Jalopnik
[*UPDATE* If you're getting to this post we've got the Speed Racer Trailer, and you should watch it. That is all.] Whatever your opinions of the Wachowski Brothers, it's hard to stop your heart rate from speeding up a little when you see the photos from the new Speed Racer film. The men behind The Matrix have decided to put their skills behind the project, and have brought John Goodman and Christina Ricci along for the ride. Oh yeah, and Chim Chim is going to be there, too.
We've heard mixed sentiments about the film, and we've got sort of high standards for the Speed Racer remake based on inflated memories of how much we loved the show in our youth, but if someone was to make book on whether or not we were going to see this on the biggest screen we could find &mdash we'd take that action. [USA Today]
Comments
Booooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
Looks interesting to say the least.
Uh, why is Speed wearing a special-ed helmet?
Speed Racer, you're out of your element!
Wow, some things just don't translate from cartoons to the real world, do they?
Looks lame... and why is the front wheel turned all the way in the main pic, seems like it would have bound up on suspension pieces long before reaching that point.
I've never understood the fascination with the speed racer cartoon, can someone please explain what people like about it?
are the Wachowskis still both actually brothers... or was that just a rumor???
Why is the number on the side of the car a 6???
@discontinuuity: Dude, did you not hear that John Goodman is involved? It can't fail. Didn't you see King Ralph?
@jword2001: It had a car. And I was little. Thus, I liked it.
Actually, being little had nothing to do with it.
@ljcabrera:
Judging by the fact that its a different car design than the Mach 5, I'm guessing the movie will feature a "Mach 6".
Well, it looks very.... shiny. And has monkeys in it. And there are cars. And Christina Ricci.
Even if it's terrible it still makes my movie of the year based on just that premise.
@reefer: Speed Racer likes oversteer.
@jword2001: 'cause Trixie was HOT.
@jword2001: We could tell you but then we'd have to kill you.
Truthfully, it was a really bad cartoon. It was so atrocious that it was kind of good.
Christina Ricci est muy yummy! Speed Racer the Movie est Bleck!
The effects look crazy and cool, so even if the movie sucks, I should still be visually stimulated.
If they were going to be true to the cartoon Speed Racer they would have had to use mannequins instead of humans.
Nice Yokohame product placement.
Those front fender lines continuing into the doors really makes me think the car is based off a C3 'Vette... can't tell though...
Damn... Yokohama*
Is he drifting in that shot?
It looks like they gave Christina some bangs to cover her massive five-head.
To front on Speed Racer is to front on Starblazers, G-Force, and the many phases of Voltron. And this is just not done.
@MarkVictorArnold: Seems like I saw somewhere on the interwebs that one of the brothers is now a sister, or something like that.
And why oh why do these people insist on crushing my childhood memories.
The special ed helmet............fail!
Looks. Like. Shit.
I had no idea who this Ricci girl was so I just googled it up. Not exactly my type really. Plus the movie looks like it will be visually stunning much like the Japanese cartoon that sends kids into an epileptic fit. So I will pass on this one.
Man, I'm in. Where else are you going to see Susan Sarandon, Richard Roundtree, Christian Slater and '80's German Punk sensation Nina Hagen's hot daughter in a live action cartoon?
is Christina Ricci playing the part of Chim-Chim?
@jword2001: I'm with you on this one. Then again I wasn't a very imaginative kid.
@Dr.Danger: Oh great, now I must romance explosion in her hair...
I'm disappointed that they didn't keep Speed and Trixie's relationship ambiguous... that could have been some real fun.
I'm also disappointed that they changed the setting of Speed Racer from exotic locations to Tron.
I hope this never takes off.
This should indeed be interesting.
Possibly Thunderbirds interesting.
@POLAR: I think you have to be more smooth about it like...
would you like to make some fsck?
Sweet pistons in heaven this looks awful. As much as people may hate the Transformers movie, the filmmakers at least had the ability to suck out any of the cartoon crap that just did not translate well into the real world in the designs of the robots. Seriously, what a fucking mess.
Ha. Hollywood is out of ideas. Ha.
Since I'm not fond of Christina Ricci, and missed Speed Racer, I can't say I'm looking forward to this.
Now Pole Position, there was a cartoon!
Also, wake me when someone announces a Turbo Teen movie.
Hollywood is dead to me.
This will be loads better than the KR remake. I grew up on Speed Racer and fuel my hoonage as a pup. My heart skipped a beat seeing the still of the Mach 5. SR haters are probably ones that voted in the barely average exotic Bora to the fantasy garage.
Sigh....
At first glance I thought this was another Doctor Who spinoff.
Sad considering that the Matrix trilogy was such a mind opening movie.
Prediction: Major suckage ahead.
It looks like, well, a kids movie. A bad kids movie at that. Not for discerning 30 and 40-somethings reminiscing about episodes they watched on the spare console Sanyo in the den, occasionally getting up from the shag carpet and garishly colored 70's furniture to fiddle with the loop UHF antenna in an attempt to get better reception.
Nope. As being crappy kids movie, it will likely have a thin plot, poorly written dialogue, bad directing, little suspension of disbelief (note the wheel lock comment above) and mind-numbing special effects. But hey, at least it's not by Michael Bay, right?
I heard Christina Ricci had to drop out of the project because her eyeballs fell off the sides of her head...
Great. Another epic demo of matte painting techniques, no doubt unblemished with dialogue or acting.
I am going to approach this like I approached Sin City, and 300- it is sort of like live action anime. I still hold out hope it will be decent.
It looks like that Spy Kids garbage as little sister likes. But with a bit more Tron.
Wow... It looks like Tron, but retarded, and with lower tech graphics...
(the stills suggest the movie includes a Trunk Monkey, though. and i'll grudgingly concede bonus points if he climbs out to whack someone over the head with a crowbar... namely the movie-goers, if it puts them out their misery more quickly)
I will be all over this movie if and only if they include Big Black's "Racer X" in the soundtrack.
This looks like the 2nd coming of 'Spy Kids' or that MoleMan show on Adult Swim, what with all of the humans matted into obviously CG environments.
Also, it's the Mach 6- the wheels can turn any damn way they please. That would be the very least of my problems with a movie like this. It's 100% better just for not having Tom Cruise in it, as was announced so long ago.
BTW- the Wachowskis are siblings; one is transitioning from male-to-female.
@Heep: It's worse than that...
The actor, Emile Hirsch, drives an Effing Prius(!).
Method acting, surely. Or Method Man was involved...
(at least he stated so in promo interview for the movie...no, really! ET or ABC news this AM)
Nope. As being crappy kids movie, it will likely have a thin plot, poorly written dialogue, bad directing, little suspension of disbelief (note the wheel lock comment above) and mind-numbing special effects.
Pretty much, just like the cartoon...
My favorite Speed Racer "moment" is when he's losing control of the car and does this frozen face, open mouth, panic thing. And it goes on and on and on. And of course the dialog absolutely must be out of sync.
@Al Navarro: Starblazers > Speedracer
Dick Tracy and Spy Kids had sex and this is what we get?
I think this looks very cool, in a trip'd-out way.
Mark my words, this movie will bring back the neckerchief to mainstream men's clothing. Just look how dashing he looks pairing that red one with a blue shirt and white collar! Not since Fred from Scooby Doo have we seen such a prominent display of neckerchiefery!
@jword2001: We could explain it, but it's almost as expensive becoming enlightened about Al Navarro worship.
Last picture, first line, it's Rain (whose punch is being held), a famous Korean actor and singer.
There's a painful amount of color in these stills. They could use Miss Othmar for the voices and I'd probably still like it.
this looks so painful-make it stop.
@Dr.Danger:
Berserker?
The fascination with the Speed Racer cartoon is the fact that the entire show moves at a very fast pace... nothing is ever slow including the dialog...
if you are watching it as a kid.. it kinda translates to being on a drug... lol, which should make this movie feel like some strange acid trip...
can't wait to see it!
oh yea... the car with the 6 is probably Racer X's car... for tho