Speed Racer

After the death of his brother in mysterious circumstances, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) still follows in his brother’s footsteps to become a racing driver. Speed has somehow managed to reach the ultimate race, the Grand Prix, through talent alone, and without resorting to underhand tactics; a problem becoming increasingly prevalent in a game with such vast amounts of money involved. Will he be able to beat the system and become the world champion?

Speed Racer is an allegory for every small family-run business against the heartless multi-national corporations, but before you say "Oh no!" thinking that the film will use a sledgehammer to get its message across, think again. If you thought that this would make the film predictable, you’d also be wrong. This film has enough plot twists that even the most stalwart film-goer will be surprised.

Speed Racer is directed by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix and V for Vendetta), and as you’d expect, the special effects are simply stunning and are a must see on the big screen. Vibrant neon colours are used in all the races, yet each is different and gives the race a different feel. Great attention is paid to the aesthetics in general during the film, and loud yet cosy colours are used for the family home, giving it a 1950s look. This is in striking contrast to the futuristic cities and technology used to power the cars. The world it is set in is not our own, yet has interesting parallels which ground it in reality. Though this might make the film sound trite and obvious, the emotions conveyed are realistic and some genuinely heart-felt moments are achieved.

The action is over 100 miles an hour (literally) and perfectly balanced with the interactions between characters, tensions, moral dilemmas and surprising twists in the tale. The star of the film is undoubtedly Hirsch; however the rest of the cast are also high calibre, including such names as Christina Ricci and Susan Sarandon. A perfect popcorn flick, and much more than just your standard fare.

Watch it!

Natalie Tyldesley