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What is the first thought that comes to mind when you think of the Wachowski Brothers? If you thought dark, labyrinthine cinema that is visually inventive (but also demands that you take a friend along to help clarify all the on-screen confusion over a post-screening cappuccino) you'd probably be right.
So it is quite a testament to the scale of the genre-jumping undertaken by the W siblings that they have crafted a candy-coloured children's film that could well become the standard by which other such movies are judged, from now on.
Welcome to the universe of Speed Racer.
For the uninitiated, that isn't a grammatically questionable title designed to attract attention by the weird way in which the words 'speed' and 'racer' sit next to each other. Based on a Japanese manga and anime from the 1960s called Mach GoGoGo, it is the name of the lead character (from the English version of the cartoon) -- the middle child in a family of race car builders and enthusiasts.
Essayed by actor Emile Hirsch (seen most recently in the real-life adventure tragedy Into The Wild), our hero is the archetypal conflicted character driven by his need to be strapped into a spectacularly fast machine while being constantly reminded of the meteoric rise and heart-breaking fall of his older brother.
This how it goes. Speed was inducted into the world of racing by his older brother Rex (Scott Porter, last seen as Hugh Grant's ex-bandmate in Music and Lyrics) who inexplicably quits the racing circuit to participate in a dangerous cross-country race where he is killed in a freak accident.
See, even though the races seem pretty crazy, the cars are always equipped with elaborate safety devices that ensure that a driver is unhurt even if his car is blown to smithereens. For reasons unknown, the safety features in Rex's car didn't kick in and the family (comprising John Goodman and Susan Sarandon as the parental unit, Christina Ricci as Speed's girlfriend Trixie, Paulie Litt as his younger brother Spritle and their pet chimp Chim Chim) have never completely recovered from the loss of the eldest son.
When Speed is wooed by major corporations offering him fame and riches in return for his services as their driver, he comes face-to-face with Mr. Royalton, the head of Royalton Industries and the man most determined to bring Speed into his corporate fold. The movie soon becomes a battle of wits and gumption versus power and evil. The boy racer must try and win despite all the roadblocks cast in his path to the Grand Prix by the mighty businessman with the ego and plans for world domination that seem to be the complimentary add-on sold with every package of 'rich successful corporate head honcho'.
Trying to imagine how this movie will unfold is not a stretch of imagination. Trying to wrap your mind around the sheer eye-candy flashing before your eyes might be a little harder. It is almost a cliche now to expect visual innovation in a movie by the Wachowski Brothers but they deliver yet again. Whereas the first Matrix film was a pretty good approximation of a live-action anime, this time around they have succeeded in creating a live-action children's cartoon.
During several key sequences the scenes are not so much cut together as much as they are transitioned together. The colour-rich palette is employed in several innovative ways to constantly have the viewer in a state of awe (or on the verge of an epileptic seizure; take your pick) from the visuals unfolding on screen.
Remember how the techniques used in Sin City went on to foster the visual splendour of 300? This is the next step from those achievements and it's a pretty dazzling one.
Overall, the story itself is a simple David versus Goliath tale and as such it plays out with all the usual rises and falls native to such yarns. By also making it a parable about corporate greed and the dangers of 'fixing' inherent in all organised sport, it attempts to ground itself squarely in a modern context while proudly displaying its retro-futuristic peacock feathers.
The performances are largely competent with Emile Hirsch managing to comfortably embody the form and carriage of a young racing enthusiast with a great weight on his shoulders. Goodman and Sarandon do their best with what little they are given while little Paulie Litt runs away with every scene he is in. It's only Christina Ricci who never quite seems to fully appear as someone who actually belongs in a movie like this one.
The Wachowskis get major points for going visually where no other film has gone before. It would have been nice if they could have taken the story along with them. In the final analysis, if you have kids, or can manage to feel as awestruck as one, this film is for you.
Rediff Rating: 