAN: [laughs’ It was also odd how characters would narrate their own flashbacks and things would be illustrated as they were talking about them. I found it more distracting than helpful.
CAROLINE: Some of the scenes were just way too long, especially all the stuff with Speed Racer getting wooed by Royalton. It takes forever! I would say to the Wachowskis, “Get over yourselves immediately,” because this is not a good enough movie to merit its length. It would have been so much better if it were 90 minutes. I actually really liked the first 15 minutes or so.
RYAN: Yeah, I liked the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes. There are some great moments in between but by and large, once you adjust to the look of the film, something just doesn’t work.
CAROLINE: There’s one awesome fight scene in the middle.
RYAN: Well any scene with Christina Ricci is great. I loved seeing her in so much pink. She was fabulous. Also of note, Matthew Fox from TV’s “Party of Five.”
CAROLINE: I’d say he’s better known for “Lost” these days.
RYAN: Oh yeah, that. He’s looking rather hot. Susan Sarandon and John Goodman are also good as Mom and Pops Racer.
CAROLINE: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Susan Sarandon looking quite so bosomy! She has great rack in this movie.
RYAN: The young, chunky kid who plays the little brother is cute, and he has a chimp sidekick who was very underused. Any time a monkey is onscreen it’s cute, but they only cut to him for reaction shots and they could have done so much more.
CAROLINE: The little girl in front of me told her mom she’d rather be watching SpongeBob and I think I concur. Bottom line?
RYAN: It’s kind of a boring movie, and it’s definitely too long. At the same time, it’s really gorgeous and totally original. It’s a good story, though the script is a little cheesy. People were laughing at inappropriate times.
CAROLINE: It was amazing to me how much the audience laughed at this movie, and not in a good way. But then several people applauded at the end too. I think it’s a technical achievement for sure, but I shouldn’t be this bored during a movie with car chases and fights. Some of the action was good but a lot of scenes were way too expository and long. I didn’t even really care about the characters.
RYAN: I didn’t care throughout most of the film, but then in the last few minutes, I cared. I almost teared up.
CAROLINE: I’ll give you that. For the last five minutes, I found myself thinking, “Go Speed Racer!” But then I was just relieved that it was finally over.
RYAN: Overall, it’s worth seeing on the big screen for the spectacle of it all… just lower your expectations.