A RIOT of neon, this hyper-stylised kids movie has the right components but backfires rather than sets the racetrack alight.
From the brothers behind the Matrix trilogy, Andy and Larry Wachowski, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch), son of Mom (Susan Sarandon) and Pops Racer (John Goodman), is a racing daredevil, always trying to live up to the memory of his older brother Rex – a controversial driver who died in mysterious circumstances.
His skills catch the eye of obscenely rich Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) but when Speed turns down a mega bucks contract, he discovers how corrupt the racing world is.
Its animé style is one of its assets but also serves as one of its weaknesses – the CGI action is jaw-dropping but so divorced from reality it is hard to keep track of what’s happening and, more importantly, to even care.
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