Forum - View topicREVIEW: Speed Racer
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HeeroTX
Posts: 2046 Location: Austin, TX |
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A serious question that is only related to this movie because of what it is:
Why do people feel the need to make "live action" versions of anime? I mean, as a rhetorical exercise of "who would make a good X" it's all well and good, but why do it aside from a lack of any real ideas? I got into anime (altho I know I'm not the average fan in this sense) BECAUSE it is animated. And while I like a good kung fu movie, I don't need a live action DragonBall, nor do I need a live action Evangelion in place of other SciFi. I may see Speed Racer or some of the other planned live action movies (and I loved Iron Man which comes from a comic) but I just don't see why some people are so hoping that this and that anime gets made into a Hollywood movie. |
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Jaice
Posts: 27 |
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i am dreading all of the live action remakes that are already in the works to be honest. akira, eva, robotech.. they will all end up ruined because these are all story centric shows. speed racer could get away with being made into a live-action because of its lack of story, it was pretty much a blank slate with which the producers could do what they wanted.
with the popularity of anime and manga growing in the west every year i knew it was only a matter of time before hollywood got its dirty mitts on the rights to certain shows and maimed them. |
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wandering-dreamer
 Posts: 1733 |
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I declare the "nonja" fight scene to be one of the best (or at least the funniest) fight scene I have ever seen in the movie, I'll probably rent the DVD simply to watch that over and over.
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Jedi General
 Posts: 2485 Location: Tucson, AZ |
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I just got back from the film. And I absolutely LOVED it.
I cannot say that Speed Racer is a better film than Iron Man (which I was somewhat disappointed with, to be honest), but I can easily say that I liked Speed Racer a lot more. I just cannot believe how fun and unique the film was. The special effects were spectacular and the races really got my adrenaline pumping. Not to mention it was also quite funny at times. Also, Giacchino's musical score was great as his style suited the film perfectly. I've already bought the soundtrack via iTunes. 
All of the aforementioned aspects made up immensely for the weaker points of the film such as the dialogue, (which really wasn't all that bad, but certainly not great) the rather cliched (and also somewhat incoherent) plot and some weak acting here and there. It's also was quite obvious that the Wachowski's are big Speed Racer fans. They really put a lot of references in there that even I recognized, despite not having seen much of the original series at all. Sure the movie won't get much critical acclaim and it doesn't have much of a shot of winning an Oscar (save for perhaps visual effects), but it's an fantastically enjoyable film I wouldn't mind seeing a second or even a third time in the theater. Not to mention buying the DVD the instant it hits store shelves. Which is something I can't say for Iron Man. Still, why couldn't someone have pointed out to the actors that Haruko is NOT pronounced Ha-RU-ko. It's almost as it the folks being the Noein dub were involved or something. 
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Shadowrun20XX
 Posts: 1936 Location: Vegas |
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I just saw it,and thought it was great overall.The CG is trippy as hell,story was decent and I'll probably end up seeing it again soon.spoiler[ I could have done without the dual BEN 10 promo though,and Clone Wars! Errr Why!?Lucas keeps ****ing with the time line.After this bullshit,Speed Racer was gold. ] Not a fan of racing,so i never cared about it,but my first exposure to Mach Go Go Go ,was when MTV displayed the old dubs.From there I played the SNES,arcade and PSX game.
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GATSU
Posts: 15467 |
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Why do I feel like Speed Racer is going to be the hit Mononoke Hime should have been here, and that we'll actually start seeing even less anime for adults than we already get...? *sigh* Seeing this is cheaper and less time-consuming.
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BrothersElric
 Posts: 1996 |
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I actually got back from seeing it like, 4 hours ago...... (didn't really have access to a computer until now
 ) I honestly think this one could go either way. It's a movie I could either see people hating the crap out of it or just absolutely loving it based on what your attitude is. As for me though, I loved it quite a bit myself. I did however find myself a bit annoyed at times, almost like I was watching Spy Kids or something, but at other times I was just really into it, whether it be the unbelievably good visuals or the extremely intense action sequences (fight sequences included), the hilarious comic relief or some of the actually quite good dialouge (at times anyways, like JG said it was pretty unimpressive at times as well).
It said in our local paper's review of it that this was too violent and mean spirited for a kids movie (almost to the point of not even being on a PG level) and I have to agree, however I felt like it was in a good way. It was sort of a kids movie but sort of not at the same time, which in a lot of ways really is liking to my tastes (both lighthearted and dark at the same time). I also now know what Zac meant in his review about that last push at the end of the race, that whole sequence was just incredible. It's one of those moments where you get goosebumps up and down your arms because it's just so dang awesome. I wonder if that's what it's like to be on an acid trip? 
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GTO Neko
 Posts: 94 |
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Glad to see some actual level headed reviews here to let me know that it's something that's more of "for the fans"/not to be taken seriously.
The review that was given in my local paper just trashed it, but I had a feeling it was taking it too literally. Still not sure if I am going to see this in theaters or not, but I still need to catch Iron Man first since I was so busy during the opening weekend. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15467 |
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I don't think the mature content is any worse than Gremlins or Willy Wonka, but it doesn't really fit in much with the rest of the film.
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bahamut623
 Posts: 1463 |
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I remember being so skeptical about this movie at first...but holy crap I LOVED IT!!!! (I liked Iron Man but this was way better.)
The movie just brought a smile to my face. It was really over the top and lovable, but it is NOT for everyone. You'll either think it's ridiculous or absolutely fall in love with it. It will just be too much for some people. But as an anime fan, you must watch it, especially if you like older anime. I think I enjoyed it most out of the people I went with because I got all the stylistic anime references (which are non-stop), like the faces sliding across the screen, and that illusion of revolving around a character by moving the background one way and the character another (you'll know what I mean when I see it...it's something modern anime still does occasionally.) Chim Chim and Spritle were hilarious! The theater was surprisingly empty (in Times Square on opening night...that's a bad sign)...so it might not end up doing that well, sadly. And the ending was truly amazing. |
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Anime World Order
 Posts: 390 Location: Florida |
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Reading through this thread, I was starting to think I was the only one! I have zero complaints about this movie save for one: spoiler[They didn't use the homing pigeon!] But you know what? That didn't dawn on me until after I left because I was too busy thinking about how awesome everything was. As an avowed hater of Paul Greengrass' camerawork, I was concerned by all the reports stating how "headache-inducing" this movie was. I can thankfully report I had no problem following what was going on and the colors didn't bother me in the slightest. The only thing missing was the trademark rapid-fire line delivery of the original, which was something I never noticed until years later when it was pointed out to me. I didn't really notice it was missing as I was watching it though, as I was too engrossed at the sight of cars getting straight-up JUMP JACKED. What DID bother me was the fact that I made the mistake of going to the nearly-empty 11:15 PM showing on the grounds that a theater full of little kids would be too annoying. You know what I just learned is more annoying? The guy in his mid to late 20s who loudly says stuff like "ha! Not interested! NEXT!" to inform the world that he is just so incredibly sophisticated that he is NOT AMUSED at Ben Ten Alien Force and the other movie trailers / scenes designed to appeal to 8 year-olds. I think this is a rare instance where seeing this one with a bunch of kids present would actually enhance the viewing experience. To heck with the haters. I'm so totally buying this movie on Blu-Ray once it comes out. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15467 |
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Man, people must have hated that Michael Bay TF movie so much that anything which looks like effort was put into it looks palatable. I'd hate to imagine the Akira 9/11 movie getting this kind of praise...
Still, I will give the Wachowskis this much: If there's ever a Hollywood Naruto movie, I want them to direct and/or produce. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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This is pretty much as I expected. I didn't really think it would be all that enjoyable but not really bad for what it was meant to be either.
I don't really think it's accurate to compare this to other anime adaptations coming though. Most or all of them will likely be intended for older audiences while this was clearly intended as more of a family movie. It probably isn't indicative of what may happen with other anime adaptations. |
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sanji78
 Posts: 7 Location: MA |
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i whole-heartedly agree with gatsu, even though the movie was just as hit and miss as zac stated, i would trust the wachojwskis to handle future anime properties (even though they probably won't - and even though i wish hollywood would just stop).
all the "weak shit" talk at the end kinda turned me off - Speed ain't a badass, though i have to tip my hat for the one wimpy "oohhh" i heard during one turn toward the end. |
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SoloButterfly
 Posts: 239 Location: Masaki Residence |
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Just throwing in my two cents to say my friends and I went to see this last night and really enjoyed it. Both of my friends said it exceeded their expectations too. It's not THE BEST MOVIE EVAR or anything like that, but made for a very enjoyable watching. I didn't even notice the length. Feel good family fun, and I think it can be enjoyed whether you are familiar with the original or not. The visuals were a little intense, but still enjoyable. Lots of eye candy and really unique things done. I may have to go see it again.
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