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Thursday May 8, 2008

Category: Action/Adventure , Fantasy , Movies , Reviews

Speed Racer

B+

Audience:	4th - 6th Grades
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG for sequences of action, some violence, language and brief smoking.
Profanity:	Some brief bad words, s-word bleeped but still obvious, character gives "the finger"
Nudity/Sex:	One kiss
Alcohol/Drugs:	Smoking
Violence/Scariness:	Intense acton violence and peril including flesh-eating fish, bomb, guns, kung fu, and racing accidents, sad off-screen death
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters
Movie Release Date:	May 9, 2008

Andy and Larry Wachowski, the folks behind the Matrix trilogy, have taken the iconic but decidedly low-tech 1960's Japanese cartoon character and put the pedal to the metal with dazzling effects and electrifying action. Do what Speed Racer does -- put on your red socks and GO!

Even as a child, Speed Racer could only think of one thing, making cars go as fast as possible. Not surprising -- he was surrounded by racing. The family business was race cars. His father (John Goodman) built them and his older brother drove them. When his brother is killed in a crash, Speed (Emile Hirsch) takes over. On and off the race track he battles the competition, even when they do not fight fairly. By his side are his parents, his little brother, his and his girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci, looking like a real-life version of an anime heroine with her enormous eyes).

The plot is pretty much the same as the cartoon series, meaning light-weight and a little incoherent. Basically, evil forces are trying to stop Speed from winning the race. The sections with the kid brother and his chimp are slow points for everyone over age 9 but it is all great fun, with a hero to believe in and visuals that are both reassuringly retro and stunningly innovative. Every wallpaper and fabric, each car, helmet, and racetrack is meticulously designed to evoke a mash-up between Speed's Norman Rockwell-style, solidly heartland home and the souped-up super space age world outside. The Wachowskis re-invent the color wheel with reds and yellows that make fire engines and school buses seem pale.

The dialogue is pared down to essentials: "You think you can drive a car and change the world? It doesn't work like that!" "Maybe not, but it's the only thing I know how to do and I gotta do something." The plot is no more significant (or confusing) than in the cartoon originals. All we need to know is that in the world of Speed Racer you can drive a car and change the world -- if you drive it very, very fast.

Parents should know that this film includes intense action-style sequences of fighting, a sad (offscreen) death, perilous car races and crashes, sabotage, some potty humor, a bleeped (but obvious) four-letter word, a character who gives "the finger," some mild language, and smoking.

Family discussion: Why didn’t Speed Racer want to accept Royalton’s offer? Why couldn’t Racer X tell the truth?

If you like this, try: the original Speed Racer cartoon series and the new Speed Racer comic books.

Comments (17)

Filed Under: cars, christina ricci, emile hirsch, speed racer

posted by Nell Minow @ 6:00pm Permalink email icon Email This Add to:

Comments

My 8 year old daughter and I enjoyed the movie for the most part, but we were both shocked at the amount of bad language and some of the violence.

The cartoonish kung fu sequences were fine, but the "torture" of one of the drivers as well as the finger in the fish tank were too much for her.

The language may have been "mild" as described here, but it was the quantity that we did not like--there were over 5 swear words, closer to 10.

The language and the boy flipping the middle finger was not necessary, added nothing and in fact, given that this is supposed to be a family film, was distracting--

It was visually interesting and action packed, but we both thought it was much more of a PG-13 than PG film.

Posted by: emily | May 27, 2008 7:28 PM

We took our two children to this movie (ages 7 and 12). We got up and left after hearing multiple cuss words, covering our 7 year old's eyes during the torture scene, watching the young boy flip someone off, etc.... We had no idea what we were walking into but we sure thought that it would be OK to take our kids too since it was called "Speed Racer" and it was rated PG - Boy were we wrong! It is a real shame that a Board of Parents (MPAA) would give this a PG rating. The theatre was filled with small children of all ages who learned some new, inappropriate words and gestures and felt the anxiety and fear of violence and threats. All so unnecessary and such a shame. Maybe the MPAA has no control over what goes into the making of a movie but if they would have given this movie (and many others) the ratings that they deserve, they would protect many children from being exposed to so many of these unhealthy actions and images. It may seem like all kids are doing it, saying it and seeing it but in actuality many parents are still trying to set good examples with healthy morals and values.

Posted by: Lisa | May 27, 2008 11:49 PM

I took my almost-7 year old son to see this. It was his very first PG movie, and I'll admit mostly because I wanted to see it. Having read your review beforehand, I warned him that there would be fighting, etc. ("it's all pretend") and some rude words. What surprised me was that he recognized the middle finger gesture(!) and even commented to me that he would NEVER do something so rude as that. LOL - I guess my boy isn't as sheltered as I had thought he was... I mean, at home we never even watch commercial TV - he's only seen PBS kids - but he knew all of the words in the movie, even though I've never heard him use them. Not only was he unphazed by the violence and language, he gave me quite the learning experience. We had an interesting conversation in the car on the way home. He pretty much assumed that the fight scenes were from the world of make-believe, but was seriously interested in the designing of the car and whether the physics of driving upside-down and up a cliff face were possible.

Posted by: monkie | May 28, 2008 8:53 PM

Thanks so much, Monkie, Lisa, Emily, and Shawn. I am sorry to tell you that what used to get a PG-13 now gets a PG and what used to get an R now gets a PG-13. I am working on a blog post about the ratings system and some of my thoughts about it. Basically, the changes in the rating system reflect the changes in what is considered acceptable material on broadcast television, radio, and newspapers. As I am sure you have all noticed, that has coarsened considerably over the past few years (not to mention playgrounds, probably the source of Monkie's son's "education").

Words like a**, d***, h*** are considered acceptable for a PG, and I generally refer to them as "mild language." Lisa, keep in mind that the MPAA is an organization created by and run by the movie studios, and is on their side, not the side of parents. That's how I got started doing what I do.

I hope the information I provide here -- and the comments of other parents -- will help Beliefnet readers make choices they can feel good about and avoid bad surprises and to help families do what Monkie described in having good conversations with their families about what they see. You are all more than welcome to write me anytime with comments, complaints, and suggestions.

Posted by: Nell Minow | May 28, 2008 10:54 PM

I went to see this (I'm in 6th grade) and it scared me so badly that I had to leave. I was there for about 30 minutes, and I had to close my eyes and leave the theater at the torture scene. We went to see Nim's Island instead, which was a great movie.

Posted by: Mary | June 10, 2008 3:08 PM

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Thursday May 8, 2008

Speed Racer

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