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SUNDAY AM: Showing just how fiercely competitive the summer box office is right now, rival Hollywood movie studios are complaining to me they don't believe Warner Bros' domestic gross numbers released today. Those claim its disastrous Speed Racer came in 2nd behind Marvel's Iron Man in the weekend's Top 10 contest. All the other majors -- Fox, Sony, Paramount, Universal, Disney, and MGM -- have the anime actioner opening only 3rd. And rivals dispute WB's reporting that Speed Racer made $20.2 million for Fri-Sat-Sun because its projected Sunday number isn't seen as possible. "That's a very aggressive Sunday estimate to try and claim 2nd," one studio's top marketing and distribution mogul complained to me this morning, echoing the disbelief of most of his colleagues. "Warners is hoping moms want to go to Speed Racer for Mothers Day." (To give Warner Bros the benefit of the doubt, it's true that family pics do well on Mothers Day.) But all the other studios have Fox's romantic comedy What Happens In Vegas in 2nd place with $20 million, and Speed Racer only 3rd with $19.7 million. 
And the rival execs say that, since Speed Racer's gross was even softer than anyone thought, up only 18% on Saturday because of kiddie matinees compared to Friday, the Warner Bros film couldn't possibly get to $20 million for the weekend barring a box office miracle on Sunday. "Their estimate is utterly laughable!," a top exec at a rival major told me this AM. "That being said, from what I've heard, they are not trying to dress up the pig. They're resigned to it being a disaster... just not enough to stop them from fabricating a number to jump Fox for the #2 position." These kind of controversies don't develop often in Hollywood, but when they do, they can be ugly. That's because there is a certain code of honor among thieves, if you will -- a tacit agreement that every Hollywood studio will try to report weekend box office numbers as accurately as possible, even though there's a significant PR advantage to artifically moving a disappointing film up a slot in the Top 10 by inflating numbers. The irony is that these controversies get settled quickly, as soon as tomorrow when the actual theater by theater grosses for Sunday come in Monday and then determine the "actual" figures as opposed to the Sunday "estimates"...
Nobody is disputing distributor Paramount's figures that Marvel's summer blockbuster Iron Man made a platinum $15 million on Friday from 4,111 venues, and $21.6 million on Saturday, giving it an estimated FSS total of $50.5 million, or more than double the domestic box office gross of its nearest weekend competitor, to stay No. 1 again. Its new cume is a monster $177.1M. But Warner Bros' Speed Racer, whether its weekend total is $19.7 million or $20.2 million from 3,606 plays, made only half what the studio hoped, even with lowered expectations because of bad buzz and poor tracking. Not only is the anime actioner this summer's first summer bomb, but it's also doing dismally in key areas of its 30+ day and date opening foreign territories. The pic has gone bust in many international markets, with some disastrous openings in Europe in particular. Besides a too-long running time and a too-small audience of younger boys, the Wachowski siblings spent at least $160M making the pic, whereas Fox's What Happens in Vegas cost only $35 million. Hollywood is convinced Warner Bros has a major writedown on its hands. Vegas took in $7.1 million Friday and $7.5 million Saturday from 3,215 runs for a $20 million weekend. For much more analysis, see my 'Speed Racer' Crashes & Burns To Become First Summer Bomb and Weekend Prediction.
The rest of the Top 10 were holdovers: #4 Sony's Made Of Honor took in $7.6M for a new cume of $26.2M; #5 Universal's Baby Mama, $5.7M weekend, $40.3M cume; #6 Universal's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $3.7M weekend, $50.7M cume; #7 Warner Bros' Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, $3.1M weekend, $30.7M cume; #8 Lionsgate/The Weinstein Co's The Forbidden Kingdom, $1.9M weekend, $48.2M cume; #9 Fox's Nim's Island, $1.3M weekend, $44.2M cume; #10 Sony Classics' Redbelt, $1.1M weekend, $1.2M cume.
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I’ve got ten words for Jeff Bewkes and Alan Horn…
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Hi, Nikki. I find somehow disturbing the glee that the much-anticipated and hoped-for “failure” of SPEED RACER inspires in you and others. What is so good about seeing the “siblings” (as you like to point) fail? So many people seem to share that feeling. I generally like and enjoy the comments and information in this page, and thank you for the time and courage to offer some real insight into matters that are never discussed honestly, but this wachowski witch hunt fever doesn´t become you, and I feel you’re much better than that. Don´t become a wanna be hater. Your voice is much too important as an observer of the realitities of the desert of the real, as the “siblings” would say. Thanks for your page.
This weekend probably locks a $40 million TOTAL N.A. gross for Speed Racer. Exhibitors aren’t going to be letting this one hang around past its initial expiration date.
Some will never learn.
For further evidence, I submit “The Incredible Hulk.” It’s a lock for a stinker.
The only thing incredible about it is that they think a second try in five years will be any different from the first time.
That’s incredibly stupid.
Could be that the PRISM boycott is actually having a bit of an effect? Or perhaps maybe it’s just that bad of a film….
So very happy for Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. What an awesome movie and awesome actor.
Emile Hirsch is not a star. He is an indie character actor. He certainly shouldn’t be headlining an action film. Much like James McAvoy. Every cent that Wanted pulls will be due to whatever appeal Angelina Jolie still has.
If by some miracle Wanted avoids being the bomb it now looks to be, we’ll get a deluge of fawning articles about how McAvoy has now “arrived” and his “universal appeal”. When that happens, every woman in the nation then needs to go on a rampage against this sexism. That movie is being sold 100% on Jolie. She damn well better get 100% of any credit.
Not surprised in the least. You make a 129 minute-long kiddie movie that makes for a noisy, headache-bright, computer-degenerated mess of a trailer based on a property whose appeal is only entrenched in the hearts of a petite group of overaged hipsters and expect boffo BO? Those brothers are being exposed as hacks who owe their careers to a couple of cutting-edge-circa-1999 special effect technologies.
The Wachowski bloom is off the rose.
They lucked into the Matrix, virtually destroyed the franchise with the two sequels, and have done nothing of consequence since then.
Since they love high concept, big budget projects, I can only see them attached as hired-guns for some sort of Americanized anime film or sequel…and not for a couple of years as “penance” for costing the studio millions.
What surprises me is how poorly that Speed Racer performed this weekend. Anything that Joel Silver and the Wachovisky Brothers has done remarkable in the box office. Bot a less 20mil domestic gross? Something wrong with this picture. I saw the trailors to Speed Racer and it blew me away.
Well other economic factors could be in play.
High gas prices.
Subprime mortgage could really pulling on the consumer to affect the box office. Coupled by high ticket prices. But high gas prices,subprime and foreclosures are pulling on the customer. Consider the bigger picture and Warner Execs need to rexamine the market on this one.
Making “Speed Racer”, while it seemed to make some sense, based on the fact that the show came here a long time ago, really wasn’t the smartest idea. The property is considered extremely forgettable by the Japanese. There are oodles of incredibly popular animes and mangas with very empathetic characters and cinematic settings and huge worldwide followings, like for instance “Berserk”, “Grappler Baki” and the have made $billions already. Why pick a minor one with paper thin characteers? Maybe because the racing setting is good…then the challenge would be to develop a great script out of it. Rumor is, the script was very good at an earlier point, but got emasculated. It gets back to the basic rule: you need a great tentpole premise and a great script followed by terrific direction and performance. Easier said than done! But this failure in letting the W-Brothers get by without developing their characters should not be used to hold against anime and manga properties, far from it. The bedrock of the great mangas and animes is terrific character development. And it should rock on DVD, as another person said.
Looks like WB will be banking on The Dark Knight to save the summer!
Wachowskis should have either made it more real human or all animation. Combining the two was the deathnill for a movie based on a lightly seen cartoon. IronMan has a higher recognition rate than Speedracer.
I hate to say it but movies like these are why studio suits demand more say. M. Shyamalan and Tim Burton are others that could use some additional studio direction or stop making movies.
This should come as no surprise to anyone. From the trailers it was obviously a bomb. FX do not make a movie; Poor acting and fake looking FX = flop.
Surprising. I saw it Saturday night and enjoyed it. But by the time it was done, I felt like I had eaten too much candy.
they can’t all make money
happy mothers day warners
A Movie based on a Cartoon?…Beyond, Oxymoron..
Superman, I. II. III, IV, ReDo
SpiderMan, I.II.III..etc.etc.
And There was a “writer’s” Strike ?? What, ??, they weren’t being paid enough for Comic book re-Hash?
Crap Movies
REHASHED PLOTS
Animation in lieu of acting..
Agenda Driven, re-written “History”
“Star Wars” became a cartoon based on a movie..
Wonder why Casablanca and Titanic are Great//..and “SpeedRacer” is paper lining the bottom of the bird cage??
Even if Speed Racer were a very good movie, nobody would show up. It shouldn’t have been made, and the design and style by which it was made is all the worse.
Look for Indiana Jones to not be in the top two Summer pictures. It’s Wall-E and The Dark Knight this summer.
Another rip-off of a baby-boom concept destined for the shitpile along with “The Flintstones”, “Rocky and Bullwinkle”, “The Little Rascals”, “McHale’s Navy”, “Sgt. Bilko”, “The Beverly Hillbillies”, ad nauseum. And what of the endless remakes that also, are NEVER as good as the originals were (”Ocean’s Eleven”, “The Longest Yard”, “Psycho”, “The Manchurian Candidate”, “All the King’s Men”)? Where is the ORIGINALITY in Hollywood? When they’re not ripping off past generations (and doing a terrible job of it), they seem preoccupied with murderers, social deviants, dumb teen comedies, “gangsta” tripe and PC dramas about the downtrodden and the sexually “misunderstood”.
Have they no clue as to why so many people don’t bother attending movies anymore? The last Oscar telecast proved how far Hollywood has fallen. Half the presenters were not stars by any definition but Hollywood’s! Most were little more than watered-down celebrities with thin credentials and relatively few people bothered to pay to see these nominated films at all. Hollywood is experiencing a tailspin in prestige, the new celebrities are simply not too talented, nor are the alleged “writers”, and the public knows it. But I guess there’s always room for “Ocean’s 26″.
I sure do miss the real Hollywood and the wonderful experience of going to the movies. But to pay exorbitant prices for B-movies made on A-list budgets with few, if any legitimate stars, is no great pleasure. Sad, really. Anyone agree?
Not surprising. A truly horrible movie.
The brothers just messed this one up, that’s all. It doesn’t look like the much loved for generations now cartoon. It looks ridiculous. Poor Emile Hirsch, like Vincent Chase being pushed to do Aquaman, has ended up in an ugly film to look at, and in such an unbelievable world, people will have trouble believing in the characters, no matter how well played. This one is a bomb for a reason. Warner Brothers should have known.
All the advance reviews on Speed Racer, except for one by Richard Corliss in Time mag, said that it was basically boring…….so who wants to take their kid to that? Son, when the dvd comes out I’ll get it for you. That’s what this movie has been reduced to…
Wonder when tinsle town will figure out it cannot expect good attendance numbers when it produces so many films with political statements in them that half of America does no agree with? Oh well, they can keep telling us how stupid we are.
Yeah because its still hard to figure out what this movie is supposted to be about.
And yet WB refuses to greenlight Wonder Woman, a far more widely recognizable and beloved pop icon from their own (largely untapped) DC stable. Speed Racer is from the get-go a thematically shallow and generationally challenged property by comparison.
When will the studios learn that kids aren’t afraid of traditional superhero material or female leads. Audiences don’t need contrived flash and reinvention in their movies, so much as a good story well told with truth and directness (by a director with an emotional commitment to the material).
Iron Man points the way.
I mean, given the choice, who would make Speed Racer over Wonder Woman?
Why is Hollywood surprised? People are hurting out there with rising gas & food prices — not to mention millions of people losing their homes. Why should we go out and pay almost $10 a ticket to watch a movie?
The Wachowski bros are proving, time and again (excluding their only lucky blockbuster, the first Matrix), that they actually DON’T KNOW WHAT IT TAKES to make a great movie. These guys are like the Democrat Party of the silver screen — when faced with a challenge, they throw a lot of money at it, and when they fail miserably, they throw more money at it (preferably somebody else’s)… Guys, listen, I grew up watching Speed Racer as a kid, and there was a REASON it was only a 30 minute cartoon — in truth, only a 20 minute cartoon sans commercial breaks. It wasn’t THAT sensational of a toon, and it was mind-breakingly redundant. We kids just watched it to see the Mach V go airborne with its signature “oing oing oing” sound FX and to laugh at Chim Chim and Spritle. The rest of it was boring as HELL — no offense intended toward the late Tatsuo Yoshida. It’s just that the Japanese were and are easily entertained with goofball antics and ridiculous plots, while American audiences were and are anal retentive with short attention spans, and that goes triple for American kids. If the Wachowski bros really wanted to appeal to…well…ANYBODY with “Speed Racer,” they should have produced it as a series of 5 one-hour movies and focused on complete and easily resolved plotlines-per-episode. Ohhh, Speed!
I knew it would happen.
it bombed cause it sucked!
Fun movie, but not appropriate for small children that you dont want to expose to “the bird”. I was shocked and somewhat embarrased to have exposed my seven year old son to the one finger salute in a PG rated film.
The story and previews made the movie look horrible and mind dumbing. Is anyone surprised that this movie did horrible? At least I can start watching TV without every other commercial being Speed Racer.
Com’on, Speed Racer was a kids cartoon, an anime for cry’n out loud. What did you expect?
Big shocker there, WB! The movie looks boring and Iron Man looks awesome.
Also, other than a handful of cartoon fanboys, was this REALLY a live action update audiences were clamoring for?!?!? It’s not like the original show was that interesting to begin with.
Other than a little nostalgia, this one was dead on arrival. Also – the glossy CGI races, while I’m sure are a technical marvel, just look really, really boring.
I’m happy with the idea that Speed Racer could be a complete failure. Are they even trying anymore? I am tired of them replacing real things with computer generated everything…
It was a stupid idea for a movie. Like 90% of the rest of the trash coming out of Hollywood. I hope all of your movies fail!
I really have no interest whatsoever in seeing “Speed Racer,” but I’ll weigh in with a comment just based on the trailer I saw and reading some of the reviews: Why such a monumental waste of resources on a feature-length film? It seems to me the Wachowski brothers might have used this as an opportunity to pump some juice into the short film genre — and then it could have screened ahead of something like “The Dark Knight” or “Incredible Hulk.” It looks like it might have made a fun 10-minute feature. I would watch that. But who needs, or even wants, two plus-hours of this shit? Evidently, based on the weekend box office, not many.
Aside from the fact the trailers were enough to induce seizures, a redux based on 60’s style low-grade Japanimation is always a risky proposition.
“Charles Miller — May 11, 2008 @ 10:26 am” – These guys are like the Democrat Party of the silver screen — when faced with a challenge, they throw a lot of money at it, and when they fail miserably, they throw more money at it (preferably somebody else’s)
Hah! That’s the best comment on this blog Charles. In any event, with this economy and gas prices, one has to wonder how much that has to do with things. It will be interesting to see how Indy IV will do a couple weekends from now.
The movie was about what I expected. My kid liked it and, aside from the seizure-inducing graphics and the totally unnecessary profanity, it was worth the ticket price.
Someone blamed the economy on the movie’s poor showing. How bad could the economy be if Ironman can gross $100M its first weekend and Grand Theft Auto IV can gross $500M in its first week? The answer is probably more basic in a weekend where Ironman is still going strong and mothers don’t particulary care to be subjected to a kid movie on a day when they don’t have to.
I watched the cartoon as a kid. I was surprised someone would want to make it into a movie. That said, it was fairly true to the characters.
Here’s a clue for the studios, just make the previews and release them and then decide whether to make the movie. After seeing the preview for Speed Racer, I could tell this would flop bigtime, hell anyone could.
America is too sophistiscated to throw millions of dollars at a third rate piece of crap Japanese Cartoon. This movie should have NEVER been made and whatever group of execs decided this was a good idea need to have their heads examined. Subtitle it in Japanese..release it on DVD there and cut your loses and run because Anime to Real-Life will always = failure. Only American Cartoons can appeal to American audiences. Japanese anime has such a huge cultural gap you don’t know whether your suppose to laugh or cry at what you are seeing..and what the Japanese interpret as hilarious often comes off as just wierd and creepy to us. This carried over in Speed-Racer..unfortunately.
Speed Racer will be great. I think it can be a word-of-mouth movie and will have a huge DVD release. My 5 year old and I plan to see it next weekend, despite all of these haters!
It’s too bad the movie has been getting bad press, I’m a 30 year old female who saw Speed Racer on a whim and LOVED IT. Absolutely loved it, it was much better done than I expected. I hate to see WB get punished for producing a great movie with expensive production costs because it didn’t have enough violence or smut.
I went to see speed racer with my kids and they loved it…My youngest said it “was the best movie he has ever seen” Iron man on the other hand was a real stinker so i think in the end people will get over the bad and good hype to see what is really the good movies out there.
The problem with Hollywood is that they still think the audience is stupid. They are out of touch with the American audience. What they should have is make a movie that appeals to the 20-40 year olds. We are the ones who remember Speed Racer. I really wanted to like this movie but when I first saw the previews, well it looked dumb.
Pretty movie with lots of color … wasn’t a bad movie but it was LONG.
It’s the second of many casulties for this summer. The first one was Made Of Honor….a attempt to give a alternate to Iron Man. With these movies with overblown budgets that are due to come out……there are going to be a slight number of hits and a lot of casulties. It’s simple math. If you get a great opening weekend and lose your legs with heavy drops in the following weekends…..you are just as screwed possibly as being a $200,000,000 film that can’t have it’s big opening. Sit back and enjoy…..as long as you are not a suffering studio executive.
Emille Hirsch did the talk shows and he is a personality-deprived nobody scrawny-punk-nerd. Nobody is going to go see the film because of him.
Speed Racer is a 40 year old character that has no following with todays kids. They should have tried to bring it back as a cartoon before the flick to get someone interested.
The trailer looked bad. But, why not just play a video game?
And on top of that, Ironman had a great trailer, great leads and that made for a tough opening week.
hahahhahaha. They took a wonderfully simple, classic 1960’s anime and slicked it up and made it garbage.
I’m glad it failed. The W brothers are phonies and I hope we never hear from them again. V for Vendetta was one of the worst films ever made, not to mention that Matrices II & III were unwatchable. These guys are lousy filmmakers. They were trying to ruin a classic, dragging it down with pedestrian, unimaginative dreck.
I knew it was a stupid concept. I was just hoping that it wouldn’t be a stupid movie.
Even by the standards of very young children, Speed Racer has nothing to offer.
Did WB actually think that kids would be attracted to a movie like looked no different than a Saturday morning cereal commercial, was far less engaging (judging by the trailers), and would go on for far too long? What was the concept for this?
“It has bright colors and it moves!”
The TV comercials for this give us no idea of what the movie is about – beyond being one long commercial that you pay to see. Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks understand that, if you want to sell your kiddie movie, you have to engage the adults who are going to sit with those kids.
Even trailers for something as low budget as the Veggie Tales movies give you some idea of what the movie is about.
Crows, while having very small brains, are attracted to bright shiny objects and perhaps this is how the Warchowski Bros. sold this.
And of all weekends to open a candy-coated puff like this, let’s do it on Mother’s Day! Because, by golly, what Mother wouldn’t want to see a movie like this?
I’m a mom and I went with my family to see Speed Racer Friday night. And I enjoyed it. I think people take this stuff wayyyy too serious and judging from these comments, some perspective is in order here. The theater was full, families were sitting together laughing and enjoying a good night at the movies with each other. In the grand scheme of things movies are all just fluff! Take your passion and put it into something that matters, folks. Movies shouldn’t matter to you this much. Lighten Up already!
Smart comments about a dumb maovie. Why do you think Speilberg/Geffen/Katzenberg cashed out to Viacom for 1.6 B three years ago? They saw the graffiti on the brick wall. It’s a hell of a lot easier to sell four tickets than two, you jackass.
I’m not suprised at all, this movie looks awful! I had no desire to check this movie out. I thought about seeing Iron man AGAIN this weekend though. The first time I had to sit in front because the theatre was so packed.
I never was a Speed Racer fan and probably won’t go see the movie. What I don’t get about movies based on cartoons/comics/anime is, if you have a beloved character with dozens, if not hundreds of say, good comic book story lines and plots, then out of all that writing why not simple bring the best story to the big screen? The latter Superman (Chris Reeves) films and Spiderman III devolved into either goofy caricatures or at least poorly conceived movies, when literally thousands of comics of both characters should have offered some good stories to bring to life. Face it, these are pure fantasy films, but having just seen “Iron Man”, I appreciated that the hero faced contemporary foes in radical Islam and greedy corporate traitors. None of that PC nonsense that we can’t offend anyone, so lets have our protagonist fight the Nazis one more time. Marvel showed some guts making the movie and this no doubt contributed to Iron Man’s popularity.
As for anime, there are some really good works out there. Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” is an amazing piece of work, as are his other films. But if you have seen them you will notice they have complex characters, wonderful art and complex plots, not just animation. If you have not seen them, rent them! In effect, they are far more interesting than most live action Hollywood films with the so-called stars they try to sell us, where special effects and mediocre acting replace story. Also good anime combines animation (which I have enjoyed since childhood) with the perspective of another culture (in this case Japanese) which refreshingly takes one away from the overly done PC American steriotypes we are general subjected to. For yet a different cultural view try renting “The Triplettes of Belleville.”
Anime fans note that there is to be a feature film of Astroboy (The Atom) coming out soon. I believe this was the very first anime, the old B&W comics of the 60’s were great.
I was waiting for some naive person to come on and blame the low turn out for this film on the economy, high fuel prices, and the home loan fiasco. Give me a break. So, using your logic Iron Man must be a total fluke. Only the wealthy must be seeing it, and seeing it several times over each successive weekend since it came out. That must be the only way it is bucking your theory. Geeesh! Get a life!
The most troubling thing about this is that someone signed off on making Speed Racer… Are you kidding me, Speed Racer??? Someone should should be fired, and blacklisted for putting this trash on the big screen.
Not being terribly familiar with the old anime, after seeing the trailers for Speed Racer I thought they had made a movie out of the video game Stun Runner!
the bits of speed racer the movie that i saw had none of the appeal of the original cartoon and looked more like they would cause seizures rather than inspire a resurgence in interest in the cartoon. how the studios didn’t see that this was a dud is beyond me.
A great idea for a whole new movie series would be a big screen remake of the awesome animated Saturday morning series “Johnny Quest”. Hire Howie Long as Race Bannon and Harrison Ford as Doctor Benton Quest, add in a new female character, (perhaps Jessica Alba as Johnny’s tutor) and find the next Joaquin Phoenix, and you have the makings of an incredible franchise.
I love how everyone comments about a movie they haven’t even seen. Pretty funny. Speed racer is awesome and I wasn’t even a fan of the original. It is too long and prob should have been cut to about 100min, but get over the negative reviews. Everyone is so dependent on the media in every category – news, entertainment, etc, when we all know they can’t be trusted.
Ironman is not that good of a movie, but the good reviews drive people to the theaters. It’s simple marketing and to say the “reviewers” aren’t in bed with the studios is absurd.
I took my son on Friday to watch this trash. UNBELIEVABLE….This movie was a joke, thanks to the Wacko brothers trying way too hard….If they were trying to create the worst movie ever, then I guess they succeeded…. As for people not going to the movies because of the “economy” or “high gas prices” that is horse squeeze…. Just look at the numbers for Ironman…Its not affecting that movie…Why? Because its a good movie….I want my money back MPAA and all involved in this disaster….
Even when I was a kid I thought speed racer was the stupidest thing on tv.
I’m hardly a movie expert like most others here, but in the buildup to ‘Speed Racer’s’ release, I increasingly thought it was a terrible idea. Who were they really pitching this movie to? Japanimation freaks? People who watched the original cartoon 40 years ago? Even THEY weren’t foaming at the mouth for a big-budget film version. As Jim Emerson aptly puts it, the show was something we watched for lack of anything else being on, between reruns of Gilligan’s Island and The Munsters.
A dum-dum concept and now it’s a big flop. Doesn’t surprise me. If anything, I’m surprised it made as much as it did opening weekend.
As someone who suffered through Bewkes’ and Horn’s utter destruction of New Line — to save, what, $50 million? — over THE GOLDEN COMPASS’ poor domestic performance, it makes my heart swell that they’ve taken it between the legs for this shiny turd. Karma, motherfuckers, karma.
Nice try blaming high gas prices and the economy. People are driving to see Iron Man. Speed Racer just sucks.
I grew up watching Speed Racer as a kid and I loved it. I bought the DVD with the old episodes almost 4 years ago and my kids loved them. I took them to see the movie yesterday and they both enjoyed it. Yes, it was heavy on seizure-inducing colors and effects, but it still managed to bring back all the joy I had watching the show when I was 7 years old or so. I was also a little surprised (along with everyone else over 18 in the theatre) with some of the language and the bird-flipping, but at the end of the day that’s for me to control and decide on how to address. Perhaps they should have settled on either all animation or all live-action, as well as making sure there was a new generation of young fans, but I don’t really care that much. Every movie can’t be directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Johnny Depp. I had fun, and my kids had fun. Movies are only too long if they are insufferable. For $10 a ticket they should come with sleeping bags, but I digress. I saw Iron Man Friday night and it was simply awesome. I also almost never, ever, listen to movie critics. They have nothing to offer humanity. They are lower life-forms than lawyers and lobbyists, and that’s saying something. Create something, teach something, improve something, heck – sell something, and then come talk to me.
I’ve seen Iron Man 4 times, Speed Racer 0… I’ll see Iron Man at least a few more times before renting Speed Racer on DVD.
And Den Ko, thanks for the laugh, “Iron Man on the other hand was a real stinker”… Too funny. You are the only single real person I’ve heard of who has seen this movie and thought it stunk. Like I said, too funny…
“Movies shouldn’t matter to you this much. Lighten Up already! ”
Some of the people who come to this website depend on movies like ‘Speed Racer’ to make succeed at the box office to get their pay checks.
But I guess movies don’t matter that much!
Re: Speed Racer. My grandson went to see SR with friends, part of a birthday party. The mom-in-charge, took charge when the film opened with words and gestures totally unsuitable for its young audience, and left the theater, demanding — and receiving — a refund. If it’s junk, walk out and ask for your money back. Maybe someone will hear the cash register’s silence!
OK, so Hollywood is sinking. They have forgotten how to entertain us. I’m sooo sick of remakes, cartoon heroes, gangsta, gross you out but not horror flicks and the never ending and always BORING date movies that don’t come close to romantic comedy, the wit and storylines so forced it makes you wince. OH and NO musicals don’t get it either.
Seems this season they are throwing spaghetti to see what sticks. Please no more movies that preach or the brutality and ugliness of our past and present. We know it already. So they turn to Anime??..that is so NOT it! Can adults have a film…PLEASE?
Its not there is lack of material. Theres LOADS of it but apparently there isn’t the talent or wisdom anymore to know good material or do it justice. Its all about demographics and bucks.
I remember following one I was seriously looking forward to, RAMA written ages ago by Arthur C. Clarke, Morgan Freeman set for the title role. It dried up and disappeared and I was left deflated.
Nope, instead we get Harold and Kumar and a never ending supply of low brow, cheap shots, violent blood fests or kiddie films. Bring back Monty Python if you can’t get it right!!
I find myself seeking out long forgotten films and enjoying them all over again. What the hell is John Carpenter doing these days…HELP!
Cloverfield was good, not great but good. Hopefully that will produce something more with more for the audience to chew on in the sequel. Hopefully the POV won’t give me whiplash and will tickle my brain a little and SCARE me rather than merely gross me out.
Its apparent to this movie lover that Hollywood is in dire need of synaptic restoration therapy as it looks like about 1 in 5 are firing.
Boomers are retiring, guess what, we need movies too and not about how old we are or how to die nicely. K?thx.
What surprises me is how poorly that Speed Racer performed this weekend. Anything that Joel Silver and the Wachovisky Brothers has done remarkable in the box office. Bot a less 20mil domestic gross? Something wrong with this picture. I saw the trailors to Speed Racer and it blew me away.
Well other economic factors could be in play.
High gas prices.
Subprime mortgage could really pulling on the consumer to affect the box office. Coupled by high ticket prices. But high gas prices,subprime and foreclosures are pulling on the customer. Consider the bigger picture and Warner Execs need to rexamine the market on this one.
lol. Funny how Iron Man seemed to overcome these harsh economic talking points for a second week in a row.
Which Wachowski brother are you? Or is this Al Gore?
I agree 100% with Charles Miller, and the others about the Wachowski brothers, overrated hacks. Like a pair of Kevin Smiths, I look forward to never seeing this video game of a movie, like their last ones.
Speed Racer bombed for two very simple reasons
1. There was really no built in, large-spread fan base for this cult cartoon. It was the very definition of niche audience. There was zero, nada, zilch call for this movie to ever be made (let alone $150 million + spent)…what next, Astro Boy??
2. It was a crappy movie.
The commercials did nothing for me and I think people are tired of seeing obvious computer animation FX. If it was based more in reality rather than looking like they live in a pinball machine then they could have pulled off something. I think anime offers a lot of original material for talentless Hollywood to rip off. But Speedracer fans like the cartoon for its cheesyness more than anything else about it.
I loved it! I really did. They took a childhood-memory franchise, modernized it, ‘parable-ized’ it, memorialized it – and left it intact without damage. It took a level of brilliance to achieve that. From the kaleidoscopic colors to the completely over-the-top action sequence race scenes to the cliched scenes of angst and glory, it was a very satisfying evening! If you’re looking for Fun, go see it!. If you’re looking for angst and misery, look elsewhere.
Perhaps this will teach Hollywood to get an original idea instead of relying on old retro-crap, which wasn’t any good to begin with. I figure GET SMART and the new TREK film will die a quiet death also. They should write a by-law stating that no remakes will be allowed unless the original idea was first presented as a lost silent film or unfinished musical.
I had no idea speed racer was already out, people were very preocupied with mothers day, however I don’t see a rebound in the second week as prince caspian is coming out Friday and stealing a large part of sr’s audience.
The only reason anyone ever watched Speedracer was because it was the only thing on tv Saturday afternoons…To spend 160 mil plus marketing on this crap shows the WB must have money to burn.
the real failure lies with the person who actually thought this project was somehow a good idea. speed racer was a terrible cartoon with a boring story. a pale comparison to speed buggy. the cartoon experienced a minor resurgence in the early nineties with the gen x set, but was short lived. who ever brought this to film must have had a strong personal affinity for the nostalgia of this story. it really proves that just because you keep making this crap, the audience doesn’t necessarily come.
When Erin Esurance outdoes the movie in its extremely awkward tie-in commercial with Speed Racer and I’d rather see an Erin Esurance film, there’s something wrong. What was Warner thinking on that one; there’s no market for car insurance for 7-14 year olds, and uh, the things done in that film aren’t exactly encouraged by insurance companies as “normal driving”.
Amazing that so many people are stymied as to why Speed Racer is tanking, when it’s so easy to explain. Some of you are getting parts of it, but no one’s addressed (from what I’ve read) two glaring problems:
1) There’s more than a bit of cursing in what is supposed to be a family- and kid-friend film. If you think the attitude’s parochial, apologies, but the language has no place in such a film, and it will keep people away in droves.
2) Word is out that a child “flips the bird” to a villian in the film, presumably for a laugh. I’ve yet to talk to a parent who wants their child seeing such a thing in a motion picture, much less emulating such rotten behavior–presumably for a laugh.
I don’t care who’s in it, how good the performances are, or the realism of the “physics” of the movie. It’s a slap in the face of parents who are trying to raise their children well, while asking for those parents’ dollars at the same time.
–Mike
Subprime mortgages are pulling on the consumer? You mean to tell me if I get an adjustable rate knowing that I won’t be able to make the payments and I face the consequences of that bad business decision, somehow that causes me to not go see a movie? What astounding economic ignorance. Yet, I don’t see that affecting Iron Man. Maybe that movie is being supported by responsible borrowers who made wise choices. Maybe it’s the war in Iraq? Could be the price of gold. How can gas prices affect one movie yet strangely leave others untouched? I do know one thing. As long as Hollywood continues to blame anyone but themsleves, it will just get worse.
Can we all just take a step back, breathe deeply, and adjust. Good.
Now, anime is in the eye of the cupholder. Speedracer was, early on, as great an animation disappointment as was Hannah-Barbera’s Yogi Bear. One would have thought that WB, the home of Chuck Jones, Mel Blank, REAL cartoons, and the Animaniacs would know better.
Taste is like a bum – everybody’s got one, and there will be those who will love this film. Of course, there are those who will be Democrats and Republicans, too. Frankly, I’m going to drive my new, totally electric car, at 90 miles per hour for 210 miles between charges, to see something else.. anything else.
Peace, Flowers, and Daisycutters for terrorists!
It’s BUSH’s fault!!!
Yeah,…and like global warming too!!
Hollywood wouldn’t recognize a good story if it snapped shut on their collective butt like a rusty grizzly bear trap. All those smart young execs in creative development probably don’t read good books and were probably raised on a diet of primetime television. That’s part of the problem right there – the people calling the shots come from a much different educational and social matrix than those who were greenlighting films like Ben Hur, On The Waterfront and Casablanca.
Times have changed. Brains have changed. The idiots are in charge now.
Chuck, you’re an idiot. Speed Racers poor performance this weekend had nothing to do with high gas prices or sublime mortgage. It had to do with the fact that people didn’t want to see the movie. Don’t bring your liberal nonsense into the picture. It’s ludicrous to even think that when Iron Man pulled in record numbers last week.
Maybe the Gross Sales are down because the Gas Prices are up and people have to give up something !!!
>>.The only reason anyone ever watched Speedracer was because it was the only thing on tv Saturday afternoons…
Oh.. that is SOOO true. It was always on when NOTHING else was on.. It was like you HAD to watch it or go outside. Even then it was simply horrible to watch. I am surprised it ever had a resurgence at all and I would attribute that to the more tasteless aspect of Gen-Xers to simply want to identify with everything that was stupid and ugly.
A couple people above me are correct. May 9 was an absolutely horrible date for this movie to bow. Studio execs don’t realize that high school is winding down right now with proms, track meets, and festivals ad naseum. Several colleges hold their graduations this weekend too. People have too much to do in the middle of May. The beginning of the month plays well because there is not a lot to do. However, when you get toward the middle the month, that’s when things get tricky. That’s why I don’t hold a lot of hope for Prince Caspian either.
It also makes little sense to push a big-budget kids movie into a month already crowded with movies people genuinely want to see, i.e. Iron Man, Caspian and, of course, a little film featuring some dude named Indiana Jones. If I have a tight budget, which most Americans do, but I love movies and only see a handful of them in the theater, I’m pushing Speed Racer to the bottom of the May list almost immediately.
It would have made more sense for WB to push this to either May 30 (biggest that weekend is Sex and the City), August 1 (push the stupid new Mummy movie out of the way), August 8 (Pinapple Express… come on), August 22 (Bangkok Dangerous) or hell, why not even toward Christmas when parents need some place to drop their kids for a few hours while they shop. Any of those dates would have been better than May 9, right smack dab in the middle of three of the supposedly biggest movies of the summer. Great placement WB, great placement.
As soon as Hollywood realizes that people would like to have movies with ENDINGS.People are getting tired of movies that don’t have an ending. Example No country for old men. I spent 17. bucks for that lousy movie ntaht had NO ENDING.
I teach high school English. All the boys are seeing IRON MAN for the first and second time, eagerly, but nobody wants to see SPEED RACER (”it’s gay”). That’s why it is a horrible movie. It totally missed its target audience by, oh, 52 miles.
To the first poster concerned over the perceived “witch hunt” of the “siblings.” No. No. You’ve got it wrong, friend. This town isn’t out for them. It’s out for JEFF ROBINOV. There has never been a clearer link to failure in the demise of a motion picture than this one. Robinov represented them. Robinov cleaned house at Warners in order to control everything — INCLUDING marketing and distribution and publicity. Robinov blacklisted scripts with female starring roles. It’s Robinov who should have his mug on this movie poster. Robinov has zero creative moxie, and he knows it, and in his morondom he reached out to a handful for help like his former clients. HE is at fault. Power is an interesting thing. Once you get it, and the more of it you get, the more transparent your actions become and the quicker your weaknesses are found out. Robinov should have never been promoted, let alone given the keys to the kingdom in the new motion picture group. You wanted power, Jeff? Congratulations, you blew it. Now, do us all a favor and get the hell out of town and take the moron bosses who promoted you.
I don’t care how much it made. Why would I? I’m not getting a commission if it meets certain numbers or anything. If a movie looks like you might like it, go see it. If it sucks, big deal. Why waste so much time hypothesizing about inane crap? Speed Racer was exactly as I expected. It may eventually break even on video. At least they tried. Some things just don’t translate from animé to more live-action style. It may not have made a bunch of money, but as a Speed Racer fan I can say they did not harm the franchise. It was fine. Aside from simply not making the movie to begin with, how would you have made it better?
This is just an opinion I hold to rather strongly: 95% of the time, I absolutely HATE remakes of movies, television shows, cartoons, etc. The originals can sink or swim on their own. Regardless of whether or not I liked the original, can’t writers and directors use their creativity to come up with NEW charactersand ideas? Having said that, this new Speed Racer film was destined to be a flop. I’m 38 and barely remember the cartoon from when I was young. When I would see previews for it, I immediately thought, “do they really expect guys in their 40s or 50s to go see this loud, overbearing mess that doesn’t seem to have much to do with the original series?” Speed Racer is not part of pop culture to any measureable extent. Kids growing up in the past 30 years would have no idea what it was, so what is the point of this movie? Why would they want to see it?
I guess now a more accurate title for the movie would be Speed, To the Dollar Theater, Racer, which will be playing right next to Harold and Kumar Escape from the Multiplex after Only Two Weeks.
Yes, I love the sweet tasty nectar of Box-Office Failure Schadenfreude.
Ironman is not that good of a movie, but the good reviews drive people to the theaters. It’s simple marketing and to say the “reviewers” aren’t in bed with the studios is absurd.
Ben is a good example of the adage “Everyone is entitled to his own stupid opinion.” I liked Iron Man. I did not see it based on any review! I liked the trailers and the casting. I was not disappointed!
Speed Racer, on the other hand, I could not be persuaded to spend a nickel upon, regardless of reviews, or who the reviewers may be in bed with!
For all of you complaining there are no movies for adults, go see Red Belt.
I got in to SR with a friend on an early showing (for free). What a disaster. I’ve PAID to see Ironman 3 times now with a larger entourage each time. Ironman nailed it artfully and will reap the fruits of doing so for years to come. Long live capitalism.
Saw it with my kids and we all loved it. In fact, people were shouting and cheering in the audience.
It’s The Matrix meets Saturday Morning Cartoon.
Well worth seeing it on the big screen. It was a blast.
Not sure why everyone is whining about this movie. Its fun.
During the “Great Depression” one of the amazing things was that people still went to movies. Comments about our present state, and movies are not really applicable. When gas hits $10 a gallon and bread costs $4 a loaf..then..folks will attend movies for “relief”
but it won’t be to see 90% of the BS that’s out there now..it had better be great…ALSO they won’t be buying $6 popcorn and $5 drinks..
Folks brought brown paper bag lunches to see Gone With The Wind.
I said it in another thread and I’ll say it again, who in the hell thought it was a good idea to turn Speed Racer into a live action movie? It’s not like Batman, or even Iron Man that can be given a great deal of depth. Plus the cartoon wasn’t that great to begin with. My reaction to the trailer was simply, why? Why would I want to see this movie? It tanked for the simple reason it wasn’t a good movie.
Wow – They took a previously fun deal and mucked it up. Just like “Dukes of Hazzard”. Why does everything have to be weird? CGI and special effects are no substitute for story and content.
Real stunts, real acting, real cool…
I’d like to buy a clue for $500 Alex…
I took my kids to see it, and they loved the movie! I thought it was great too.. My gauge is did I fall asleep or not.. I thought the action was good, and I was waiting for the bad guys to get beat in the end.. Great flick.. no sleeping for me!
My kids wanted to get it on dvd before it even ended.
I think the press is just plain wrong on this movie.
PS. there are 2 parts that could have been removed: 1) the finger, 2) the fish
Okay, okay.
Yes, Iron Man was fantastic and I’ll go see it a coupla more times.
No, Speed Racer was not as fabulous as Iron Man.
But my family (ages 11 to 50) went to see it and we all loved it!
Yes, it was bright and loud and colorful and frenzied, but so what? Sometimes we go to the movies for nothing more than entertainment.
Not every movie will be an Iron Man. Just like a hot fudge sundae with an extra cherry on top, it may not be good for you, but you can sure as heck still enjoy it!
By the way, loved Trixie’s raised eyebrow and “Hubba, hubba.”
I loved every minute of Speed Racer, as did my wife and kids. I think most of the reviewers set the bar impossibly high for the Wachowski Brothers.
This movie will be studied by later generations as one of the most perfect blends of turning an animation character into live-action. It isn’t going to get any acting awards, but editing, set design, cinematography were all excellent. This movie will be a hit in blu-ray.
The only reason Speed Racer failed is bad timing. They’re trying to squeeze too many blockbuster openings in one month. People are either taking a break after Iron Man, or saving their money for Prince Caspian or Indiana Jones. I guarantee if they opened this movie in mid-July or August, it would have done much better. It’s not about the reviews-since when have audiences ever listened to critics? And it’s not about the economy-how then do you explain Iron Man? It’s just poor timing on WB’s part. They’ll make up the losses with The Dark Knight and Harry Potter later this year, anyway.
The original Speed Racer is a great story. The W Bros decided not to use the charm and personality and fun of the TV show. The movie’s failure is not about timeliness or audiences or anything other than one basic thing–the story was bad.
A great story can take characters people care about to box office success.
This was doomed the day I heard the cast. The W Bros. never understood the show and its appeal.
What a waste. And unlike the Hulk, it will never get a second chance.
I grew up watching Speed Racer, and was looking very forward to it. It was an absolute mess of a movie. The special effects were so confusing and kaleidoscopic that I could not even tell what was going on. What a stinker.
Looks like most of you actually did not even bother to see the movie prior to bashing it. I brought my son (11 yrs old), his best friend (12 yrs old), and my 5 yr old daughter to see it. They loved it. Extremely stylistic and was fun to watch. It was pure entertainment. Not a great movie abut a good family movie. It deserved more.
Definitely a better fair than last year’s nominated Oscar movies.
It sure looked like a terrible movie. Some are blaming the “housing crisis” for it poor opening. I don’t buy that explaination. I don’t think there is anyone out there who is thinking “I would love to see Speed Racer, but if I buy two tickets, I can’t pay the mortgage.” Plenty of people went to see Iron Man. The biggest factor is the fact that Speed Racer just looks like crap.
Movies no longer care about evoking truth and touching deeply. Are there no more writers with adult sensibilities? Explosions, sex, special effects, cynism, crassness, political simple-mindedness, endless immitation… Like the culture, Hollywood now seems ruled by an easy adolescent mentality. Most people want something deeper.
As far as I’m concerned, “Bound” is the only good movie the Wachowski’s have ever made.
Roeper gave Speed Racer “thumbs up”.
Don’t judge if you haven’t seen it. Not flawless, and a little long, but it ROCKED!
I don’t think anyone is interested in watching a movie about car racing, and the movie wasn’t getting good enough reviews. Movie-goers are going to spend their hard earned money on a film that has great reviews, but “Speed Racer” will probably make up for that on DVD or Blu-Ray. When you think about it, the theater showing is more of a pre-trailer for the DVD.
I think a lot of you folks that hate this film need to get a childhood.
This was the best film ive seen in years and I loved the Wachowskis vision.
This film isn’t dead yet gang. Even the Matrix didn’t do well its first weekend.
Short memories and venom fill this thread.
I saw the movie on Friday. I wasn’t able to finish watching it. Not because it was bad, but because I had to go pick up one of my boys. I didn’t expect to enjoy the movie too much; I even thought I would hate it. However, much to my surprise, I rather enjoyed it. So much so that I went back this morning and took my whole family- five boys and a wife – to see how the WRL Grand Prix race turned out.
It’s not a terrible movie; I don’t think that’s the reason it did poorly. It wasn’t the economy, the anti-capitalist message, or Susan Sarandon – I loved her in Team America. No, I think the reason this movie did poorly was the terrible trailers they used to promote it. When I saw them, I thought it was going to be a chore to watch the film. They had to sell The Crucible ( the most authentic part of the movie) and the live action fights not the “Extreme G” like race scenes. I also want to add that I enjoyed the movie – acting, chimp, and visuals – more the second time I saw it. It might just be that there is too much information for a human brain to process.
Please excuse the typos.
Here’s a novel method to amass larger audiences. Make movies that assume audiences want to be treated like serious, thinking beings. Even younger viewers prefer that which has substance over that which is shallow.
HEY RELAX EVERYBODY SHEESH ITS A MOVIE. Its ENTERTAINMENT and was really good.Speed racer starts a little slow but most movies do because they are laying foundation for story.But it really picks up and gets going, I spent 33$ on tickets and 13$ on popcorn and 2 drinks for me wife and 3 kids we loved it.Go see it instead of critisizing something you havent even seen yet.As word of mouth spreads this movie will catch on.Oh yeah and how many times has a movie gotten a bad Critic review but you ended up liking it anyway? I liked all 3 matrix movies ,I know cause if I see them on I watch them…again.GReat Job Wachowski Brothers, keep em coming.
I’ve read several of these negative comments about the “Speed Racer” movie and I am just amazed. My wife and I went to see this movie Saturday afternoon. We both thought it was just sheer fun entertainment. I’d watched “Speed Racer” when I was a kid and hadn’t seen it in years. The movie was wild visually and the characters “Sprital” and his sidekick “Chim Chim” just cracked me up with laughter. John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci, and the others brought to me a measure of lighthearted humour and sillyness that I loved and hadn’t experienced in a long-time. I don’t take movies like this serious. I just enjoy them for what they are. By the way, there were children (with their parents)around us in the theater having a good time too. It made me feel young and old at the same time. You people out there who don’t get this movie’s entertainment intent, lighten up.
Some people make their living in Hollywood, some in waste management, some in spare parts for trashed helocopters and tanks. Nobody owes you a living. What kind of tin horn dictator makes an insipid comment like that? The best comments on here are borderline obscene mutterings of Howard Bealesque disgust. They’re funny. I used to love movies and still find a few to like. All this apocalyptic moaning about the end of Hollywood has been heard before. Hollywood will be here – garish, extravagant, creative or mind-rotting – as long as we don’t get nuked or hit by a comet. Some people are just having a harder time adjusting to a new transvaluation of feel-good, humanistic cheerleading than others.Penny Marshall, Ron Howard, and the other Sidney Lumets and Stanley Kramers of the 80’s and 90’s are just being eclipsed by sensation seekers. Besides, there’s always Turner Classics, the best cable channel on now or possibly ever.
what’s next features around breakfast cereal characters? Capt Crunch Rides Again? What Mikey Really Likes? No wonder I haven’t seen a new movie since 1993.
The problem was idiotic Studio execs that somehow got the idea that the theme and nature of the product would pull in the current crop of kiddies while bringin’ in da parents who watched this show as a kid — kinda of a “can’t lose — double whammy” — at least that is what those morons thought!
22 minutes in 24 hours is about all one can stomach of that show. To make it a feature is in itself — LAUGHABLE!
I also agree that anyone who ‘greenlighted’ this project should be fired — then maybe, summarily put to death!
I see this honker of a movie and that it was even THOUGHT of being thought of being thought of being made and I begin to wonder: “What’s next?” But wait! I get to lay claim to this one folks. Hey WB, here’s the next movie you should make — Ultra Man!
Sarcasm mode set to self destruct!
Saw speed racer on IMAX. It was awesome. Yes, I did grow up with it. The animation scenes brought me back to pretending to be speed; the actors (expect trixie) really portrayed what this anime was all about. Plus sorry burst any bubbles but speed was never anime, it was a simple cartoon and this movie so makes it justice.
Yes they should of have brought it back as Saturday morning cartoon months prior to its release, but that would have been good marketing.
I loved it, a great racing movie, a great cartoon movie. Watch out next year when Akira +2 comes out. Talk about obscure for North America although best anime in history.
“…the new celebrities are simply not too talented, nor are the alleged “writers”, and the public knows it. But I guess there’s always room for “Ocean’s 26.″
It seems that Hollywood is worshipping young controversial female celebrities these days…Miley Cirus, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton….etc., (Girls with presentation, instead of raw talent). And way too many slasher films, remakes, and prententious indie films are being released, rather than movies with substance.
re: wanted and james mcavoy:
the communication for “wanted” is so effing bland.
why not try to brand it? why no discernible logo, tagline, colors, just this very generic text and generic approach?
the look of the marketing is so generic, the impression is that of a lesser straight-to-dvd.
are they really trying? why not go for something distinct or interesting? who will notice this film?
The reason why this Speedracer version is not cool is
it didn’t even try to be realistic. Way too cartoony.
At least Iron man tried to give it’s look a element of
realism.
I’m an English teacher in South Korea. The audeince for the movie seemed pretty big. The showing that I went to late at night (11:00 pm) was much fuller than I expected. I definitely expect that this movie will do really well in Asia where the anime is very commonplace but not so well in the States where it is only popular with a limited number of geeks and “fanboys”. The other problem is that many, many of my other Western friends do not know “Speed Racer” was a cartoon. many assume it is an independent creation of the brothers Wachoswski. There is not a lot of the name recognition.
My kids(5 and 7 boys) loved Speed Racer. This movie suffered from a piss poor trailor. I am 39 and Speed Racer was right in my wheelhouse. It came out when I was 5 and I loved it, but the trailor is all clips from the last race. The middle race was 4 times as long and had all of the cool stuff I remember from watching as a kid. If they idiots who run this stuff would have show that race in the trailor it would have done twice as much business. While I was dragged to the movie, I left thinking it was pretty cool.
Saw Speed Racer opening day and it was one of the most fun movies I have seen in years.
It is a load of laughs in a silly anime way. The action was good, and it had plenty of laughs.
i’m so sorry art is so under appreciated in this country. this movie by far, was one of the best things i’ve seen in a very long time. for some reason people have to be told what to like and what not to like and unfortunately any sense of imagination and style has been squeezed out from American Culture. what happened to films being original? the film was quite spectacular from the direction to the art. i think this will do real well overseas where people aren’t completely consumed by their own their hate of intelligence and art. our art galleries are on the decline, our comic books get a lack of recognition until their made movies, our cartoons are nothing; it seems art is being killed off by peoples lack of imagination.
The Speedracer movie biggest mistake is that did not
look real. It looked like a Disney movie that is trying
to look cool. Next time at least try to make the movie
look believable.
What’s next, Gigantor???
so – 119M was spent at the box office this weekend – up 11% from last weekend. people went to the movies. they just had zero interest in speed racer. that is the truth…
V for Vendetta was a masterpiece.
Here’s a thought for the limited fools in Hollywood: Stop making filth and debasing our culture. Hollywood and all the degenerates out there who make movies haven’t made anything worth watching for 15 years. They should try making something that doesn’t refer to sex in every other line or blowing something up. Try making something with a real plot for a change and maybe people will go out to see it.
Did someone just blame the economy for this bust? Oh come on…Iron Man is kicking butt, Dark Knight, Indiana Jones both will beat expectations.
Here’s the reality, this Movie wasn’t as good as hyped and the economy isn’t as bad you believe. The movie bombed from a bad trailer, no marketable stars, and being from a cartoon that lacked a large following in the first place.
What on earth made them think Speed Racer would play in Europe? Did they even SEE the cartoon thirty years ago? Do they have ANY idea who Speed Racer is supposed to be?
This desperation to reuse old ideas for nostalgic appeal has hit an all time low. Originality is dead in Hollywood.
meh: I’m fairly certain that you’re certifiably insane. Wanted looks like one of the hits of the summer. It’s got sex appeal for both men and women, plenty of cool-looking action and effects–and even Morgan Freeman for the older crowd and African American viewers.
Hollywood needs more movies by filmmakers like Walter Hill. If you don’t know who he is, look him up. His work is incredibly cool. I miss action films like “Extreme Prejudice” (1987). Now THAT was quality escapism.
I don’t go to the movies anymore, but if I did it would be Iron Man and The INcredible Hulk because I love comic books.
But these two brothers (?) making this film seemed strange to me. One brother’s a strange bit of folk and the other’s a cross-dresser who’s last sequels made up sure they were going for the ‘war is over’ ending. Bolder-DASH!
Kill somebody! It’s an R-Rated movie and the agents can’t kill anyone!
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
Poor Speed is in a race to the finish, just like Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby. A favorite for many to place and win, but the cold reality of the leftover-retreads that studios love to bet on, are no-wins from the get-go. Speed’s only consolation is that he will be out of the public misery quickly! Not likely so lucky for the gamblers and owners of this dead horse!!!
Talk about waste of resources, why are so many people commenting on how horrible a movie this is? Why waste your time reading all this if you don’t want to see it. Don’t see it and keep it to yourself. As long as this is an open forum for baseless predictions: I bet the movie still makes money for WB because of international markets and DVD’s. And don’t post critiques unless you’ve actually seen it.
This is a surprise? Another ridiculous remake of a 60’s cartoon – what meaningless tripe! Hollywood writers are generally devoid of talent; they churn out garbage in the hope of making a quick buck. This movie is further proof that the Hollywood elite is content to serve up tired old drivel and then they act shocked when nobody wants to see it. Their primary means of generating suspence is by having a protagonist point a gun at someone, by a chase scene or by blowing something up.
I’m sick of this type of idiocy. But I can’t wait until they re-make “F-Troop” for the big screen – that’s sure to be a profound experience.
What’s next, Gigantor???
Comment by Pat — May 11, 2008 @ 5:09 pm
How about “Giant Robot”? Anyone here still remember the Gargoyle Gang?…j/k.
I guess I don’t get out to see the movies that much because I just do understand all the haters. This was a great movie. I guess I just like the slightly off movies. The humor was dead on for the TV show. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon were great in their roles. The fight scenes were great adaptations of the cartoon type fights. It was over the top and it should have been. Have the lot of you gotten so jaded that if it has fast cars it must have foul language and naked chicks every 30 seconds or it is not worth the trouble? It was a cartoon, people. I’m hoping that the video games this movie spawned are pretty good because I am really interested in trying them now (as I was not before) while I wait for the movie to come out on DVD.
My 12-year old daughter clenched her fist throughout the entire film and loved it. My 5-year old son named each of us as a character in the film. I was the monkey.
They enjoyed the film, and if it is considered a flop because it did not gross a particular amount of money, then it is a flop.
But for my family, we enjoyed the digital sound and cinematography. It was like playing Sonic on our Gamecube, but the graphics and intensity were much more astounding.
And, the scope of the film’s theme–taking on the corporate greed–works well with this issue of a lack of success. Perhaps it is not supposed to succeed from a commercial standpoint, and that is the largest irony of the film.
Nevertheless, when it hits the DVD market, every parent will buy their children this film! No doubt about it!
Well, I saw it and really loved it. While an original fan of the cartoon, I wasn’t expecting too much. However, I thought it was great! Would see it again. 2 thumbs up!
Sounds like a long stupid movie…I will not see it
Besides Mothers’ Day, this weekend was “first communion” weekend for many Roman Catholic second graders who, I believe are a target demographic. Godless Hollywood won’t understand that the combination is leathal to movies geared towards elementary school kids.
I feel sorry for the execs who thought the Wachowski brothers could pull off this movie. Speed Racer was an OK cartoon at best…but spending $200 million to create an entire movie? Perhaps at some point during the post-production screening of this crappy film, the sad realization came to WB that this movie sucked and it was waaaaayyy too late to put on the….brakes…LOL.
I’ve been a Speed Racer fan since childhood and I went yeaterday. I loved the movie. But what was up with the running time? It would have been a cinch to shorten it.
Just came back from seeing speed racer. It was AWESOME….and fun and wholesome….everything great entertainment should be!
Everyone from my husband to the four year old absolutely loved it! You people in review land need to get a life, stop promoting movies with violence, bizarre sex, drugs, gangs and murder and start lauding more movies like this!
$100 mil production, someone did well !! It wil be DOA in Australia unless it adults free with childrens ticket. Not much to show for the $100 mil cost, Iron Man is filling the cinemas here and Indiana & Dark Knight are highly anticipated by goers here.
Time Warner is a company that needs a total overhaul at the top. $160 million spent on Speed Racer, a movie that appeals to 12 year old boys and turns everyone else off, a box office bomb from the word go. Time Warner top management green lighted Speed Racer, and they seem immune from any repercussions from this movie’s crashing and burning. But when The Golden Compass, costing $180 million, failed at the US box office, look at Time Warner’s response. Time Warner just followed through on its plans to wipe out New Line Cinema after the dismal domestic performance of The Golden Compass ($70 million domestic gross, $300 million overseas with the gross going to foreign distributors, not Time Warner). 350 of New Line’s 450 employees got their walking papers, and advice to file for COBRA and file by phone with their state’s unemployment agency.
However, The Golden Compass should do great on DVD and Time Warner could have corrected its mistake with part two of the trilogy by keeping its overseas distribution revenues. The loss on the $180 million dollar cost of The Golden Compass pales in comparison to Speed Racer, which will be a worldwide bomb everywhere except anime wild Japan.
Time Warner is not alone in making decisions in haste that turn out to be wrong. In 2004, Walt Disney closed down it animation studio after Brother Bear did not recover its production and advertising costs on its initial movie release. Brother Bear went on to make $160 million in DVD sales, Disney’s big DVD hit of 2004. Walt Disney then realized it made a mistake shutting down the animation department, but could not reverse the shutdown. A run of almost 80 years of hand animation ended with Brother Bear, which made Disney a big profit on DVD sales.
New Line Cinema, which celebrated its 40th birthday on October 2007, is history now thanks to the empty suits at Time Warner shutting down the studio, a studio that produced Time Warner’s biggest hits, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. For the week ending 4 May 2008, The Golden Compass sold just over a million units, #2 behind 27 Dresses (but its $22 million gross was number one, special DVD editions cost more). If the past is any guide, The Golden Compass should do gangbusters overseas.
If the Time Warner Board of Directors had any nerve, if they cared more about the corporation and less about the big paycheck for every board meeting they show up to (where they have a free catered meal), they would bounce Time Warner’s new CEO Jeff Bewkes before he can do further damage with his brainless cost-cutting.
No, the main reason Speed Racer failed is because they didn’t play to the adult. Adults and I (40+) grew up on SR and this new movie didn’t stick to original theme, but played more of a Ghey version. Speed’s helmet was all wrong, he should have a blue shirt, and the CG visual looked like a video game. It was like trying to watch Batman, based on the 1960s show, instead of the great dark versions of late. Speed Racer should have been a serious, darker, and less foo foo fun if it wanted to make real money.
No one will read this but here’s my two-cents worth on one reason why SR tanked this weekend…
I loved Speed Racer as a kid (I’m 38)… I would have LOVED to have taken my children (9yo daughter & 5 yo son) to see it in hopes that they would appreciate it as much as I did… but after seeing the epilepsy-inducing previews filled with way-too-violent-appearing CGI-effects, there was no way I would take them to see that junk.
I saw the previews and knew I was destined to have to rent it and just watch it on my own. *sigh*
It’s official.
Just as “The Sixth Sense” was for M. Night Shyamalan, “The Matrix” was just a fluke for the Wachowskis. Shyamalan will be contributing his own box office disaster next month with “The Happening.” Save your defenses of his weak sh!t.
To be fair, “Speed Racer” is a second tier property at best. Some simple awareness surveys could have saved A LOT of money. It was never going to be worth a $140+ million prod budget.
And don’t forget the $70+ million P&A budget in addition to it. A quarter of a BILLION dollars may have been wasted on this thing.
The next flameout will be “The Incredible Hulk.” Just as they do for the Wachowski’s, the vocal (but incredibly few) comic book fanboys will defend the hell out of it, but its lackluster opening and 70+% second weekend drop will speak loudly enough.
I haven’t seen Speed Racer, but I’ve seen Iron Man twice (and payed for a third $12 ticket for a friend). The trailer had me at ‘hello’ and the film delivered.
If Speed Racer is actually any good, the trailers betray it. As soon as I saw those come up on the ‘net, I caught a bad taste in my mouth. It looked far too intense for what I always remembered to be a very bare bones cartoon show. Maybe it was too late for me: I grew up in the 80s, when my first exposure to anime was through Voltron, G-Force and Robotech–far richer sources for a film adaptation. I could not quite see what the Wachowskis, whose work in the past usually aimed for some allegorical resonance toward political issues, saw in such a trite holdover from the syndication graveyard.
I have a feeling this property was developed because it was a)cheap to access the rights and b)had just enough recognition with baby boomers and some Gen-Xers who remember it from late nights on MTV (when you had to be high with the munchies to enjoy it). I just don’t think it had enough recognition for most people, especially kids today.
I challenge any of the adults who are nostalgic for Speed Racer’s “fun” appeal to actually sit and watch one episode today. My bet is you’d turn it off. It just wasn’t that compelling in the first place. Maybe it should have been more heavily marketed just to kids as something new, with the curse words extracted and a cavalcade of toy tie-ins.
There are scores of anime films and shows that would have been better candidates for a live-action adaptation then this one–all with stronger characterization, betterconcepts, strong plots and richer style.
Hwood’s problem is no talent, too costly at the box office and too many alternatives for viewing. Why to to see SpeedRacer at the theatre and spend $10 a seat plust snacks. For a family of 4 that’s $50 minimum. That same family can wait 6-8 weeks and have the film NetFlixed to them. Viewing cost? $3. If they order in a pizza no more than another $20. Their budget half for the same experience.
Speed Racer is simply an example of dollars chasing a hand. Old TV saturday cartoon, famous directors, available cgi. The great movies are movies that come from motivated people who see demand for a story and chase the dollars. (example Star wars, rocky, e.t., ect.) The story is what counts, if there is no story, there is no drama and thus no point. This show was all about having no story, just a theme playing as a car goes airborne. It left TV for a reason.
I had never seen Speed Racer and not familiar with it. I went tonight just to see Rain who is so talented. I loved it! The speed, visual effects bright colors were part of the fun. I loved the message and thought the scene of the child “giving the finger” and the fish scene with finger in the tank were offensive and could have been left out.
Fun and entertaining. Can’t understand all the negative re the W brothers.
SR was a dud for several reasons
1. 2+ hours is too long for a movie aimed at kids younger than 15.
2. The marketing was done very poorly.
3. WB gave the Wachowski brothers too much control over the film. Horn et al should have insisted on final cut for a reasonable running time.
4. It sounds like the unnecessary vulgarity drove some parents away. PG rated movies are hard to find during most of the year and the ones that do get released (see Alvin) do well for the most part.
The funniest comments here have been from people who seem to take it personally that so many others are dissing Speed Racer and/or the fact it got made in the first place, that we’re filled with ‘hate’ and ‘venom.’ Who are these people? Do they work for Warner Brothers? Especially that second comment from ‘tom’- “Wachowski witch hunt fever… don’t become a wanna be hater.” Good Lord! People are criticizing a stupid movie, that’s all; we’re not trying to crush your fragile psyche.
What will Hollywood do for ideas when material from the boob tube and cartoons and comic books and video games and children’s picture books is exhausted? They could use material from the back side of cereal boxes.
I don’t get it. This movie was creative, innovative and didn’t take itself seriously at all. The story was easy to follow, the characters were likable. IT WAS A CARTOON. At the theater I was at people clapped and the kids enjoyed it. The hating this movie is getting is wayyyyyyy out of proportion. Everyone complains about the lack of imagination in Hollywood, and by dumping on this, you guarantee it will continue.
I took the family to see the movie. We had a good time and will recommend it to others.
That’s what happens when you tart up good ol’ wholesome Trixie with Cristina I-make-out-with-ghosts-and-look-half-dead hooker-face Ricci.
WHY MUST YOU RUIN MY CHILDHOOD? WHY?
not having seen either movie yet, i can only guess why ironman was so successful and speedracer was so abysmal. It seems that ironman address the fantasy that america wants–a hero willing to stand up to big business AND terrorism (dems and republicans) and…well, frankly, speedracer didn’t tell me what it was about in the trailer.
we aren’t stupid warner bros. a movie with a decent plot will usually give some of it away, while a stinker usually gives us the special effects, or the hot chick, or mcdreamy.
but back to my point–all successful movies in tougher financial times give the audience a certain level of escapism and at the same time ’solve’ some of the audiences’ problems in real life. hard times in the 30’s produced some great, much-loved films.
so all hollywood needs to do is go back and remake every movie from the 30’s. they just might too–it’s easier than coming up with original ideas.
All of you peeps talking about it not being “realistic” enough–give me an f-ing break. They wanted this to look like a cartoon. You want realistic racing? Go watch NASCAR or Danica Patrick hit her crewmember. If you don’t like the look of the effects, fine, but don’t say “it didn’t look real enough.” Might as well say you didn’t like Ratatouille because the rats didn’t look real enough.
we loved it! so did our 13 year old son, our brother and his family. sure the characters might be thin but so what. we go to the movies for a little fun. our only complaint is pops would not say “ass”.
I cannot believe the amount of people freaking out about the “bird” being flipped in a PG movie. Heavens forbid! When I was growing up in the 80s I saw plenty of PG movies that had “questionable” material — E.T., Raiders, Superman 2, Clash of the Titans. Have any of you seen Poltergeist? That’s got the parents smoking a joint — gasp! Maybe you should read the fine print. PG means “parental guidance suggested”, so that means it might not be totally appropriate for your children, who I’m sure already know more than you’d like them to.
oh lighten up! I found the movie to be so fun–and I was only going to humor my guy. I expected to endure it-but I just loved it. want the soundtrack and the dvd. my only comment is that Trixie’s lipstick is a weird matte red-sorry, professional interest-and it just doesn’t work. John Goodman was such a great POPS and Susan Sarandon was a surprise in the mom role, and rocked it. The kid who played the bratty little brother was perfect, also. and what can we say about chim chim? great job, PETA.
I’m a fan. who’s with me?
Haven’t seen it yet although the twins are totally excited about it. The CGI is so far over the top in the previews I found it hard to tell what was happening. This would normally keep me away but the boys want it so they’re going to see it this week. The bird flipping actually is an issue for parents and probably will keep many at home. Our theater has the nuts to show R rated previews at PG films!! Was the bird necessary? Are ass-grabs and swear words really that essential in a PG?
Why does the apparent smackdown of “Speed Racer” surprise anyone? It was a poor excuse for a cartoon when it was recycled for viewing in the States way back when. It reminds me of what happened to “Underdog.” The original was mildly entertaining, simply drawn and was never intended as a live action feature. But that’s what we got for the remake–a spectacularly overdone SFX talking mutt of a picture. Warners could have saved a boatload of dough by making “Speed Racer” a full-blown cartoon to show before “The Dark Knight.”
Why is it that 20 Million is seen as a BOMB? It can do better in the long run. Anything below 1 Million should be a bomb but these studios want nothing less than $50 Million or a Billion or whatever. How greedy are they?
Also I don’t think Speed Racer should count as an ANIME Because they made it LIVE ACTION!
Speed Racer’s failure is easy to quantify–it’s not a good film. You can point at any number of other contributing factors–Emile Hirsch is an unknown, the property is unfamiliar to the post-Gen X crowd, etc, but is Robert Downey Jr. a box office draw? No. The fact is that to large segments of Iron-Man’s audience, if they knew Downey at all, it was as a dope head in rehab. They would have flocked to Iron-Man if Dustin Hoffman had played Tony Stark. And is Iron-Man really that more recognizable as a property to the public at large then Speed-Racer? To whom? Readers of comics? Iron-Man is not widely recognizable to the non-comic book set like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, etc. Let’s face it, Iron Man looked better. People aren’t going to see it because Tony Stark was battling radical Islam, or Halliburton, they thought the effects looked cool in the trailer.
Speed-Racer was just plain awful. Let’s not overanalyze. The Wachowski Brothers are hacks, but so are 95% of the directors, producers and screenwriters employed in Hollywood. Crap isn’t a new commodity in Hollywood, it goes way back to the so-called “Golden Age” in the 30s and 40s when the studios were making 3, or 4 times as many films as they do today. The vast majority of those films were as unwatchable as the majority of today’s product. Iron-Man isn’t a great film, or even a good film, but that is not to degrade it as an entertainment experience. We’ve got a generation of film makers reared on music videos and bad television, who possess no life experiences outside of watching movies. The execs are even worse, they’re schooled in suspect management practices, and bogus strains of financial analysis, and think this somehow qualifies them to be “creative execs.” But none of this is new, it’s been going on since the early eighties at least, yet people keep patronizing the studio’s product. They spend inordinate amounts of time obsessing over the insider stuff like whose running production over at Fox, or who is VP of marketing at Universal. There are far more people in positions of power and input in Hollywood who are there because of the influence that people like Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron, Simpson and Bruckheimer, etc, had on them as impressionable types, then there are people influenced by Kurasawa, Bergmann, or Godard.
@ A.B.
Why is a $20M opening weekend seen as bad for Speed Racer? Are you kidding me? Well, let’s see…considering that the budget was estimated at around $150M (or closer to $100 from what I’ve recently read) and the fact that ticket sales often drop anywhere from 35%-60% in the second week (with theaters taking a bigger cut of the revenue as time goes on), I’d say it’s pretty much over for this flick.
Can it do better in the long run? Well, let’s see, No. Taking into account the fact it almost universally panned by critics and wasn’t even tracking all that well to begin with, I’d say the marketing team isn’t going to try and attempt a rescue. Why bother dipping into their ad budget when the money could be spent luring crowds in to watch their true tentpole, The Dark Knight?
Warner Bros. was opening for a 40 mil opening weekend? Simple…they either should have trimmed it by 30-40 minutes and released it in mid-June, when most schools are pretty much in summer recess, and not the weekend after Iron Man is released.
Or, have cast Miley Cyrus instead of Christina Ricci…40 million opening weekend, easy! Perhaps fifty! It’s not like actual *acting* is required for this film, is it? Whose problem is it if Warner Execs, the producers, the Wachowski Bros, and these casting directors have their heads stuffed up their anal cavities? Bombs away, sweeties!
Im not suprised this movie totally died. It looks like a cheap and cheesey green screen bag of crap. How anyone associated with the Matrix would allow their names on this piece of work totally beguilles me. Speed racer… lol just watch the cartoon.
I know this is no consolation to Warners who must be enraged about the likelihood of not seeing a return on their hefty investment for quite some time but Speed Racer has all the makings of a cult mainstay, what with its kaleidoscopic visual splendor, unconventional narrative editing framework and goofy charm that clearly were off-putting to stuffy critics and narrow-minded filmgoers. Kids, psychedelic drug users in search of complementary visual stimuli, and those of us who like to be cinematically transported to esoteric worlds are going to keep the legacy of this film afloat via viral word of mouth methodology for generations to come I boldly predict. I know that these DHD Box Office weekend round-ups are all about the financial bottom line which necessitates viewing things through a clear-cut black and white prism but in instances like this the big picture must be grasped to acknowledge that sometimes off the beaten path of creativity projects such as the aforementioned earn redemption and a renewed life after being categorically written off unfairly and hastily by dint of a renaissance somewhere along the line. All that said, I hope the under-performance of SR doesn’t strain relations between the Ws and Warners who have nurtured and enabled the secretive fraternal duo to go against the grain and take chances on a grand scale for the better part of a decade to results covering a wide range on the spectrums of artistic and financial success. This truly is a damned if you and damned if you don’t business, when movie studios play it safe with pablum they get ripped for being grossly myopic unless it unjustifiably clicks with audiences and when they take adventuresome gambles that don’t pan out they’re also heavily criticized for not playing by the rule guidebook unless in the case of something like The Matrix the road less taken pays off in spectacular fashion and suddenly they’re being lauded for their testicular bravura.
This movie should have starred Jeff Gordon. He looks like the cartoon character of old, AND he’s the real thing.
With the PG rating, this movie was not the same wholesome quality as the original television cartoon. I have the original series on DVD, and rather keep watching that over and over again. The original television series is great. I hope they don’t make Wonder Woman like this. What star would they get for Wonder Woman/Diana Prince anyway? Who would be as good as the original?
I’m a big Speed Racer fan, and I absolutely loved the movie. After reading some reviews, I wasn’t expecting much, so it was MUCH better than I had expected. Sure, it was cheesy, but so was the cartoon! And that’s half the fun of it!
I could care less how much money was spent on it, or how much money it will lose, or even whether very many other people see it. I’d gladly go see it again, and I’d probably enjoy it even more the second time. And I’ll be getting it when it comes out on DVD, for sure.
Iron Man? Eh … never saw the cartoon (was there one?) or read the comic book. Who is he, anyway? I have no desire to see that movie, nor spend money to see it. I suppose I’ll see it someday on DVD, but I’m in no hurry.
Dark Night and Indiana Jones? Not excited about them, either. How many Batman and Indiana Jones movies do we need? It gets tiresome after a while. And a new animated Star Wars? Dumbest idea ever. What’s next, another Rocky or Friday the 13th? Another James Bond movie? Sheesh, enough sequels already. I don’t want a dozen Speed Racer movies, either. I’d definitely go see a sequel, but if they don’t make one, I’ll be perfectly happy watching the original whenever I want to watch a fun, thoroughly enjoyable movie.
Its interesting to see right-wing males trash a movie because it hs too many foreigners and not enough violence in it¡ Typically small minded to trash a movie simply because it doesn’t make enough money too.
Saw it with my son. Its was a very cool movie. Somewhat confusing at times but great entertainment. Should have got a PG13 rating.
It was mean to look like a cartoon. The acting was meant to be a bit wooden. It was a “fairytale” setting.
Get off the right-wing fake values thing!
I brought my two boys and we left after 45 minutes. Luckly they gave me my money back.
I was looking forward to Speed Racer as a bit of escapism reminding me of my childhood. One look at the trailer dashed all hope that it would be any good and I probably won’t even rent the DVD. If I ever watch it at all it will be once it’s free OnDemand via Comcast.
The Wacky Brothers have made exactly one good movie, “The Matrix”. They’ve been trading on that accidental stroke of luck ever since.
Truly enjoyed “Speed Racer”…they really did need to go for the G rating….would have helped at the box office…also doesn’t help it opened on Mother’s day weekend…that being said this movie should pay out for them in the long term…this will be a cult classic…
You know, as I read through many of these comments, I bet most of the people posting “this movie sucks” hasn’t even watched it.
Dang!! You all are WAY TOO serious for these MOVIES… These are just movies. They are make-believe
Once again Hollywood takes something I cherished as a kid & turns it into CGI, PC garbage. OK, so I’m not sure how it’s PC yet as I haven’t seen the movie. But if it’s anything like the Matrix garbage that those two jackasses produced then forget it. In Matrix 2 or 3, you are left wondering how the only ‘good’ white people left in the future are Keanu & his girlfriend. The crapola Matrix movies gave much credence to the whole diversity nonsense & minorities seemed to love that series. All the brown people at work couldn’t stop talking about it while the white people couldn’t see the draw. I just knew once these two ‘typical’ hollywood brothers got their hands on Speedracer they would turn it into crap. Plus, anything Susan Sarandon is in I will not see.
When I was 6 years old, I loved the opening and music of Speed Racer. I actually got excited when it was coming on. If it started and we heard it, all the kids would run from all over the house to plop down in front of the TV. But after the open was over, I barely remember anything else about the show, other than it was a little strange(what we would later learn was anime.) So I wonder if that’s what the studio thought would sell the movie? I’m 42 and had no desire to see it. I have 3 boys, ages 12, 9 and 5. Only the 5 year old was remotely interested in it. Unfortunately, the older boys have a little more pull when it comes to where we spend our entertainment dollars. That said, if everyone loved the movie for it’s great animation and story line, sure, we’d probably go see it.
The first trailer I saw, I pulled up for my 3 year old son. His first comment was “that’s not Speed Racer, I don’t like that Speed Racer”. He’s been watching the animated version for a while now, since I was a fan at his age and he can actually watch them in color instead of the black and white I had. The hype is gradually increasing as there are Speed Racer sheets and pillowcases, helmets, everything in the stores now. He really wants to see the movie now.
My attitude is this: NOTHING that is done now will ever compare to the Speed Racer animation of the 60s. It’s just not there anymore. BUT….it is worth it if it brings a smile to my son’s face and he can enjoy cars and racing, rather than some of the other movies that have come out. AND, I’ve been asked for the past 2 years for a Speed Racer birthday party, which until now, has not been able to happen.
Thanks to the brothers for bringing back something I’ve been sharing with my son, so that he has a chance to enjoy it. I don’t remember having a Mach 5 other than a matchbox car, so I think this is really cool.
And in looking at the cast….I agree. Jeff Gordon would have looked closer to the original, Susan Sarandon should NOT be mom Racer, John Goodman can probably pull it off, but not sure he’s the right guy either. Spritle shouldn’t look like one of the kids out of the Goonies (the kid looks like Chunk) and I’m not sure who I would have cast in that role. We all have an expectation on what we expect the characters and actors to represent b/c we watched this over and over as children. Trixie probably would look closer with Jolene Blalock, ssince she has the arched eyebrows and longer face than the rounded out Ricci woman. These were all very dark haired characters with very fair skin. Zeta-Jones probably would have made a better mom Racer just by looks.
I must be in the minority! I absolutely loved “Speed Racer”. I watched it with my brothers every day after school in the early 70’s. The horrible animation, the cheesy dialogue, the goofy names….I still don’t know why I watched it every day. My kids took me to see it for Mother’s Day and I had a blast. I thought it was fun. You can tell the actors studied the cartoon because the actions were very similar. They had the same names (Inspector Detector, bad guys Crusher Block and Snake Oiler), Speed wore the blue shirt and red scarf, Spritle obsessed with candy….. I had a great time. The only think I took issue with was the casting of Christina Ricci as Trixie. Trixie was the All-American girl next door and Ricci is definitely anything BUT that. She was wrongly cast. I’m sorry it didn’t do better at the box office. I thought it was a fun homage to the cheesy cartoon I grew up with, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time with my family. If you like brainless entertainment, I recommend this movie.
I saw Speed Racer at an IMAX theatre and it was actually kind of phenomenal. Was it a massive storytelling success? No. Was it trying to be? No. It was pure visual candy, and while it definitely has a kid-oriented slant (which I usually avoid at all costs) the sheer visual spectacle of the film somehow takes it into a different arena altogether. Anyone who actually bothered to watch the film would probably realize that some of those insane racing sequences were like an updated, candy-gloss version of 2001’s Lux Aeterna sequence — something I’m pretty sure the Wachowskis were going for even while catering to an audience of middle-aged boys or actual kids. Maybe I went in with diminished expectations and therefore wasn’t as disappointed as people seem to be here, but I thought it was totally worth seeing it on the massive screen.
SPEED RACER AS GREAT! I LOVED IT and want to see it again to watch the artistry in action…. and guess waht? The KIDS can se it woo without any trauma! IT WAS FUN! EXTREME SILLY VISUALLY GORGEOUS FUN! LIGHTEN UP PEOPLE! IT IS NOT IN THE SAME GENRE AS IRON MAN AND SPIDEY ET AL…
It was a cartoon come to life. Not a comic book or graphic novel!
Anyone who expected it to be more is silly! IT WAS GREAT! It was the most imaginative fun and stimulating cinematography ever…. Why criticize it because it was not a classical type of movie. It was SPEED RACER for heaven’s sake, with a completely silly premise. FUN thing to watch, a visually INTERESTING thing to watch the plot was a cartoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RIGHT ON GERALD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Speed Racer is exactly what it’s supposed to be… an over the top tale of a kid driving his car and getting into difficult situations. If you look at this movie and go back to the cartoon, they got this one right. It has all the visuals and effects of the cartoon. Is it supposed to be a blockbuster? I don’t think so. Is it long? Yes… too much mom and pops drama scenes. The funniest parts of the movie was the scenes with chim-chim and spritle. Parents of young kids will get a laugh out of that. The graphics were eye candy. And seeing the real Speed Racer – Peter Fernandez was a treat. This movie will do well on DVD.
When will someone make a good Jetsons movie? With Danny DeVito as Mr. Spacely? Now that could be a blockbuster.
Indiana Jones will be the biggest movie of the summer.
WOW! Don’t you normally have to have George Clooney as the lead to have a picture bomb this big?
Whoever thought that people would rush out to see a race-car movie where no actual race cars were used in filming?
Every interview with the actors from the movie stress how they couldnt even get a feel what the movie was going to look like because it was 1) FILMED IN ALL GREEN-SCREEN in a large warehouse and 2) no one actually sat in a real car, they were all mockups
Why anyone would spend $160 million on such a venture with no true audience (Kids are not asking to see this movie) is also beyond me.
While some movies break out using a large sound stage and all green sceen (300 & Sin City come to mind) they are rare and few in number
Obviously, very few folks who posted here have seen the movie. I have fond memories of Speed Racer; it was my favorite show of that era. This movie, aside from a few unnecessary expletives, was an outstanding translation of that cartoon to the big screen. The acting was very good. I was touched especially the scene between John Goodman and Speed when Speed was ready to move out. The special effects were amazing. Sure, tt was a kids movie, but it sure had plenty of appeal for me as it brought back a lot of fond memories. And my daughter loved it too.
My family and I went to the movies on Sunday, my son and I wanted to see Iron Man, but we were late so we saw Speed Racer. I’m in the CGI business, and have not been too impressed with what I thought I could expect of the movie and its graphical approach.
From my point of view I was way wrong. I’ve watched the CGI green screen effects on movies like 300, Cody Banks and the like, and thought it was little more than Saturday cartoon fare a little better done. I expected the same from Speed Racer.
After about 5 minutes, the way the story was visually delivered made sense. The screens were stunning, and the way the movie was directed the graphical effects enhanced the story line rather than merely being gratuitous.
Its time to ask, why settle for computer generated images that merely imitate realism, if pushing it artistically, not just for the sake of it, will add even more impact? Thats what Anami has done when at its best over the years.
And if handled on this level, audiences are going to more and more expect their content delivered this way, and the traditional approach to visual story telling is going to attract less interest. I’m thinking this may move things the way text messaging on cell phones is now more popular with teenagers than email. Another example of this coming change in how we receive and expect our content to be delivered would be the movie Cloverfield, which everyone hated, but still connected if only because the target audience fully understood how to participate in apprehending and examining their lives through portable electronic media.
I think first impression that people have had is that this is just another kid movie, but I really thought I was watching the maturation of a new level of visual story telling.
I think word of mouth is going to get this movie a larger audience in the coming weeks. The plot was obvious, but they all are. If told well, it will sell the story. I think visually and story wise this was far better than I expected, and my sons and I would definitely see it again.
Thing is, we have to let go of any notions that this is a film. Or that the Bros. Wachowski are filmmakers. It’s just a 2+ hour promo for the soon-to-be-released Speed Racer videogame. That’s where the money is. Look at Grand Theft Auto IV. It made $500 million — a half a friggin BILLION dollars — in a week. And probably cost $5-10 million to develop.
Why do we have glee at the failure of Hollywood people keep asking? Because personally, I’m tired of the over-hype involved with these “Blockbuster” movies. Reality is, when someone keeps pushing something as a must see, you start to resent it. Espically when you can’t get away from the marketing.
So, yes…it’s almost like, “Thanks having too many pop-up ads, too many TV ads” now go away. Overhype sometimes causes blacklash.
Plus it’s a bad movie, the previews told us that. Susan Surandon hasn’t had a big hit other than “Witches of Eastman” and “Bull Durham”, John Goodman was always a great TV actor, but never translated to movies “King Ralph?” and how many people actually know who Emile Hirsch is?
Throw in a so-so script and a character not familar to most people and it was bound to flop. (Sorry Iron Man is actually a well known entity, and Super Hero stories have a tendancy to do well, espically when there is an origin story involved)
I took my three kids, and we loved it. It did remind me of the sonic game we have at home, but I thought it was a lot of fun. We will definately buy the DVD and the video game.
A Texas Mom
The movie was a visual feast bordering on gluttony.
I liked it. But I grew up on Speed Racer and I “get it.”
I can see, however, that if you didn’t know anything about the cartoon from your childhood, this concept would go right over your head.
Another post stated that the target audience was a small group of over-aged hipsters. That’s actuall pretty accurate. I fully admit to being part of that group. I walked out of the theater knowing that, although I really like the film, it was going to miss with a larger and broader audience.
Too bad, because this may squash the studio-machine’s desire to pursure other, off-the-beaten-path ventures. But, if you’re not going to make a buck, how can you justify bringing something to the screen (outside of Indie).
Stop already! Enough with people trying to infuse a political agenda to everything! Speed Racer didn’t do badly b/c of the economy, gas prices or home foreclosures. For crying out loud, the next movie up beat it by 31 million dollars in it’s second week! If it’s a good movie, it’ll get people in the seats no matter what. Speed Racer simply isn’t that movie. It’s a bloated mess and it choked on it’s own excesses. I really wanted to like this movie but found myself looking at my watch several times. That’s not a good thing. The Wachowski Brother(s?) seem to have been one-hit-wonders. Shame.
Wait a half hour, The DVD will be on sale soon.
Better luck coming up with politically laden excuses in the future.
I don’t get it.. Speed Racer is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.. My 7 year old was laughing his head off and yelling awesome every five minutes.. My Wife loved it and usally doesn’t like this kind of movie..It is a rare movie that appeals to all ages.. My wife was calling everyone we know after the movie telling everyone to go see it…
Dude, seriously. I haven’t seen Speed Racer, but the trailers make it look unwatchable. None of the “reasons” you cite prevented Iron Man from pulling in $50M.
It’s obvious that people are staying away from the movies because of gas prices. The b*sh administration will be the ruination of the country.Wake up, people!
I took my 6 year old son to see Speed Racer on Mother’s Day – my choice! We enjoyed the movie. While the plot was a bit too detailed for my son to understand, he enjoyed the race scenes and the action. I enjoyed the movie because I grew up watching Speed Racer. I thought John Goodman was perfect as Pops Racer.
I find that the above “couch critics” over analyze these types of movies far too much. Just enjoy it…it’s not supposed to be “Gone With the Wind.”
I saw “Speed Racer” twice at preview screenings.
OK, it’s a commercial bomb. But it’s definitely worth a look. If you like movies that create their own world and successfully immerse you, “Speed Racer” genuinely delivers.
Yes, it’s deeply flawed. Way too long, especially because of its uneasily shoehorned corporate conspiracy subplot that adds a lot of talk to a kids’ movie that’s already in desperate need of streamlining. More editing errors weaken several of the film’s key racing sequences by inserting flashbacks that undercut the narrative momentum. As the title character, Emile Hirsch (so good in ‘Into the Wild’!), is a two-dimensional cipher.
But parts of this movie are undeniably spectacular. Some people obviously get headaches or become visually inured to the amped-up faux anime color, but I was captivated throughout. And the races themselves – chiefly the long, multi-continent race that begins after roughly an hour and continues for the next 30 minutes or so, is literally awesome. Cars jump, flip and battle through a variety of environments and there’s less of the intrusive flashback editing that hurts the film’s opening and closing racing sequences. The cast is otherwise appealing, most memorably John Goodman as “Pops” Racer, but also – even though I know she’s gotten ripped — Christina Ricci; using her eyes as her most important resource, she made a freshly-scrubbed but sexy gf.
I don’t think the problem is that “Speed Racer” is not a well-known property. You can create a property with the right product. The problem is the film’s length, perceived pretension, and over-thought editing technique. But there’s also cool stuff going on here. When it finally trickles down to DVD and HD HBO, I think there will be a lot of second guessing about the good stuff that nobody bothered to notice while they were ripping what was wrong with it and laughing at the Wachowski Brothers’ fall from grace.
The plain truth of it is that Speed Racer, with a solid fan base, doens’t have the kind of fans who will get off of the couch to go see it. Especially when most probably qwbr to see Iron Man. The weak numbers have to do with a “who cares, i’ll see it on blue ray” attitude. Unless Hollywood gets wise there will be many more bombs.
So many haters who haven’t even seen the film. Here is my experience:
I went to an afternoon matinée showing to fit around my schedule, and while there were only a few people there, we were all laughing along and people were cheering and whooping. And I left the cinema with a grin the size of a crescent moon plastered on my face. The Brothers seem to have delivered a real crowd-pleasing extravaganza of a film.
The racing scenes were bleeding spectacular. I mean “spectacular” in a way that has never even been imagined. Honestly, it deserves an Oscar nod just for art design. What’s so ingenious about the opening sequence is that it not only sets up all the characters with entertaining and emotional efficiency, but it also establishes how the cars work in this fantasy world. So despite the races being faster than anything you’re ever likely to see, the main action beats are always delivered with a clarity and a style that will keep you thrilled beyond belief. Each race is perfectly crafted with the stakes and the challenges rising further and further with each successive scene…until we reach a final showdown that leaves you utterly breathless. Literally. And the “visual vocabulary” of the film is truly innovative. It’s like the camera is no object. As an audience member, you’ve never felt freer. Unlike the stylistic approach of the recent Star Wars prequels, which generally used locked off cameras and relatively tame tracking shots, Speed Racer ducks into, under and around the action in a way that opens up the medium like no other film before it. Compared to other film in its greenscreen sub-genre, this leaves movies like Sin City and 300 looking rather timid by comparison.
But at the heart of it, this is really a film about fathers and their sons. A coming of age story about hope, expectation, and the pain of loss. I found myself with a lump in my throat while watching the movie. Wait, let me rephrase. I found myself with a lump in my throat within ten minutes of the film starting. Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox and Scott Porter as the young Rex Racer all provide intimate and genuinely moving performances. Make no mistake about it, this film is the definition of joviality on celluloid. But the story is basically driven by the shadow of a lost family member from the very first scene in the film, and that’s what really makes the film worth watching. As well as being immersed in a fantasy world of drop dead gorgeous visuals, of course.
In the same way that Sin City was an exaggerated, impressionistic noir, and just as 300 was an exaggerated, impressionistic war movie, Speed Racer plays as an exaggerated, impressionistic 1960s kid’s show. Which is exactly what it is. It’s campy. It’s fun, And it’s full of humour and heart. Of course, brooding characters and over-the-top gore is easier to sell than camp, colourful fun, but allowing oneself to become absorbed in the film’s style makes for a rewarding experience. I’ve heard complaints about the film’s exposition, but the only scene where I could perhaps understand that criticism was about half way through when Taejo’s family troubles were being told. But even that zipped by very quickly and the audience still understands exactly what was at stake in the upcoming race. So if it is a flaw, it’s a minor one at best.
The characters are warm and lovable, the villains are wonderfully hissable, the actors’ performances are all suitably camp, and the morality tale at the center of it – the battle of family versus corporatism – gives the story a real spirit. And makes the races all that more enthralling to watch. It’s infectiously charming, and even at 129 minutes the film glides like a T-180 on ice. I was convinced I was only in there for about thirty minutes, and when it finished I was left gagging for more.
So what’s the verdict? Well, it’s a tricky decision between 4 and 5 stars. While the story wasn’t exactly the peak of literary greatness, it was very well told. Despite its two hour plus running time, the narrative was sharp, the emotionality was touching, and the plot turns were genuinely exciting. If the film was not such a special effects extravaganza, it would probably have been given a 4 star rating. But the film does have incredible special effects. And it does offer an absolutely sublime spectacle. Not only that, but the Wachowskis seem to have yet again set another industry standard – one that will likely be copied and mimicked for years to come. Until the Brothers reinvent the wheel for a fourth time, that is. And as such, the rating for this film is for something that could easily end up becoming highly influential classic.
Bring on Speed Racer 2!
Hey now, the Wachowski Bros. did a pretty good job with V for Vendetta, but I have to agree with the fact that they did spend $160 million on a cartoon that might be cool playing in the background of some Hipster bar. Let’s face it, it never translated well into our culture, it was viewed as comic at best with all the “let’s go Speed, hahah” because of dubbing issues, and to make a movie loyal to the cartoon is a mistake on a plethora of levels.
Personally, part of me enjoys when hollywood flops. Generally because of their arrogant, out of touch, “do as we say cause we’re rich and pretty and that makes us smarter than you” attitude and the fact that, in the grand scheme of things, they are probably the least important part of American society, so it’s hard to feel bad for them.
I had hoped they would do a great job with Speed Racer as it was one of my favorites as a kid, but they turned it into some kind of CGI nightmare that has no resemblance at all for those of us potential nostalgia seekers.
Emile Hirsch is hot, why didn’t they work that angle.
It was lousy marketing on WB’s part to market this film to young boys, they should have marketed it to teen girls and the tween sect. Hirsch should have been everywhere within the last three weeks of the release of this film. Speed Racer is a great movie and should have been released at Christmas instead, like the Grinch and, I think I Am Legend was released in November last year. Whoever marketed this film should be fired, immediately. They suck! A movie this good should have found its audience, easily. It is the WB’s fault that the public did not get proper information about this movie and they were penalized for it by low ticket sales – shame on the WB.
The only thing wrong with this film was the timing of the opening weekend. I want to see this film, but it’s just not something you want to watch on Mother’s Day (shoot, getting Mom to go to a crowd packed theater is impossible anyway)
And it’s too close to Iron Man which is a good movie. If they had delayed the opening to next week, I’m sure it would have done better.
It is a sad commentary on the state of hollywood scripts these days, that they have to dredge up every second-rate saturday morning has-been television show and try to create a blockbuster. The real problem is that if you take away the CG ability of any studio, they are unable to create a movie that would return its own investment. Maybe its time to reach out beyond the usual suspects and look for screenplays from unknown writers. I’ve read some that would make fantastic films, some even oscar-worthy with the right direction. Unfortunately, the business is dominated by idiots who couldn’t read a script if they had to.
“Honey, let’s go see Speed Racer”
“Are you kidding? With the price of gas, the new great depression and our sub-prime mortgage overdue?”
“Ok, then let’s go see Iron Man again”
“Cool!”
Sorry, but Iron Man does not have a higher recognition rate than Speed Racer. Most people know what SR is. Most have never heard of Iron Man before the movie.
Me and my wife saw Speed Racer and I thought it was a movie she was going to hate and she actually liked it. It may be a little to violent for very young children but it was pretty entertaining and John Goodmand was awesome.
Umm…….Tron anyone?
Hollywood keeps making the same movies over and over again. The reason is simple, the PC crowd has won. Stop and think about it, they can’t make Cowboy and Indian movies; the war movies Hollywood wants to make has the USA as the bad guys and we won’t pay to see that; that leaves remakes of “safe” topics as their only remaining option. Personally I’m glad Hollywood is crashing, I’ve seen probably 5 good movies in the last 10 years. The rest sould be classified as “B” movies during Hollywood’s golder years.
This could have been a good summer movie for the old Gen-x croud that watched this cartoon, I personally loved it back then.
The problem is, they tricked it up to the point that it resembles nothing that we saw as kids, nothing and kids now basically know nothing about the character at all!
Too bad the wrong people made this movie, too slick, too animated, too fast and hard to watch!
Wow have these posts seen the movie or just the trailer, saw the movie with my 11, 9, and 8 year olds and thought it was a pretty good movie. I used to watch Speed Racer as a kid and thought it would be hard for them to capture the essence of the cartoon but they actually did just that. I recommend it as a good fun clean movie. Guessing that’s why the Holly weirds did like it. Good family fun don’t beleive the negative propaganda probably with an agenda.
This weekend I did something I dreaded, I went to see Speed Racer. I had promised my five year old son that I would take him to it. He loves Speed Racer (the cartoon). He is a car guy kid. He loves cars and motorcycles.
So, I took him to the movie. They took a retro future approach in the movie. The clothes/furniture were ultra 60’s mod to a degree, while the cars were ultra futursitic, but in a retro Sci-Fi way. In other words, like the cartoon the W brothers tried to view the future from the 60’s. This let the movie have a very cartoony look, which was heightened further by the Brady Bunch influence of having bright green Astroturf lawns for the outdoor scenes.
I was pleasently surprised by the movie itself. It was certainly not any Oscar material, but it had a good cast that played what was demanded of them well.
I do not believe that it was poorly acted as some declare. It was instead acted as if it was a cartoon. Everything had a stilted hamminess to it such as you found in the original source material. The only thing lacking was the 500 mile per hour speech that was in the original. They opted for frentic pacing in the action, rather than the dialog.
Speaking of the action, yes it was herky jerky. But, it too was true to the cartoon in many ways. The characters in the source were animated very poorly. Or, to put it better they were actually animated very little. A kick would be someone in a stiff position midair just flying through the air. Much of the action in the film was done in the same manner. Limiting movement fluidity in the fight scenes was an interesting concept. It seemd to work well for the audience, and it was a scene that my son and daughter really enjoyed.
The race scenes. I agree with another poster on here, the cross country race scenes were much better than the final race from which most the trailers came from. Those were the scenes where the over the top gadgetry of the Mach 5 were employed. It is what my son wanted to see. The race was much easier to follow than the final race. BUT, none of the racing in the movie was nearly as bad as for what I had prepared. I had read that it was impossible to keep up with what was going on, etc. I did not find this to be true. Yes, there were some cuts and flashes, but they were conveying an absolutely frentic pacing of what was happening in this retro future version of racing. The cars in the source material are over the top, ordinary filming of these racing antics and absurd tracks would be just too tame.
Inappropriate things for children. There were some. The finger was flashed by a child. It was not only inappropriate, but unnecessary. I am not sure why they did that and it was something we talked about on the way home. Cursing – I only remember one word –
s#!t – and it was bleeped out. Again, unnecessary and I was disappointed that it was in there. The pirana (sp?) scene. I did not find it too bad, it was hidden from view and my sone actually liked the cartoonish pirana and other fish.
Final analysis/opinion.
I think the mistake that the Wachowski brothers made with this film is that they made it largely unaccessible. They did not develop the characters/plot to a mainstream audience. Somewhere they got too tied down with stylizing the film and did not just sit and make a good story to go with it. I see why they had all their elements I discuss above, I just don’t see that they really work together to make a whole coherent piece. I did enjoy the film. I had some laughs, the cross country race was a blast, and the fight scenes were very funny. Bad guys were really bad and very caricatured – just like the source material. And good guys were very good/wholesome. Sprital is just as annoying. Fun film. I would not see it again.
I think the brothers tried to make something fun and they did miss the mark, because people want to see something that dark, demented, and jaded. Spoiler alert – It had a feel good ending – no one shooting their own kid (Mist), or drinking milkshakes then murdering someone(TWBB), or the hero dies and the bad guy walks away (NCFOM).
This was colorful visual candy, granted 2 hours can be a bit much. But I applaud them for trying to make something that was positive, over the top, and stuck to original aesthetic. It could have worked, and yet might still do well – as you should never under estimate the kiddy market. When summer hits, if it stays in theaters, it will make more in the coming weeks.
*man speaking in pressured speech* Oh no, the Mach 5 is all crashed up, where is Speed, I don’t know, I hope is ok, if he is not then I will be upset for letting him race, I knew it wasn’t a good idea!
Speedracer cartoon was awesome because it was so BAD!!!
You can’t make a serious movie off of something bad, it should have been made to be corny and terrible, would have been great for the laughs. The Dexter’s Lab Speedracer episode was awesome, it should have been left at that.
It’s too bad that Speed Racer doesn’t have more of a following. It’s a good movie for what it is and less in-your-face with its politics than Iron Man. I also appreciate cartoon based movies that are appropriate enough to let my 6-year old brother see. It seems these days so many of these movies have flashy cartoony trailers but turn out to be much too adult for the audience it seems to target. This was certainly the case for Iron Man and Transformers.
When are studios going to do a simlutaneous release in the theater and DVD? People just don’t go to see as many movies in the theater anymore and most will wait until it hits stores now. Someday someone will try it and it will be a huge cash cow and then everyone else will follow along.
Sometimes too much glitz and SFX make for a bad movie. Speed Racer’s animation appeal was with crude early generation Japanimation and long periods of quiet talking or investigation, not the SFX blitz-fest that this movie tries to dazzle ones eyeballs out with. A much more subdued, realistic movie would have done better, I think.
It is a shame that Speed Racer did so poorly, considering it is a great family picture, while still being a good fit for the prototypical action-type film. These days, it gets hard to find a film (aside from Pixar) that can entertain both adults and children without resorting to explicit violence or language. I took my 3 year old, and we enjoyed all 2 hours plus of cinematic eye candy. Couple that with a decent plot and great performances by every actor, I would definitely watch it again.
Iron Man, while being a blockbuster, leaves me hesitant to take a child of my son’s age, due to the physical violence I have seen in the trailers. I am an Iron Man fan from the way back, and I’d like to see it myself, but I doubt I will be taking my son due to the violence that seems to sell this summer blockbuster.
The trailer looked goofy to me.
I saw this with my 7 year old and was very embarrassed, shocked, and disappointed with the violence (blood, beatings, piranha) and language. How did this get a PG rating? At the end my son said it was boring. It was difficult to follow with the flashbacks, and unclear plot. We actually thought the karate scenes were the best part of the film.
Worst movie I’ve ever paid to see.
The fundamental problem with Speed Racer is that it was a kid’s movie and kids by and large don’t drive themselves to the theater. When your target audience doesn’t have a drivers’ license you have an automatic problem.
They had to convince parents to take their kids to see the movie. First, kids are not clamoring to see Speed Racer – it’s not that popular an anime’ series. Narnia, Iron Man, Harry Potter – those are the franchises kids threaten to throw themselves in front of a train if they don’t get taken to.
Secondly it wasn’t that popular a franchise when parents were kids. SR was poorly drawn and had a sucky storyline. Parents looking for eye candy would have been drawn to Iron Man more than Speed.
Finally word got around there was vulgar language and the infamous Bird. Parents didn’t feel that comfortable sending their kids to see it.
All in all that explains why it did so poorly. It will make its money in the video rental market if anywhere.
this really needs to be sent right back to japan, right now WB’s..
I took my kids to see Speed Racer this weekend. The boys loved it, my daughter, not so much.
I think it is a positive story and very appealing visually, as others have posted. But the run time is a little long.
I also think the critics trashed it, and that didn’t help. Many were looking for The Matrix on wheels, which is unfair. I ignore critics when it comes to G rated movies, because they almost always miss what a kid will like.
It remains to be seen whether or not current audiences will watch a great film about automobile racing (or automotive themes, for that matter), because Hollywood hasn’t produced one in almost three decades.
(And just because “Talladega Nights” generated big BO with crude and “racy” humor in a NASCAR setting doesn’t make it a great RACING movie. Nor does the “01″ painted on the side of the “Jumpin’ General Lee” make the “Dukes of Hazzard” mess great).
“Speed Racer” merely bloats the list of acerebrially stupid “car racing” movies, along with such forgettable duds as “The Fast and The Furious” franchise, “Da[ze] of Thunder,” “Six Pack,” “Stroker Ace,” “Driven” and others that are simply too horrible to mention.
“Speed Racer” flopped because it was: (a) too ridiculous to appeal to knowledgeable automobile enthusiasts, hot rodders, racing fans and other “gearheads;” (b) too coarse and crude for sensitive family audiences; (c) too old and obscure for trend-savvy kids; & (d) too heavy on the computer-generated, video-game FX for older, more serious cinema afficionados.
What a waste!
Maybe WB can sign Uwe Bolle to do a Speed Racer sequel…
Box Office Flop?
I’m not surprised. I am a huge SR fan from childhood. When I heard that they were going to make a movie I was very excited that they would Make a real life version of the show. When I saw the trailer I was mortified. Make an animation or make a movie but don’t try to combine the two. What a joke.
I’m very disappointed that this is all we will ever get for a movie but very glad these two idiots will eat it for trashing a great idea.
I saw it, I liked it, then again I also watched the cartoon as a kid.
I took both of my boys, they liked it even more than I did but then again they are into the hot wheels racing tracks so it was a perfect fit. Everyone but the wife liked it and first thing home my kids wanted to build a race car or at least fix a pretend engine in their bikes. I thought it was a great flick and this is the first movie in 5 years that I went to a theater to see the last one being X-Men but that one wasn’t for kids.
I do wish they would have cut the part where the bird was flipped and cuss words but know they had to get a PG rating to attract degenerates. Cheaters never prosper = good message seems like the American public can’t get into good story line even if it was designed for the ADD/ADHD audience with the jumps forward and backward inside of the characters minds.
I will get it on DVD also and try to locate the older 60’s material since the garbage that passes for cartoons today have no lasting message.
It’s funny reading these comments – “my wife and I went to see it”. Stop right there. Your wife and you went to see a movie based on a child’s cartoon, marketed to children and directly aimed at children? A time comes when a man needs to begin thinking as a man, and concerning himself with matters of men.
There is nothing – nothing – about Speed Racer that appeals to a mature adult. And yet, Speed Racer has to appeal to adults, because the only audience this execrable show ever had is now in their 40’s. It’s not as if they took a concept aimed at children and recast it in a grown up incarnation. This cinematic equivalent of a pixie stick failed because, like a pixie stick, it is sugary color with no real content best consumed by children. Except Speed Racer’s time passed by decades ago…
“Hancock”looks like a money maker,you can always bank on Will Smith.He could play Obama and get away with it!
The Comment by ModernRock — May 12, 2008 @ 8:26 am
says it all. Best review I’ve read or heard.
No real surprise about this; sure, “Speed Racer” was remembered by baby boomers, but in a campy way, sort an anime “Scooby-Doo” (but viewed more derisively).
Ah, Jeff Robinov gets his comeuppance — and based upon his comments about female leads in movies, it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. If “Speed Racer” bombs, Robinov is dismissed and “Wonder Woman” is revived, this bomb cloud may yet have a silver lining.
I think it was unmarketable. I’ve seen the trailers and I don’t really know how they could have improved them. The only reason I saw it was because the friend I was going to go see Iron Man with couldn’t go so I went to something else. I’m glad I did ’cause this movie was awesome. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I do agree thought that the marketing for it didn’t catch my attention and the overly critical reviews definitely didn’t help.
Whoever said Ironman was based on a ‘cartoon’. NO! It’s a comic book! Maybe, you don’t think it’s up their with the boring Hills, but comic books are incredibly cool.
Cartoon, oh wait you’re talking about Speed Racer…. whatever.
HOW MANY PEOPLE SPOUTING OFF HERE ACTUALLY SAW THE MOVIE? You know, it WASN’T BAD. It was too long and there were one or two scenes I would have cut (the ninja scenes particularly) but I actually found myself enjoying it. The trailers made me not want to see it (it looked like crap from the trailers) but being dragged to see it, I actually found myself enjoying it. When it comes to your local $3 second-run movie house, why don’t some of you go see it? It’s no work of art, but for summer esapest entertainment I found myself actually enjoying it.
If I made 20 million for the first weekend with an opening on Mothers day I wouldn’t call that a FLOP! How many of you have brought in that kind of money?
I thought the visuals were stunning, story line not so much but it did capture all of the “Speed Racer” Saga. I want to see what happens next weekend, I suspect the turnout was low due to the cost of gas.
How soon will it be until an American Inventor will come up with a “TRANSPONDER” that does away with the high cost of Gas?
Stay tuned……More to come…..In the next installment of Speed Racer on DVD!
I am a 59 years old, female, and an avid movie goer. I usually see 2 movies a week. I saw both “What Happens In Vegas” and “Speed Racer” yesterday. Hated Vegas and really enjoyed Speed Racer. The audience for Speed Racer appears to be 20-somethings who hoot and cheer all through the movie. They really seemed to get into it.
Emile Hirsch is not eye candy or a star. Whose idea was this? How were the bros. able to pull the wool over the studio’s eyes that this guy would have some kind of giant pull?? Too bad. I would have loved to see it with someone interesting & dashing.
i’m not sorry for the wachowskis. after the matrix and what they did to get that movie, they got what they deserved with this flop.
What a GREAT movie! Most fun I’ve had at the theater in many, many years. I was just so happy watching it, I actually got emotional. Definitely will see it again!
I disagree with some posters claims that Speed Racer’s poor performance had something to do with the limited appeal of the franchise.
The truth is, this film is absolutely horrible.
I am a lifelong fan of the original cartoons, an avid gamer, and lover of The Matrix. And I could not force myself to look at the theater screen for the entirety of this film. So. We walked out halfway in. Thank god my son fell asleep and was spared the torture.
Still, for the next few hours I felt as if someone had stuffed me full candy and put an icepick in the back of my head. Not a pleasant experience. I nearly threw up from the combination of sensory overload and total lack of coherent story.
My summary? The directors have clearly gone completely insane… There is no possible way that anyone with a grip on reality — let alone the franchise — would create something as masturbatory and patently offensive as this pile of technicolor trash.
Please do not blame this disaster on the franchise… Speed is but innocent bystander in this crash-and-burn Hollywood tragedy.
When I first heard of the movie was being made I told myself it would recapture my childhood or it would be destroyed. I was expecting destroyed (see also Star Wars prequels)
When the first trailer came out and I saw what looked like the Mach 6 doing a loop de loop. My mind went WTF? He did not drive the Mach 6 and what kind of race track was that he was driving on?
I will admit I am a huge Speed racer fan and it breaks my heart that it failed at the box office. I do not think it has anything to do with recognition or the property. Most people knew nothing of Iron Man and it is doing really well. I think Dark Knight and Iron man are the two best superhero movies made to date; but that is a different topic.
Transformers was a cartoon that was campy and cheap but it made tons of money so property can be created.
Speed racer failed because of the story. the script was bad. It should have been marketed to kids but it was not. Sadly I think any of the skp kids movies were better than this one.
The argument that g rated movies or pg movies do not bring in adults is wrong. Look at movies like Night at the Museum, Cars and finding Nemo drew in all kinds of adults.
SR did not know who it was going for. I do think that Sprittle flipping the bird was the make or break for parents. Word was out about that scene well before it came out. Much like parents did not take kids to see transformers due to the masterbation sequence.
If the W bros had so much love for speed racer why would they do it? Was it pressure to make it edgy for the 13 year old?
They sold us the sizzle but there was no steak at the end people caught on before they bought. Here are some of the problems with the movie.
The script was god aweful. The movie was too long. The whole market manipulation was almost too much for an adult to follow. You want kids to get it not be futher confused.
Speed racer races cars, namely the Mach 5. The multi continent race was more car wrestling than racing. There is an episode of SR about car wrestling and it is one of the worst ones. There was no real sense of danger or death. If you crashed you were incased in some bubble. People died in the original SR. Racer X is there to save speed at his own expense of winning. He was relegated to being a spectator in the final race; unmasked at that.
Snake Oiler was all wrong. Where was the cool helmet and visor? Snake was cool, vicious and had no regard for others. This Oiler was just whiny b-otch. How about the car acrobatic team. Skull Duggery where was he? The whole sequence with what I thought was mamoth car seemed like it was added in after the fact. It was like the W bros said oh what else can we add in. heck they got a ref to the GRX.
I never flet speed had to overcome great odds to win the last race. He just had to restart the car. He didn’t even race his way in and if speed is going to win he need to it in the Mach 5 in a race that looks more like a rally race than FX racer.
I will pine for what could have been and it went wrong with the Mach 6 in the first trailer. Well, the only good news is I will find lots of mach 5’s in the clearance section of Target.
I’m a 20 year old male moviegoer. I grew up watching it on Cartoon Network and I remember always looking excited whenever it came on.
Yes, I admit it bombed FINANCIALLY but creatively and other respects?! NO! Far from it! Yes I did love and enjoy Iron Man but I was more in the edge-of-my-seat in Speed Racer than in Iron Man hence me giving this a higher rating than the more popular Iron Man.
I do pity the people who didn’t watch because of slavishly listening to the critics or getting put off by a trailer that did not do the film justice in any way whatsoever. I guess its the fault of the marketing department for this Box Office Flop. They put it out during the wrong time of the year when there are other BIGGER films out in the market which is sad. Perhaps late in the Fall would have been more suitable.
I hope and am sure that people will know better when the DVD comes out!
You are all so cynical! With some notable exceptions (the younger brother and chimp were overused, the faces in front of the story slide effect was overused, ricci and fox were underused – probably to leave room for a sequel, and the story needed 16 minutes shaved off of it), this was an AWESOME movie with a positive message that paid excellent homage not just to the original series, but to classic anime sensibilities in general. Yes, Iron Man was fantastic as well, and Narnia/Indy/et al pose serious competition, but Speed Racer deserves a lot more praise than it’s getting. There’s a strong possibility that it’s actually too upbeat and heroic, too America circa 1965 than, say, America circa 2005. Why this movie is not making a TON of money in Japan and Europe is beyond me! I could have gone to see Narnia or Iron Man (again), but I opted to see Speed Racer a second time because it’s flopping. Hopefully, some small portion of my $madmoney will get to the Wack.Bros. for writing what was an above average script. The Fx in this movie were unbelievably cool, though maybe not quite as jaw-dropping as T2:JD or Matrix 1. I aspire to be a decent screenwriter and a large chunk of this film was inspirational. Maybe someday I’ll be producing a movie like this every month and then you’ll really have something to gripe about, HUH? This movie was AWESOME and you’re all a bunch of cynical morons!!!
I saw this movie last night with my 13 year old daughter. We were both laughing and cheering for Speed in the end. I watched the cartoon when I was a kid and I am now 41. For those that say the plot was hard to figure out. How is that ? A story that pits good versus evil and a person who does not give into the temptation of money to do what is right. My daughter liked it a lot and said “we need to buy this one on DVD”
Yes it is futuristic, but so was the cartoon for it’s time. Speed Racer along with my Grandfather got me hooked on cars and racing as a hobby. It was an escape from reality. I for one do not want to see a movie that is based on political or current events, I want to escape to fun and this movie was a lot of fun.
GO SPEED RACER GO!!!!!!!!
OK now I am going to be the first anime fan to say that Speed Racer Sucked!!! Any moron with half a brain can see this was a bad idea from the beginning. Taking a 1960’s retro anime which even by Japanese standards is forgettable. I knew from the moment I saw the trailer that this was going to crash and burn big time. Taking a 160+ million dollar film and targeting 7-10 year olds was a major miscalculation. It should have been made for an older audience if all all.
It had potential at first but I should have known with the Wachowski Brothers behind it. It was going to be a disaster. Ever since after the first Matrix films they have shown what fakes are. The Matrix wasn’t completely original as they borrowed a lot from Ghost In The Shell and others. Even though they did give them credit from that. Speed Racer has just nailed their coffin for good!! I do hope in a way though this doesn’t effect other anime projects which do show some potential.
The two projects that show the most potential are Battle Angel (James Cameron) and Ghost In The Shell (Steven Spielberg) which have mass appeal and are widely known even outside anime circles. At least there is some good news in a sea of bad. They are several other projects either in production or on the table which I don’t have as much faith in. Akira, DragonBallZ, RoboTech Ninja Scroll & Evangelion which thankfully is in pre-production hell at the moment.
All in all this likely is good news in that many of these projects may get scrapped and prevent further disasters later on. Although I have to admit I wouldn’t mind seeing shows like Record Of Lodoss War, The Twelve Kingdoms, Halo, Gears Of War, Devil May Cry and other anime or game themed movies get made. Many of these shows could make great movies if Hollywood would just have enough insight and perspective to do so. After all that’s what made them popular in the first place.
All you have to do is look at movies like The Lord Of the Rings, Transformers, X-men or Iron Man. These are all great examples and major risks in their own right but payed off big-time. In closing while I have to agree with the majority here that Speed Racer was a disaster beyond words aka Waterworld lol. I won’t go as far as saying that all deserve the same treatment. It all comes down to who is behind the camera and is pulling the strings. Great effects don’t equal a great movie. It is the complete package that counts.
speedracer is a really cool movie.they should have come in first place.i hope they make a second movie of speedracer.because if they dont it wont make any sence.i really hope they do.lets hope that in the 2nd movie racer x reveals that hes speeds brother.
I saw this movie about a week ago, and I thought it was really awesome. Casting was spot on, the effects is what is, and I respect that. I wasn’t even a Speed Racer fan to begin with, but the movie has a lot to give.
This was a very good movie for all ages. It is fantasy and all you needed to enjoy this movie was a little imagination. The acting was very good and true to character. Some idiot compared it to Casablanca, a true classic, but this movie had morals and stressed family values, something most other movies do not. It was torn up by critics that live in Hollywoodland where there is no room for family values, trust, committment, and loyality.
Then again, why is America in it current state of falling to pieces?