The Backlog

Jo and I decided to catch a movie last night, but had to choose between Speed Racer and What Happens In Vegas. After some consideration we opted for the former because the latter seems to be less interesting. Besides, I have been wanting to catch the Wachowski Brothers’ flick for some time now.

At the beginning, the movie emphasized on the relationship between Speed and his brother, Rex. Not many funny stuffs there, but it was clear to show that Speed and Rex are very close. Throughout the movie, it seems to be sending a strong message about the importance of family ties, and how materials like immense wealth and luxury can never break the bonds between family members.

Other than that, the whole movie is just a huge twirl of colors. Seriously, I never expected the movie to turn out like this. I was expecting something like a dramatic Speed Racer ala Batman Begins. The movie turned out to be some cheesy pop kid flick aimed at audiences below the age of 7. I think if I watched this movie as the 24 year old I am, it’s going off the charts for all that I care, but I left my brain at home. I managed to giggle at the funny scenes, like the ones with the incompetent ninjas.

Time passed real quick. It was already two hours before I knew it. I think it must be the thrilling racing scenes that took my breathe away. There hasn’t been a movie that made me forget time for a long time now. It was exciting to see how race cars can be modified to sabotage the competition. Who would have thought of a spearhook? In spite of it being illegal, I think it’s brilliant.

In short, Speed Racer is an enjoyable movie as long as you don’t mind the weak emphasis on the storyline because the race scenes alone will blow your mind. Not really impressive, but I think it gave Speed Racer a fair adaptation to the silver screen.