I got to see Speed Racer as a screening the Tuesday before it came out. Now I will admit, seeing movies for FREE, BEFORE they come out does sway my opinion slightly, as it would most people. With that in mind, I would also like to state something that will remain true for EVERYTHING that I post here on Rewind and Adjust - It is just my opinion and you are by no means supposed to agree with everything I say. Discussion is good. With that said, here it is - my Speed Racer review.

THE AWESOME

First of all, the film is visually stunning. It is faced paced and colorful. This aspect of the film made me a little nauseous at first, but once my eyes adjusted I realized how great the film really looked. The action was great, races were tense, and the visuals were gorgeous. Not only were the visuals great, but the characters were nearly dead on to their cartoon counterparts (especially Racer X who was a complete bad-ass). I think that all of the actors did a pretty good job at keeping the film interesting and moving along. There was quite a bit of humor in the film which helped make the realization that this is a cartoon and not a realistic drama. I think that the sooner you accept the fact that this really is a live action cartoon, you will appreciate the film a bit more. My absolute favorite thing about this film was that I really felt like I was watching a cartoon.

THE NOT SO AWESOME

The dialog really isn't very good. It is pretty cheesy and ridiculous at times, but once again, given the fact that it was almost exactly like the cartoon, it doesn't bother me so much. As I said earlier, parts of the film did make me feel a bit uneasy due to their constant swirl of colors and fast paced motion. The story overall was a little bit thin, but I wasn't expecting much in that department. Some of the humor was not funny at all.

OVERALL

One of the things I was surprised at was how hard of a PG rating this was. They swear multiple times, throw poo, and even have a middle finger make an appearance. While I understand times are changing and these things are becoming more and more acceptable, I was still quite shocked by some of the things that were in this PG film. I have said this before about this film, but I think it is a real great summer popcorn flick. If you are looking for a good time, not anything more, surely not anything less in terms of visual entertainment, look no further. This film is no Oscar winner, but it will go well with a bag of popcorn on a summer night. And I do give credit to the Wachowski's for trying something new and re-inventing aspects of this 'genre'. Visually stunning, fast paced, cartoon acting and fun - Overall, I give Speed Racer a 6.5 out of 10