The movie trailer for Speed Racer is now online.
When I posted the first set of production photos this morning, I asked for your opinions. I was unable to make a judgement just looking at the still photos, but now that there is full motion video, here are my first thoughts: The Wachowski Brother’s wanted to make a “live-action cartoon”, but I think they instead made a “live-action videogame”. The results are jarring and are sure to polarize audiences. I think some movie fans will be super-hyped, while others will call this “lame and stupid”. I don’t see why the Wachowski’s are so set on making this a G-Rated movie, as the action seems to extreme for such a general audiences rating.
Please again, tell me what you guys think. I want first impressions!
You can also watch the new trailer in High Definition on Moviefone. Speed Racer hits theaters on May 9th 2008.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
well, it’s hard to say as the quality of video isn’t good, but the action looks good to me.
just seeing the mach 5 JUMPING just like the cartoon is enough for me! unless the story bites hard, really hard, i don’t see how this can’t be an enjoyable film.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
enjoyable perhaps, but in a thoughtless-drone kind of way (no offense, thats a quality genre in itself) - although the quality of the video is low im not blown away and mostly it feels like Wipeout: the movie…and honestly, who wants that?
December 6th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
First off, that’s not really the trailer. It’s obviously edited, with several sequences repeated and moved around.
I saw this on ET when it aired and I thought the visuals were spot-on for a film of this nature. I think the Wachowskis have created a world akin to that imaginary place we all drove our Hot Wheels in as children.
I also think that this is an important step in the use of green-screen/CGI background/Live action films. Previous uses of this format (Skycaptain, Sin City, 300, among others) were trying to show us worlds that, although stylized, we meant to be grounded in a reality we are familiar with. Even the Star Wars prequels were supposed to “feel” real.
Speed Racer is instantly, and obviously, different. This is a fantasy world, far removed from our own. Depth of field is different, physics are different, the whole world is fantastical. I think that this fits perfectly with bringing an animated source to the screen.
Finally film makers have decided not to take a cartoon and try to force it into our world.
The trailer doesn’t give us a real look at the whole package. The plot, or acting, or writing could let us down, and probably will. Let’s face it, 90% of all movies suck. But, we can be reasonably sure that Speed Racer is going to look cool as hell, and sell a sh*tload of toys…
December 6th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
First impression? Lame. Completely uninterested.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
We’ve added a high resolution version of the trailer above. Check it out!
December 6th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
that already look like a expansive turkey to me….WOW….HOPE WHENEVER THEY TEST…..THEY GET REAL P.O.V…ie…its so lame…send it to DVD
December 6th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Bring it on. This is like a Kayne West album cover come to life but even cooler. And great points, Apex.
No matter what, this is the first trailer I’ve watched 10 times in a row in Quicktime and I’ll prob watch a few dozen times more before the weekend. And it’s rated G. Unbelievable. Maybe G is the new R/NC-17.
This looks like the future of the theatrical experience to me, and if it reminds someone of F-Zero, so be it. The scene with the waitresses walking back and forth looks a little too green-screened to me, and some of the shots of Ricci don’t gel, but otherwise, it looks to be the perfect compliment of contrast to The Dark Knight this summer. Is that a bad thing?
And oh yeah, more theme song. Emil’s got the facial expressions from the cartoon down pat, and Goodman is just memerizingly accurate. What kid is America is jaded at this right now??? It’s just the adults. Don’t do cocaine or drink too much coffee, do Speed Racer.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Well, i’d like to see a little more, but as of now i’m interested in seeing this movie. As far as i’m concerned, let me ask this one question.
How else would a Speed Racer movie be portrayed? Also aren’t movies supposed to push the envelope? I’m willing to give this movie a chance.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Well, it’s a bit campy with the graphics, but it stays true to the original by the looks of it. The characters are all portrayed by phenomenal actors and they look perfect for the role. There seems to be quite a bit of action, comedy, and a side of romance and a bit of mystery for those not familiar with the original. It seems like the fan boys will love it.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Looks cool just please use the theme music from the cartoon, thats what gets the people who grew up on this hype .The producers of mission impoosible did it right they kept the music, but simply updated it . I think you guys need to do the same thing .can you imagine the mission imossible movies with out that cool theme music ? Pull the people in i’m teeling you cool them music ic critical
December 6th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
The movie looks eh.
But Emile Hirsch …what a pretty. I
I’ll see it just for him.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
I think it looks fantastic. Simple as that.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
What were we honestly supposed to expect from a Speed Racer adaptation? I’m rather glad that the Wachowskis didn’t modernize it and make it look all serious and predictable.
December 6th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
I’ll be optimistic, the Wachowskis can make “Speed Racer” a real fun, crowd pleasing film that is if they know their material well enough.
I would normally bash this kind of film because of studio’s lack of quality ,but I’ll have to wait in May to see how it really is.
December 6th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
the high def is amazing.
the snake cars, racer x’s car, a modern take, sure but they’ve captured the look of the original designs. how can this movie not be fun?? and rated G??
it doesn’t even look campy.
the only thing i might have trouble with is the mach 6. i much prefer the simpler design of the mach 5, tho the 6 does have 4 wheel steering. but it better have the homing bird or i might get upset.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Frankly, I think the movie is going to be stupid.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Im not going to lie, the first impression to me, seems like this is going to be worse than the Rollerball Remake, and that my friends. Was garbage.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
Honestly, I like the vibrant colors. That’s it.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
I’m so much more excited about this movie now. The only part I didn’t like was the dad spinning the ninja above his head… That’s just TOO corny. The rest of it looks awesome. I’m glad that something new is being attempted here and after seeing the adaptation for V for Vendetta, I’m confident in the Wachowski’s ability to stick to the source material, but adapt it just enough for the big screen.
Sure older audiences will say it looks childish and silly, but isn’t that the point? If you were a kid wouldn’t you be so freaking excited after watching that? The colors, the fast cars doing crazy stunts, I mean come on! This is going to be one of the coolest G-rated films ever.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
I really don’t understand why so many people are dumping all over this.(AICN boards) It’s something new and original. I think it looks pretty awesome. It’s an adaptation of a 60’s cartoon not an adaptation of a freakin’ classic American novel.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
I’m sure they’ll touch this up before its May release, but does anyone notice the greenscreen almost seeping through against actual actors in some of these scenes?? This is hard to describe…
For instance, when the girl waves the flag after the cars have zoomed by, it’s looks like the screen fades in front of her - almost like the effect of a camera flash wearing off.
Also, anyone know if there are plans to show this in 3-D? It’d seem like a waste not to include some 3-D in this flick.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Ok so imagine if speed racer was an original idea, now think of how absolutly stupid this trailer makes the movie seem.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
……i really don’t know what to say…..
December 6th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
The first 30 seconds had me going. The original theme music gave me an instant sense of nostalgia. After that however, it went downhill. The other characters looks immensely laughable and the graphics looks grainy rather than shiny and slick in the first sequences. Loved the voice-over and the music though. Hopefully a better trailer comes out soon.
December 6th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
I watched the trailer thinking, “I bet they’ll have missed one of the most important parts of the show.” Sure enough, they had it in there though. The original sound effect of the Auto Jacks! Glad the theme song is there as well.
Karl Johanson
Editor Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine
December 7th, 2007 at 12:16 am
I would think showing it in 3D would go against the whole aesthetic philosophy of the movie…it’s a cartoon, and animation is inherently 2D. Notice everything is in focus in every shot, just like a cartoon. My guess is that showing it in 3D would do the movie a tremendous disservice…but I’ll leave that decision up to the Wachowski brothers, naturally…
December 7th, 2007 at 12:18 am
Never mind, I take that back, I watched it again and saw plenty of depth of field…my bad.
December 7th, 2007 at 12:24 am
I’ll watch it because I’m a Speed Racer fan from when I was a kid. The trailer does look like a live version of the cartoon.
Whether it’s great or not, who knows. Different movies attract different people.
December 7th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Estimated B.O. reciepts anyone?
December 7th, 2007 at 12:50 am
$200 million box office at least. Worldwide, huge. The popularity of anime is incredible worldwide, and I have a feeling there will be a lot of anime-crossover here, in terms of both audience and marketing. If something shitty like The Flintstones can do $100-150 million, than this can easily top that. And rating it G is genius, simply because it’ll be the first G-rated movie that many of us have seen in decades. It’ll become a celebration.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:36 am
Each time I watch it, and see Speed Racer’s family, I am reminded of the Flinstones family (film versions). And that’s not a plus in my book. The teaser let me down. WAY down. I won’t be seeing this in theaters. I can already promise you that.
And is it just me, or does it look like it was a clip from an interview when the actor portraying Speed Racer is talking about his family and their love of racing?
Just awful. No thanks. Pass.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:28 am
I think it looks bloody brilliant plain and simple.
Sure some of the effects need to be changed but theres loads of time for effects work to be done
Looks wicked :)
December 7th, 2007 at 6:26 am
looks fun. can’t wait. i much prefer this approach to bringing a cartoon to the big screen then say something like The Flintstones
December 7th, 2007 at 7:15 am
I actually like the look of it, but the story seems irreparably lame.
December 7th, 2007 at 7:17 am
I’ve seen better animation in video games…
December 7th, 2007 at 7:33 am
But is it or should it be the goal of a movie to have the same level of animation as a video game, especially in what is supposed to be a live action adaptation?
December 7th, 2007 at 8:04 am
Oh wow, it’s like that drug trip in that movie I saw when I was on that drug trip.
December 7th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Looks good. If they put as much effort into the story and performances as they put into the look it could work. But if the story and characters fall flat, it will collapse. Could go either way.
December 7th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Not a fan of The Wachowski Brothers previous work, but I’m definitely going to give this a shot. It’s got a unique look, and for the most part accomplishes the cartoon style The Wachowskis are going for. Plus, it has a monkey in it. Ha. It’ll probably end up being a bit goofy, but whatever. I’m seeing it anyways.
December 7th, 2007 at 10:27 am
LOOKED PRETTY GOOD TO ME AND I HATED THE CARTOON WITH A PASSION. BUT I LIKE EVERY THING I’VE SEEN BYU THE W. BROS. I THINK I’M THE ONLYH PERSON I KNOW THAT LIKES THE MATRIX TRILODY IN IT’S ENTIRETY. BUT I CAN’T GET EXITED ABOUT RATED G MOVIE!
December 7th, 2007 at 10:28 am
I THINK I SHOULD HAVE PROOF READ THAT BRFORE POSTING!
December 7th, 2007 at 10:31 am
NOT INTERESTED! I think this movie has a age limit on it, and it doesn’t go any higher than age 10 for those who will actually like this movie. When will Hollywood learn that not “everything” will transfer well to the big screen. I think movies based on video games, and comic books have a small audience, but the studios are betting it’s larger…they couldn’t be more wrong.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Fresh and exciting are the best ways to describe it. . .also I thought that ApexOversteer made some excellent points.
People looking for another Matrix will be disappointed, but this film looks just as groundbreaking.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Decent look/feel. Bad story. It might settle out to be an average movie but definitely not grade-A worthy. To be honest tho well for one I’m not thrilled about the W-bros handling this proj. but they did get a decent cast. However, I wish they had more money and would have waited another 18-24 months because this movie would definitely be better in CG (like how they did Beowulf). But thats not the case and we get stuck with over-done Blue/Green screen shots.
December 7th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I suppose they won’t have to bother going to the expense and trouble of making a videogame out of the movie. I’ll go see it just for fun.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
charlie and the chocolate factory with race cars!
December 7th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Looks damn cool! Little cheese,but DAMN COOL!
December 7th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
looks exciting!
December 7th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
suddenly this is my most anticipated film of next summer. Great cast. Great directors. AMAZING visuals.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
What? Korean popstar RAIN is in the movie? lol. My first impression, it looks clean, too clean. It looks like a fun family film but I hope they don’t use that Matrix music.
December 7th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Plastic meets Flesh! Beautifull and stylish! Something rather new than old…and of course…a lot of Wipeout on it! Great!
December 7th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Holy crap! That looks apeshit! I love it!
December 7th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
so the rave/orgy scene most probably is midway…
hope we dont see matthew fox wearing tight leather… ohh wait a minute… ohh shi…
December 8th, 2007 at 2:06 am
IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD TO ME , I CAN’T WAIT FOR IT TO COME OUT.
December 8th, 2007 at 11:27 am
As lame as the script will probably turn out to be (just based on the dialogue from the trailer, that is), this movie still looks badass. Very hyper, very colorful, very…. oh my god, did John Goodman just throw ninja stars?!
This will probably be one of those movies that people will just be drawn to, no matter how bad the reviews may be.
December 8th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
The style looks right on: true to the cartoon, while still being innovative enough to be a Wachowski Brothers film. The style seems to have a high aesthetic quality. I just hope they pair it with a storyline that will keep people into the movie. Something true to the cartoon and also, well, just cool I guess.
December 9th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Looks pretty amazing to me. I think ultimately that adults, if they were a fan of the show as I was, will love this move. If you were not a fan of the show then you will more than likely not like the movie. The Wachowskis have gotten that close to reproducing the cartoon. The cool parts of the film are their - the 60’s pop style of the car designs, and even the original sound of the Mach 5 leaping off the ground! The campy things are also their. One poster noted Pops Racer (John Goodman) twirling the ninja effortlessly above his head - that scene is in the cartoon at least a dozen times. Look at the hat and coat on the man with the machine gun - that look is straight from the cartoon. Racer X is mysterious and Speed even has his red socks! Quite frankly I am shocked just how close they are sticking to the cartoon. I love it, but it is a risk.
The visual presentation looks stunning to me. Very hyper. I don’t agree with the comparisons to a video game, unless you accept that most video games look like cartoons so a movie based on a cartoon could therefore resemble a video game. I also find it clever that, with all this CGI and animation - they went with a real monkey!
I predict a big box office for this movie as people who grew up with the cartoon expose their kids to this film. It will not be huge box office though since it will have to be shared with other films like Batman and Iron Man. For better or worse, it will certainly be differant than what else is out there.
December 12th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I’m excited, if not just for the fact that the W Bros thought up using the autojacks partially to propell the Mach 5 into a forward flip!! I’m hoping they will also activate just the left pair or right to hurl it into an adjacent lane. That would be sweet! And Matthew fox looks awesome in Racer X getup!! Why didn’t my lame friends tell me the trailer has been on TV for a Week?
December 29th, 2007 at 9:35 am
If there’s one thing you can always count on with the Wachowskis, it’s that they’re always going to be trying something different.
They’ve taken risks on all their movies so far; from the lesbian protagonists in ‘Bound’ and the complex exploration of ideas in ‘The Matrix Trilogy’ to having the terrorist protagonist blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in ‘V For Vendetta’.
Now they’re banking the wheel hard to the right, attempting to create a motion picture adaptation of a beloved ’60s kid’s show (that the Brothers apparently loved as kids, by the way) in a way that has frankly never been attempted before. At least not anywhere near this scale.
Whatever one’s opinions of ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions’ (both misunderstood masterpieces that were far ahead of their time), you can’t really deny that the Wachowskis can write solid screenplays easier than most of their contemporaries in Hollywood at the moment. And that all bodes well for what we can expect from ‘Speed Racer’.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Hey, U know what?
Speed Racer will be Asia’s No. 1 seller as long as it has RAIN in it!
March 25th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
My little brother likes the cartoon. I think if the movie is anything like the cartoon, I wont like it. But I think speed looks hot! ( :
May 5th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I watched the movie and i think its far the best movie of the year…trust me ….