SPEED RACER (2008)

MY RATING:  C+

RUN TIME:  135 min

MPAA RATING:  PG

MY REVIEW:  I'm currently on Kauai, an island with very limited movie venues.  Following the shutdown of the cinema in Kapaa, HI, I believe the Kukui Grove Cinema in Lihue, HI is the only theater remaining (I could be wrong).  This three auditorium cinema left me with one movie I had not yet seen, Speed Racer.  As the movie started I was horrified at the graphics.  I felt as though I was drowning in a neon-lit clown house.  Despite the nightmare that was the first five minutes of the movie, the movie progressed with a decent plot at a good pace.

THE GOOD:  I had the impression that the movie was going to be a hardcore racing film aimed mainly at the 10-year-old boy who brought his miniature racing car with him to the theater.  However, there was an excellent balance of racing and actual acting.  The film brought up real world problems to which I could relate.  These problems, corruption at the forefront, made the plot very interesting.  Don't get me wrong, there were some great racing scenes with some interesting special effects.  An all-star cast including John Goodman, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, and Susan Sarandon gave great performances.  Even Speed's (Emile Hirsch) younger brother, Young Speed (Nicholas Elia) and his trusty sidekick, a chimp, not only added some great comic relief, but gave outstanding performances. 

THE BAD:  As I mentioned before the introduction was graphically hideous.  The blending of reality and comic book graphics gave the movie an unique feel, but also made it seem like you were watching a screwed up version of Blue Clues with a splash of 80's decor.  The adult plot made it bearable, but the graphics made it hard to take seriously.  The graphics were great for little toddlers, but the plot was too complicated for their comprehension.

OVERALL:  Excellent acting and some good lessons.  The plot was pretty decent but the graphics threw me a little.  I was pleasantly surprised with the movie and the story it told, however, I wasn't expecting anything more than the screeching of tires and the crashing of cars.  Speed Racer is not a movie I would watch again.