Recounting the plot of Speed Racer does the film no favors. The story might suffice for one of the 30-minute episodes of the animated Speed Racer produced in the 1960s, but stretched into a two-hour-plus feature, it’s both too thin for older viewers and too confusing for the younger viewers who will find the story most compelling.

Nevertheless, the film largely succeeds because of its spectacular visual effects. The Wachowskis have created a kids’ fantasy world where the home-assembled racetracks in boys’ bedrooms become larger-than-life race courses. Cars lose their grip on the track’s hairpin turns—just as they do on toy race tracks—but usually stabilize and keep going. Occasionally a car and driver meet a bad end, but the imagery of crashes and explosions is brief.

What’s most bothersome about Speed Racer is the use of a few four-letter words and an instance where a precocious young boy (Paulie Litt, playing Speed’s younger brother, Spritle) extends his middle finger at a screen villain. This gesture scored a big laugh at an advance screening of Speed Racer, although it’s hard to believe many parents will see the humor in Spritle’s behavior. As for the language, the few expletives come as a surprise because the early part of the film features exclamations such as “cool beans!”—a sign that Speed Racer is aimed at younger viewers and makes no pretense of being for “tweeners” or those who think a live-action/animated hybrid movie is beneath them.

Although the film does not cater to adults, it does contain a few references that older viewers will appreciate. For instance, Royalton tells Speed he remembers working on a Commodore 64 computer in his basement—an amusing comment amongst the wildly inventive, computer-generated vistas of Speed Racer, and one that will go right over the heads of younger children today. The film’s themes of family support and reconciliation between parents and children should be appreciated by grown-ups and younger viewers alike.

The acting is serviceable, even fun in spots. Allam has the most fun as the villain, Royalton, while Hirsch is adequate but perfunctory as Speed. Goodman brings energy to the film, as does Litt, while Susan Sarandon, as Speed’s mother, glows in the early sequences before largely disappearing from the film.

Although the film probably won’t be remembered much beyond this summer, Speed Racer offers a couple hours of razzle-dazzle entertainment. A rarity among big-budget summer films, Speed Racer feels complete (if overlong) by the end of its running time, and doesn’t demand a sequel. How refreshing.

Questions? Comments? Contact the writer at crosswalkchristian@earthlink.net.

CAUTIONS:

• Language/Profanity:  “Da--,” “a--,” “My God,” “hell”; a young boy extends his middle finger at another character.
• Drugs/Alcohol:  Some drinking shown at gambling tables; Royalton asks Speed if he wants “bubbly” or rye whiskey.
• Sex/Nudity:  A kiss and nothing more.
• Violence:  A child punches another child; a boy drives into the bushes while staring at a girl; a young boy fights with a pet monkey; a racer is struck across the face several times and suspended from a great height; a racer is thrown from his vehicle; flesh-eating fish devour a man’s hand; bad car crashes and explosions; various dirty tricks during the races; martial arts combat; pistol and machine-gun fire; a big brawl.