Warner Bros has released two new international movie trailers for The Wachowski Brothers’ big screen adaptation of Speed Racer. I still remain unsold on this film. I loved the idea of a live action cartoon, but the result looks ridiculous, with a couple of the sequences looking more like a video game than a animated movie. Watch the two videos, and tell me what you think in the comments below.
Speed Racer hits theaters on May 9th 2008.
Discuss: What did you think of the new Speed Racer movie trailers?
March 9th, 2008 at 3:52 am
It remains to be seen what the film’s going to be like - but the video game tie in will be rad.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:53 am
Looks pretty cool but i don’t think i’m amazed by what the Wachowski Brothers did to this film. I mean it looks more like a cartoon than a movie. Also the second International trailer was kinda of trippy and it will give many people hallucinations lol.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:51 am
Hey what are you talking about?
This looks fucking amazing and loads of fun!
Take it for what it is, it’s gonna be swell!
March 9th, 2008 at 4:57 am
Terrible, terrible, terrible. Are the effects supposed to be finished? Some of those shots look like the cut scenes of a bad 2001/2002′ish video game. And the green screen work … oh boy. I’m afraid the Wachowski Brothers are pulling a Phantom Menace on this one.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:27 am
I hate to say it but this movie looks really bad, the Wachowski Brothers have not exactly lived up to the potential they displayed in “Bound” or the 1st “Matrix”. It looks like this movie will continue the downward spiral.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:30 am
I think it is very unfair to compare this movie to “The Matrix” trilogy. They are different movies entirely. You do well on one film and people expect nothing less forever. I loved the cartoon. Love Emile Hirsch [did you see him in Into The Wild…wow], I love Scott Porter [FNL baby!!!] It is gonna be a good film and I am not gonna go in ready to see another Matrix movie. Its just not gonna happen
March 9th, 2008 at 6:33 am
i prefer the original movie trailer from
http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/12/06/speed-racer-movie-trailer/
March 9th, 2008 at 6:45 am
i feel kinda stupid, but ive never heard of speed racer. its based on a cartoon? or a video game? can someone fill me in please
March 9th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Am I missing something? Or perhaps I have low standards when it comes to films like this, because I thought both trailers were pretty amazing.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Its either a decent hit or a massive flop. I get the feeling it’ll just be overwhelmed in the B.O.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:18 am
I think it actually looks pretty cool too. Definitely different than anything I’ve ever seen.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:28 am
I don’t think there is any part of a cell in my self that wants this movie to exist. The trailer made me angry at the screen………
March 9th, 2008 at 7:33 am
I’m totally digging this. I mean, clearly the tacky visuals seems to be the style the Wachowski Brothers are consciously going for. Let’s not forget, the original anime Mach GoGoGo (not the dumbed down Cartoon Network version of Speed Racer) is extreme and violently action-packed. You wouldn’t be able to translate that onto the big screen through a serious, semi-realistic approach–it’d just look stupid and wouldn’t be credible. We’re talking about insane racing here. I think the Wachowski Brothers did a good job of translating this anime into live-action with their over-the-top approach.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I think that love it or hate it, Speed Racer is going to be a hit, and the number one reason is kids and parents that wouldn’t mind sitting through it. Face it, if kids can watch dubbed Pokemon and be entertained, this is going to be like entertainment crack for them.
My nephews watch those Hot Wheels DVDs on repeat mode. I think they will love this Speed Racer and they will be screaming for the McD toys, the poster, etc, etc.
Personally, I think it DOES look like a live action cartoon,… but I don’t think that is a bad thing. I would have preferred a less saturated pallette, but I do think that the choices made give the look a surreal reality that just might work for this.
Oh…and Ricci looks hot as Trixie.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:48 am
you know it looks def… like six defferent pedals… the cars are the sh*t!! and you know wednseday adams is always smoking
March 9th, 2008 at 8:01 am
ehhh…..looks ok…is it worth $10…prolly not…and at least on e commenter here has no idea who Speed Racer is so there maybe a familiarity issue for the youngin’s
My take Robert Rodriguez did more with less in his Spy Kids series….
March 9th, 2008 at 8:23 am
This movie looks pretty bad, if it weren’t for the Wachowski Brothers I probably wouldn’t give it a second thought.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:31 am
With this kind of movie it is truly unfair to be judging it solely on the trailers, but then again, what else are we going to judge it on? This is one of those things that can easily go either way for me, either it will be one of the most amazing visual experiences and totally re-define childhood entertainment… or, it will be a total and complete waste of space and be regulated to interesting blip in the history books. Based on the trailers, I have to lean towards the blip right now. But story, if it even exists, could change that feeling. It’s a Speed Racer movie for goodness sake, how much story could there be?
March 9th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Looks absolute shit. Fuck this movie.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:35 am
These trailers have actually redeemed my faith in the film.
I think they were pretty awesome.
March 9th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Looks awesome. Can’t wait to see it.
People can complain all they want, but its not as if the original cartoon was some kind of holy grail in animation, it was cheesey, weird, and ridiculous, and I wouldn’t accept a live-action version any other way. :)
March 9th, 2008 at 9:40 am
This has got to be one of the bravest choices for a mainstream Summer I’ve ever seen!
It certainly looks insane, and early script reviews say that it’s a rollicking great family ride that follows in the footsteps of movies like [i]Toy Story[/i], [i]Ice Age[/i] and [i]Finding Nemo[/i]…only with kickass action scenes!
I can’t wait for this one!
March 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Wait a tick… didn’t parents and kids both love Alvin and the Chipmunks? Oh yeah it was because of rkids its a cute show becuase we loved it when we were kids and that is why the parents paid to see it as well is it is a nostalgia thing. So I think kids and parents will both love it. And watch this movie win awards for visual effects next year at the Academy Awards.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Gotta support this one, looks like a ton of fun on the big screen, as well as a fantastic live/cgi adaptation of anime. Can a rookie director deliver on AKIRA is the question?
March 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am
p.s. it cant be any worse than 10,000 B.C. thats for sure
March 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am
well seeing as how we’re in the era of xbox, HD, PS3, mocap, and the like I believe it’s safe to say the shit is inevitable. It might have the name but you aren’t the next audience that’s gonna grow up and make the money. Sit back and be ready for the next era dawg, and be thankful they’re even considering you.
I think the trailers are ok. We’ll see about the story.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Looks fantastic. I cant wait to see this orgasm-for-the-eyes on the big screen…
March 9th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I’m no longer sold on this project. With the first domestic trailer, I thought some of the special effects looked unfinished, and gave it the benefit of the doubt given the WBros and Joel Silver, but now it appears that the entire movie will obviously be green screen.
While Speed Racer is supposed to look like a live action cartoon, so many of the special effects have the annoying video game aesthetic that Peter mentioned. It’s surprising how unfinished this looks given its budget and blockbuster status.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I don’t know about the trailer but Emile Hirsch is one pretty manfellow.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:56 am
You guys all let the kid die inside of you a long time ago.
Shame on you.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Biggest bomb since Waterworld. Mark my words.
March 9th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Totally agree with Markus and dan.Looks hot!!Never grow up,NEVER!!!
March 9th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
the action in the is movie is going to be amazing. cant wait to check out this original looking movie. looks fun to me
March 9th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I have this theory I’m working on which says that movies based on characters that wear really lame helmets are almost certainly terrible. I first developed this theory yesterday while watching Judge Dredd again. So, if my theory hold true, look for both Iron Man and Speed Racer to be terrible.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Hard to beat waterworld in the bomb department. LOL
March 9th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I think it looks pretty awesome…
I wont be walking into it looking for a deep plot, I’ll be walking into it with a few beers under my belt and a few bowls in the parking lot….. I’m going to see it for the effects….definitely a big screen film.. I’ll go see it at least once.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
hope they haven’t show us too much of the action
but still looks like fun, I like it
cant wait to see
March 9th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
This movie looks like it’ll be really cool. These two new trailers didn’t really do much for me though, I liked the first one a lot more. Still looks really funny and enjoyable.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Looks better than “Transformers.”
March 9th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Who cares if the CGI looks like it was taken out of a video game. So long as the story is interesting and the action scenes pulse racing, it won’t even matter if they used stop motion work for the car chase scenes. Have we really progressed into a world where we are condemning a film just because its CGI work looks like it belongs in a computer game?
March 9th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
From what I ve seen so far from the trailers, this film doesn’t seem to do the original cartoon justice. Speed Racer cartoon was very entertaining and good. I just don’t think they should have made the film this way. Also, hearing of the G and PG rating I m not happy about it. I m really tired of hollywood making all of these stupid family movie that don’t have any substance, bring film and the early 80’s back.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
when i heard they were making speed racer into a movie i thought it sounded terrible but these trailers (and esp the one that came out before this) have me completely sold. i love the look of this, the action looks great, and i even love the cheesy dialog. i can’t wait to see this, the people who are hating on this movie just seem really cynical to me, give the movie a chance!
March 9th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I know this movie is one of those movies that either you love it or you hate it… and for me,this kicks some serious ass
best trailers for any of the summer movies yet
March 9th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
The previous trailers always looked a little silly to me but these ones may actually get me to see the movie. Some of those sequences look awesome.
March 10th, 2008 at 5:28 am
Looks pretty cool! It´s SPEED RACER, it is not 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS people. It looks pretty much like the cartoon, and that´s good news, and there is no MEGAN FOX over the MACH 5, that´s cool too! TRANSFORMERS sucks let´s hope this one not.
March 10th, 2008 at 7:30 am
You must be kidding if you don’t like these videos. I mean honestly do you remember the cartoon? Come on! And I even was a fan of the cartoon! But lets be honest they were camp at best. The writing was terrible and it had a monkey as a mechanic for god sake!
To take all that and make it into what, to me, looks like an entertaining, visual experience is bank. Why all the haters? You think a bad cartoon with a monkey mechanic can look better than this??? seriously?? This looks great and I can’t wait to see it.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:45 am
maybe if you put the Blue falcon, golden fox, Wild Goose, Fire Stingray and 26 more f-zero racers… i want to play f zero again!!! XD!!!
March 10th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Looks good to me. As long as the script isn’t too bad I can forgive some “unfinished” looking effects.
March 10th, 2008 at 10:25 am
A movie based on 40-year-old Japanese anime looks different from most things, and we’re supposed to be surprised?
March 10th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Does anyone have a link to the higher-quality QuickTime clips?
March 11th, 2008 at 7:35 am
i think it looks fun and visually it’s not like anything i can remember outside the videogame realm, which for the first time i say as a compliment. People forget that the cartoon show is extremely cheesy and over the top, or most people answering this were too young to have actually watched the show, not the dumbed down cartoon network version.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Looks like a crazy acid trip version of the cartoon! I’ll be taking the day off to catch this one…Go Speed Racer Go!!!!!
March 12th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
It is a bit sad to me to read so many negative comments towards this trailers.
I’m a professional Concept Artist for the film and Game industries but before that I’M A FAN!
Fan of movies, fan of games, fan of Art, Fan of creative things that break the mold and show that even in a medium as matures as movies new things can still be done. The wheel can still be reshaped, redesigned in order to give the viewers something new.
Every day I hear a plea from fans of movies around the word begging the Hollywood guys to get over the pre established stories and looks to give us something new.
When I see what the Brothers are doing to this movie I truly believe they are doing that. And I was hoping the fans would be able to see that they are not making this movie to look like anything you and I have seen in Hollywood. The effects are not meant to look realistic. They are creating a Fantasy world and breaking the mold that says everything needs to be “believable” in realistic terms.
However I’m very happy to see that some of you actually were able to see what this guys are doing and are digging it.
We need more of you and then maybe the really different and creative artist out there will have more chances to show the world their Unique visions.
Peace out.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Jajajaja, this movie going to suck, it looks really bad
March 13th, 2008 at 8:41 am
after those Matrix sequels i don’t think the W bros should be allowed near film ever again. plus what’s up with the emasculation of asian men? total crap.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:11 am
bill:
after those Matrix sequels i don’t think the W bros should be allowed near film ever again. plus what’s up with the emasculation of asian men? total crap.
I have yet to come across a casual moviegoer or mainstream film critic who actually understands the last two Matrix films.
It seems strange to me that so many think they’re qualified to judge something that they don’t even understand. It’s like getting a squirrel to comment on Einstein’s theory of relativity…it’s ridiculous.
The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were two of the most groundbreaking films in mainstream cinema - and not just for pioneering the creation of U-Cap technology. They actually broke through a lot of cinematic codes and conventions, turning everything inside out, and then put everything back together again.
They were the 2001: A Space Odyssey of this generation - misunderstood masterpieces.
As for Speed Racer, I’m certain this’ll be a thoroughly satisfying crowd pleaser. While they probably won’t be breaking any new ground in the writing department, we all know from movies like Bound that the Brothers can do popcorn flicks better than most.
And the visuals look set to stun.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
They were the 2001: A Space Odyssey of this generation
I thought we were supposed to debate intelligently.
March 14th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
shut the fuck up haters.
are you making this movie? no.
are you making big budget blockbusters? no.
this movie looks artistically and nostalgically awesome.
you people are the reasons i hate people.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I just don’t understand the hate you people have for a film you haven’t even watched. Your judging the movie on looks and nothing more, which is pathetic. You most likely have never even had a glimpse of what the original show was, and so far, the Wachowski Brothers have been sticking to it almost perfectly. If you don’t like films that have cartoonish SFX because you think everything has to be realistic, then you simply don’t know that this film is based on a classic cartoon show. “300″ didn’t have realistic SFX. They were surreal, but yet they still called attention and made the film artistically beautiful. That’s what they’re doing with this movie, so grow up.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
looks like a bad palystation one game sponsored by mcdonalds. definate bomb
April 9th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I can’t wait for this movie to open. The trailer compliments the (hopefully) action packed content of the movie. I’m 35 and grew up on the cartoon, as many young males were. i don’t go to the movies much, but will make a special trip to see this on opening day to do some male bonding with my 6 year old son. This movie will be a smash hit1
May 1st, 2008 at 9:07 am
are you kidding me? this movie looks like SHIT. if one movie this summer is going to appeal to the ADHD generation, it’s speed racer. what’s with all the colors and effects? does anyone even remotely REMEMBER the cartoon?
the original cartoon had second rate drawing
but nonetheless it captivated kids.
the selling point was an amazing car, a guy that could drive better than anyone you’ve ever seen, and a kid and a monkey.
this movie is going to be a far cry from the cartoon.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:54 pm
this movie looks fucking awesome you are a twit if you say different
May 1st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
simon…. learn how to spell play station!
May 5th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
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May 7th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Sorry, but parents are ugly, chimp is ugly, child is ugly, funky human scenes are ugly and the film doesn’t deserve this title.