These days, fans of anime enter every American film adaptation with little to no hope, packed with cynicism after countless awful entries. The very best of the genre remains the colorful, action-packed, utterly uncynical Wachowskis epic Speed Racer. The Speed Racer franchise, known in its native Japan as Mach GoGoGo, began life in 1966 as a manga by one of the most important figures in the art form, Tatsuo Yoshida. Yoshida founded Tatsunoko Productions, the groundbreaking anime studio which defined the medium from the sixties to the mid-nineties. The anime adaptation of Speed Racer gained enormous popularity after being brought to America.
Speed Racer is the tale of a young man living his dream of becoming a racecar driver. The titular Speed competes in increasingly dangerous races with colorful competition to prove himself and bring glory to his family auto shop. Speed races with the help of his parents and the memory of his older brother, who tragically died on the track. The young racer exhibits incredible feats of skill, driving his powerful Mach 5 with a wide variety of tricks and gadgets.
Speed also races alongside his girlfriend Trixie, his mysterious rival Racer X and his rookie ally Taejo Togokahn. Speed must contend with corrupt businessman E. P. Arnold Royalton, who offers him fame and riches at the cost of his integrity. Against countless brutal enemies, constantly heightening chaos, and the rising aggression of corporate dominance, Speed Racer must stay true to himself and find his own path down the racetrack.
Speed Racer's Struggles
This film comes from an unlikely source, the ever-controversial Wachowski sisters. The Wachowskis are among the most influential filmmakers of their generation, but have also been involved in a number of heavily panned features. If there is a single most common criticism of their work, it's that they value style over substance. The Matrix series is widely beloved, but detractors accuse it of being pretentious or hacky, covering up its shoddy writing with its clever effects. Speed Racer was not immune from that criticism, but like much of their work, a willing viewer will find more under the hood of this film.
Upon initial release, Speed Racer did not find success, for a number of reasons. One fairly obvious downfall was release date; this film hit cinemas exactly seven days after the Marvel Cinematic Universe's grand entrance in the form of Iron Man. It would be hard to think of a worse moment to release a cartoony action film than one week after the triumphant herald of the biggest empire in cinema history. On top of that, Speed Racer enjoyed staggeringly mixed reviews; some heaping praise on the film's visuals or atmosphere while others derided its story and humor. The prevailing opinion of the time was negative, but the thirteen years since its release has brought a massive cult following to this troubled project.
What The Movie Gets Right
What Speed Racer accomplishes is exactly what most anime adaptations fail to achieve. The film perfectly captures the spirit of its source material, while selling what made the franchise matter to people for all those years. Aside from Speed Racer, most American anime adaptations are either perfunctory or dreadful. Robert Rodriguez's Alita: Battle Angel is fun but largely unnecessary, and Adam Wingard's Death Note sullies its source's good name. Speed Racer justifies its own existence and doesn't ruin its source. It's more than just references, it's in the theming, the way they frame the action, the dreamlike visual design, and the devil-may-care commitment to unbridled emotion.
This film is sincere on a level that demands an open heart. Even its comedy, which has a tendency to fall flat, is absolutely going for it at every opportunity. Emile Hirsch portrays the title role with the vibe of a PG take on Ryan Gosling in Drive. Impassioned inner monologues about the spirit of the Mach-5 clash with mid-disaster commentary to create a fascinating character. The great John Goodman as Speed's father Pops is stern, encouraging and conveys real pride in his son. Roger Allam, known as Javert in the official London production of Les Miserables, brings an impressive level of intimidation to the role of Royalton. Not every actor holds up, but even the lackluster performances are buoyed by a charming script and an inspiring level of heart.
The big draw of Speed Racer is, of course, the visually stunning race scenes. The original Speed Racer codified the racing anime genre, laying the path for dynamic standouts like Redline, and the 2008 film seeks to raise the bar once again. The cinematography somehow manages to keep scene geography readable while constantly shifting elements and while every aspect of the imagery is moving at breakneck speed. The film uses visual tricks ahead of its time, occasionally inventing techniques credited to films released years later. From using the falling snow to create the series trademark speed lines to interpreting memories into dreamlike visions, this film is catharsis from beginning to end.
Speed Racer isn't perfect, but neither was the groundbreaking series that inspired it, but both defined the way anime is perceived in the west. Fans willing to open their heart and experience an impassioned ride can find Speed Racer on HBO Max today.