First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie - Jalopnik Comments

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

SpeedRacer1962 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:38:17 EST

Damn!!!! I've been an advid Speed Racer fan since I was a kid (Hence the nicname) and was very much looking forward to this movie when I first heard it was being made, But when I saw the sneak peak pics..."SHIT!!!" They ruined it....what the f*#k!?!? Is the Mach5 spinning out on a truckload of spilled paint or did someone puke up their lunch on the background shot? And when did Speed become a special ed student? Yet another classic peice of my childhood that Hollywood A_holes screwed up!

SpeedRacer1962

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

danarki — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:01:00 EST

umm... it looks like some kind of cross between jet moto (the tracks) hot wheels and rush 2049 (the cars) and ridge racer (the ridiculously hi-speed drifting) RIIIIIIDGE RACER!!!!
as stated before, it has the potential to be awesome, but chances are it'll either suck completely and be an hour-and-a-half long, CG, multimillion dollar advertisement. (transformers comes to mind...) if you look at the stills, he even has Yokohoma tires!

danarki

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Skydiver — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:10:19 EST

@ZWECK: No, I am the best commenter because my comments are the best. You are a good commenter and you will keep commenting and someday you will see that commenting is not so easy.

Skydiver

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

devilonsteroids — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:20:30 EST

@ZWECK: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

devilonsteroids

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

devilonsteroids — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:13:43 EST

So this looks like a spy kids movie.

devilonsteroids

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Holothurian — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:24:43 EST

I saw a article and some photos of one of the brothers getting into being a drag queen. It has obviously affected their visual style, cuz this looks pretty feminine.

Holothurian

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

ZWECK — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:17:20 EST

My thoughts are summed up by this clip:

[uk.youtube.com]

ZWECK

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

zxasqw12 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:21:07 EST

@ljcabrera: Ahh, you can see this plot development a mile away:

1.) Bad Guys do Bad Things to the Mach 5. How will Speed win The Big Race without the Mach 5 ?!?

2.) Pops decides to rebuild the Mach 5 into something better- the Mach 6!

3.) Speed goes on to win The Big Race, Spritle and Chim-Chim do something predictably stupid, hilarity ensues.

IMO, this movie can only be saved if Gigantor shows up driving the Mammoth Car

zxasqw12

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

johnnyichiban — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:20:57 EST

i don't care what anyone says. This movie looks SICK! This movie looks to be as "realistic" as the anime, which I think is the right approach, which IMO is the right tact. The drifing into the corckscrem shot proves my point. This will be Wipeout XL with a plot. Can't wait.

johnnyichiban

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

x999x — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:26:28 EST

I was weened on this show as a kid, so like transformers and godzilla I really held my breath with regards to a big screen version. History has proven that awesome cartoons as kids don't really age well, and only look worse when they've gotten the "Hollywood" treatment 20 some odd years later.

Well now that I've seen the Speed Racer stills, I'm really stumped. Heres the conundrum, the characters weren't reinvisioned by some guy in marketing sitting in a corner office who probably never even heard of the franchise until he saw the numbers. The end result is just something that looks campy like a live-action kid's show and I would have almost welcomed a more realistic hollywood spin, or recreation if you will.

Hollywood Recreations can do one of two things. One, it sells to the audience, or Two, it kills the franchise. See: Godzilla. In the case of the latter, you have to decide if making a new market is more lucrative than killing an existing one. In the case of SR, someone should have stepped in after watching the very first test CG race scenes and said, "The entire movie needs to be CG."

I need an opinion, the visuals weren't altered enough for me to hate them, or enough to make them look any better than the live-action opening movie for the very first Resident Evil.

x999x

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

RocketPunch — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:09:38 EST

Ricci's boobs for president '08

RocketPunch

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

ibelli — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:07:15 EST

Yea@MagnificentBastard: Yeah, "Booooooooo!" is EXACTLY what I was thinking.

ibelli

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Rotnmeat — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:10:03 EST

I'll get excited about it only after confirmation that the techno song that mixed sound clips from the cartoon show and morphed them into naughty time noises made the soundtrack.

Rotnmeat

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Greg A. — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:26:55 EST

I dunno, that John Goodman makes a pretty good Spritle

Greg A.

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Iamtehawesome — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:10:53 EST

at least the monkey is real. :\

Iamtehawesome

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

ĎāvĕΓħëβЯĂvė — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:03:08 EST

@disgustepated: or would that be a cravat-ery? [en.wikipedia.org]
(Scouts wear neckerchiefs all. the. time.)

ĎāvĕΓħëβЯĂvė

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Mad_Science — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:47:23 EST

ZOMG!!!! A wheel turned at an improbable angle? Racing through a Cathedral-looking space?

...in a modern remake of a 70s Japanese TV show about a car with all kinds of special powers???

What's next? A talking F-Body?! A movie about a guy who gets trapped in a computer program? Robots that turn into cars?!

This absurd pufflefluff must come to an end!

Mad_Science

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

htrodblder — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:36:59 EST

leaning more towards John Goodman but whatever works...

htrodblder

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Tomsk the red-nosed reindeer — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:32:40 EST

Racing through a cathedral?! Buh?!?

[jalopnik.com]

Perhaps the WGA should stay on strike. For like, ever...

Tomsk the red-nosed reindeer

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:13:57 EST

@htrodblder: When you say Godzilla, do you mean Christina Ricci?

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

drdoak — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:11:24 EST

I'll be frank. This looks terrible.

drdoak

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

htrodblder — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:01:31 EST

Godzilla meets The Big Lebowski

htrodblder

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

dOk — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:48:43 EST

oh yea... the car with the 6 is probably Racer X's car... for those asking the question about the number

dOk

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

dOk — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:47:12 EST

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!

dOk

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

BSAKat — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:36:11 EST

@Dr.Danger:
Berserker?

BSAKat

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

kezratt1 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:31:55 EST

this looks so painful-make it stop.

kezratt1

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Skydiver — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:26:23 EST

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.

Skydiver

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

encoree — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:16:39 EST

Last picture, first line, it's Rain (whose punch is being held), a famous Korean actor and singer.

encoree

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Tanshanomi — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:16:12 EST

@jword2001: We could explain it, but it's almost as expensive becoming enlightened about Al Navarro worship.

Tanshanomi

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

disgustepated — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:10:52 EST

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!

disgustepated

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

jeremyc — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:59:16 EST

I think this looks very cool, in a trip'd-out way.

jeremyc

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

kevjohn — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:59:03 EST

Dick Tracy and Spy Kids had sex and this is what we get?

kevjohn

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

timrussell — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:57:32 EST

@Al Navarro: Starblazers > Speedracer

timrussell

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

mytdawg — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:50:10 EST

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.

mytdawg

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

SeanKHotay — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:47:36 EST

@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)

SeanKHotay

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

AdmNaismith — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:41:27 EST

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.

AdmNaismith

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

eltonito — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:39:54 EST

I will be all over this movie if and only if they include Big Black's "Racer X" in the soundtrack.

eltonito

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

00solstice — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:33:44 EST

(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)

00solstice

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Amuro — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:33:33 EST

Wow... It looks like Tron, but retarded, and with lower tech graphics...

Amuro

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

TheGuinnessTooth — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:27:54 EST

It looks like that Spy Kids garbage as little sister likes. But with a bit more Tron.

TheGuinnessTooth

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Adidac425 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:22:09 EST

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.

Adidac425

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

BadUncle — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:17:39 EST

Great. Another epic demo of matte painting techniques, no doubt unblemished with dialogue or acting.

BadUncle

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Muttonchops — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:17:30 EST

I heard Christina Ricci had to drop out of the project because her eyeballs fell off the sides of her head...

Muttonchops

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

00solstice — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:17:28 EST

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.

00solstice

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

usa1 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:16:52 EST

Prediction: Major suckage ahead.

usa1

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

cgarison — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:16:12 EST

Sigh....

At first glance I thought this was another Doctor Who spinoff.

Sad considering that the Matrix trilogy was such a mind opening movie.

cgarison

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Mustang lovin' non-redneck...not that there's anything wrong with that. — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:15:19 EST

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.

Mustang lovin' non-redneck...not that there's anything wrong with that.

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

ratbark — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:12:21 EST

Hollywood is dead to me.

ratbark

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Seth L — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:11:19 EST

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.

Seth L

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Triborough — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:04:44 EST

Ha. Hollywood is out of ideas. Ha.

Triborough

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Kaiser-Machead — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:01:04 EST

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.

Kaiser-Machead

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:00:53 EST

@POLAR: I think you have to be more smooth about it like...
would you like to make some fsck?

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

strider_mt2k — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:55:21 EST

This should indeed be interesting.

Possibly Thunderbirds interesting.

strider_mt2k

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

gadgetfanatic — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:53:19 EST

I hope this never takes off.

gadgetfanatic

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

dirtybacon — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:53:18 EST

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.

dirtybacon

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:51:28 EST

@Dr.Danger: Oh great, now I must romance explosion in her hair...

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:50:31 EST

@jword2001: I'm with you on this one. Then again I wasn't a very imaginative kid.

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

citykids — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:49:51 EST

is Christina Ricci playing the part of Chim-Chim?

citykids

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Beluga — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:45:51 EST

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?

Beluga

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Duffman — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:38:22 EST

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.

Duffman

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

TheGuinnessTooth — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:34:10 EST

Looks. Like. Shit.

TheGuinnessTooth

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

rockogre — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:32:38 EST

@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!

rockogre

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Al Navarro — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:30:54 EST

To front on Speed Racer is to front on Starblazers, G-Force, and the many phases of Voltron. And this is just not done.

Al Navarro

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:30:41 EST

Is he drifting in that shot?

It looks like they gave Christina some bangs to cover her massive five-head.

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

MagicalTrevor — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:27:20 EST

Damn... Yokohama*

MagicalTrevor

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

MagicalTrevor — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:27:00 EST

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...

MagicalTrevor

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

NovaloadMissesPolar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:25:58 EST

If they were going to be true to the cartoon Speed Racer they would have had to use mannequins instead of humans.

NovaloadMissesPolar

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

SRekauqh — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:24:56 EST

The effects look crazy and cool, so even if the movie sucks, I should still be visually stimulated.

SRekauqh

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:24:55 EST

Christina Ricci est muy yummy! Speed Racer the Movie est Bleck!

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

mytdawg — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:23:30 EST

@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.

mytdawg

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

beercheck — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:23:26 EST

@jword2001: 'cause Trixie was HOT.

beercheck

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there! — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:22:35 EST

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.

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

dollarvines — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:19:43 EST

@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".

dollarvines

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Heep — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:16:42 EST

@jword2001: It had a car. And I was little. Thus, I liked it.

Actually, being little had nothing to do with it.

Heep

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:15:20 EST

@discontinuuity: Dude, did you not hear that John Goodman is involved? It can't fail. Didn't you see King Ralph?

Matt Hardigree

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

ljcabrera — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:13:30 EST

Why is the number on the side of the car a 6???

ljcabrera

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Mark Arnold — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:13:19 EST

are the Wachowskis still both actually brothers... or was that just a rumor???

Mark Arnold

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

jword2001 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:11:12 EST

I've never understood the fascination with the speed racer cartoon, can someone please explain what people like about it?

jword2001

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

reefer — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:09:43 EST

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.

reefer

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

discontinuuity — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:09:08 EST

Wow, some things just don't translate from cartoons to the real world, do they?

discontinuuity

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Heep — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:08:21 EST

Speed Racer, you're out of your element!

Heep

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

bobdobbs — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:05:58 EST

Uh, why is Speed wearing a special-ed helmet?

bobdobbs

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

Sonic84 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:05:07 EST

Looks interesting to say the least.

Sonic84

First Pictures From Speed Racer Movie

MagnificentBastard — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:03:45 EST

Booooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

MagnificentBastard