Part of Midnight Movies
A visual marvel that draws strengths from the inconsistencies and misfired synapses of the visual marvels that came before it, SPEED RACER is a singular achievement that embraces the aesthetic of the synthetic. Built on the foundation of a beloved manga and internationally-known anime, this globe-spanning tear through all of human history and design is a maximalist explosion of digital everything, eschewing the corporeal with magnificent iterations of the ideal. Concepts like “family” and “honor” and “competition” become battlegrounds for visual riffs and tableaux to try and express ineffable simplicity in as detailed and fantastic a way possible. The Wachowskis crafted something unlike anything that had come before. An adaptation of a known IP that nonetheless spiralled and sprawled into something else — specifically, an adaptation of the collected artistic endeavors of humanity from the dawn of man up until 2008. Even if you’ve seen the film, you’ve never seen anything quite like it.
“Call it Power Kitsch, Neo-Jetsonism or Icon-D — this film could launch a movement.” —J. Hoberman, Nashville Scene “The classic story of boy meets seizure-inducing lights…. Put 80 pounds of fireworks into an industrial dryer, crawl right in there with them, turn it on and then light the fuse. It’ll give you a good idea of the visual onslaught you’ll be enduring.” —Stephen Colbert “In its assaultive creativity, its high-speed, multilayered imagineering, SPEED RACER is like nothing you’ve ever seen. And it is gorgeous: a totally designed environment that is a rich, cartoonish dream: non-stop Op art.” —Richard Corliss, TIME
