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[The Lamonster]

God dammit. I bought this whenever it first became cheap on Amazon based on Gaf's recommendation. It had been collecting dust ever since last night. Finally stuck it in after enjoying Cloud Atlas over the weekend.

HOLY SHIT. It was beyond awesome. Brilliant casting, amazing visuals, perfect pacing etc etc etc


so good

 

[Gilby]

Imagine if the Wachowskis got a hold of the Transformers franchise...

 

[shira]

Imagine if the Wachowskis got a hold of the Bond franchise...

omg

 

[Seanspeed]

Keep your expectations in check and you'll enjoy the movie a lot more. Going in with a critical mindset will be doing yourself no favors.

To me, this sounds like a way of saying "Its not nearly as good as most people are making it out to be".

I'll give it a chance sometime, though.

 

[Gilby]

omg

I'd rather they reboot Transformers in a style similar to Speed Racer (sticking insanely close to the original content while providing beautiful visuals). There's so much wasted potential in the Bay garbage.

 

[Liberty4all]

I recently watched Speed Racer the film.
*snip*

I don't have alot of Blu-Ray's but this one is a must have. It is a stunning cut, and ranks up with Planet Earth as one of the movies I'd pop in to show off what blu ray can do back when the medium was fairly new

 

[Wilbur]

I didn't really like this movie.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Wow, That's a lot of pages for Speed Racer. I didn't imagine it granted so much discussion.

 

[Log4Girlz]

I didn't really like this movie.

Why not? Was it the over the top cartoonish buffoonery? The poor writing? The stilted acting?

 

[Mengy]

I didn't really like this movie.

I find that most of GAF gushes profusely about this movie, while everyone I talk to in real life absolutely hates it. I, like you, don't care for it at all.

Why didn't you like it?

 

[Princess Carl]

Saw the thread, knew it was time to watch the final race again in glorious hd.

sogood.gif

 

[Ixion]

I watched this high the other day and I literally don't remember anything that happened.

I need to watch it again.

 

[Neo Child]

Oh and Speed Racer is a pretty decent racing game.

qft the ds one was basic but really really fun

 

[The Lamonster]

God dammit. I bought this whenever it first became cheap on Amazon based on Gaf's recommendation. It had been collecting dust ever since last night. Finally stuck it in after enjoying Cloud Atlas over the weekend.

HOLY SHIT. It was beyond awesome. Brilliant casting, amazing visuals, perfect pacing etc etc etc


so good

I forgot to ask - is there a video game equivalent to this movie? I'm thinking WipEout HD or F-Zero GX but open to any other cool racing games too...

 

[diunxx]

Movie sucks don't believe the hype.

 

[Tom_Cody]

Just watched this last night. 6.5/10.

All fantasy and sci-fi must present a plausible reality and this fails to do so. I did not care for the visuals at all even by the end I was not able to get over the whole "background, foreground, and actors" all in the same plane of focus. I felt like I was experiencing a seizure in a time loop.

Also, waaay too much Spritle.

 

[Angry Fork]

I hope someone who knows the Wachowski's have seen this thread and showed it to them.

 

[shira]

Just watched this last night. 6.5/10.

All fantasy and sci-fi must present a plausible reality and this fails to do so. I did not care for the visuals at all even by the end I was not able to get over the whole "background, foreground, and actors" all in the same plane of focus. I felt like I was experiencing a seizure in a time loop.

Also, waaay too much Spritle.

It's a kids movie ffs.

And what kind of tv do you have?
Bluray or DVD?

 

[D.Lo]

Awesome OP, awesome movie!

 

[Tom_Cody]

It's a kids movie ffs.

The GAFFers who have been fawning over this since it was released certainly don't treat it that way.

And what kind of tv do you have?
Bluray or DVD?

Samsung 7000 series LCD/LED. I watched it on bluray from netflix.

I simply could not get into the groove of whatever they were going for. The rival racers all looked incredibly fucked-out. I mean, what was going on with Snake Oiler? Christ. I imagine he was based on something in the cartoon but his costume and performance were ridiculous. What is going on in this reality?

Also, so many of the background were simply garish and uninteresting. The opening segment of the Casa Cristo (with the infinite columns) looked like a stock backdrop from the computer graphics software I used in my highschool in the late 90s.

 

[Mengy]

Just watched this last night. 6.5/10.

All fantasy and sci-fi must present a plausible reality and this fails to do so. I did not care for the visuals at all even by the end I was not able to get over the whole "background, foreground, and actors" all in the same plane of focus. I felt like I was experiencing a seizure in a time loop.

Agreed. It's my biggest beef with the film, I just didn't believe any of it, and thus it had zero weight or tension for me. Simply wayyy too over the top fake. Similar to what the Star Wars prequels made me feel, and that was due to the extreme overuse of pointless CGI just for the sake of using CGI.

 

[Boss Doggie]

The setting of the movie is over the top.

 

[Zampano]

If this film came out now they'd make it in 3D and it would suck.

Love Speedracer!

 

[EktorPR]

People not being appreciative of the absurd, all-out visual style of this film makes me sad for the world.

 

[MicH]

I love the over the top and super saturated visual style. But the best thing about this movie is clearly the amazing races. Soo good

 

[sol_bad]

Can you get this film on Blu Ray anywhere with HD audio?

 

[adamsappel]

If this film came out now they'd make it in 3D and it would suck.

Love Speedracer!

I would love this film to get a 3D conversion and re-release. There's not many movies I regret not seeing in theaters, but this is one of them. It took me a bit to get into its vibe; it's a cartoon, but performed by actors.

 

[Mengy]

People not being appreciative of the absurd, all-out visual style of this film makes me sad for the world.

Don't be sad for the world. People are individuals with different tastes, and just because I don't like Speed Racer 2008 doesn't mean you have to enjoy it any less.

I loved the new Tron movie, although all of my friends hated it. Different strokes and all that.

 

[Tom_Cody]

Don't be sad for the world. People are individuals with different tastes, and just because I don't like Speed Racer 2008 doesn't mean you have to enjoy it any less.

I loved the new Tron movie, although all of my friends hated it. Different strokes and all that.

Ha. I actually liked Tron Legacy too. It's weird how subjective this stuff is.

 

[Foxix Von]

Ha. I actually liked Tron Legacy too. It's weird how subjective this stuff is.

I greatly disliked Legacy but for different reasons that I like speed racer. Both were very well directed however I severely disliked the plot of legacy and how they handled/continued/did not continue some of the themes from the first movie. Made me realize that the original Tron was definitely not designed with a sequel in mind, way too self contained. That and the acting fell sort of flat for me. Speed racer is a different beast with a campy, pretty unoffensive story, that's presented with some really amazing performances and top notch direction.

I know a lot of movie goers are able to separate the plot and judge a film more for the quality of it's direction and vision, I am not one of these people.

Speed Racer, while re envisioning what the world looked like, still presented the world like the anime. A ton of directional choice show that they were trying to make the film feel like the source material, animation. The extent to which they accomplished this is amazing. Unfortunately I can't really say the same for legacy, along with redesigning the world the film feels entirely out of place from the fictional universe I fell in love with, it's paying no mind and the whole move in many ways seems to ignore the original title IMO.

 

[polyh3dron]

If this film came out now they'd make it in 3D and it would suck.

Love Speedracer!

So I take it you don't like 3D movies. Glad you established that.

 

[Mr. Sam]

Considering how sterile and dull Tron: Legacy was, I don't understand how one could describe it as well directed. There wasn't tension, there wasn't humour, I wouldn't even say it was visually interesting - everything was made out of neon blue blocks. Nothing compared to, say:

 

[polyh3dron]

Just watched this last night. 6.5/10.

All fantasy and sci-fi must present a plausible reality and this fails to do so. I did not care for the visuals at all even by the end I was not able to get over the whole "background, foreground, and actors" all in the same plane of focus. I felt like I was experiencing a seizure in a time loop.

Also, waaay too much Spritle.

Nope, this movie is not about presenting a plausible reality and it's still great.

Problem?

 

[Mr. Sam]

I'd say it represents a plausible reality, just a particularly wacky and off-the-wall one.

 

[jett]

Considering how sterile and dull Tron: Legacy was, I don't understand how one could describe it as well directed. There wasn't tension, there wasn't humour, I wouldn't even say it was visually interesting - everything was made out of neon blue blocks. Nothing compared to, say:

I'm off to watch The Hobbit again...if Speed Racer had been a success we would already have had Speed Racer 2: Electric Boogaloo 3D... and maybe next year Speed Racer 3 HFR: Spritle's Revenge.

 

[iirate]

I'm off to watch The Hobbit again...if Speed Racer had been a success we would already have had Speed Racer 2: Electric Boogaloo 3D... and maybe next year Speed Racer 3 HFR: Spritle's Revenge.

As much as I love Speed Racer(easily one of my favorite movies), I don't need a sequel.

 

[Ixion]

I wouldn't even say it was visually interesting

I strongly disagree with you there. For me personally, TRON: Legacy has been the best audiovisual experience I've come across in a film yet. The art direction and setting, the soundtrack, the sound and visual effects, the quality of the action, etc, it was pure bliss when I saw that in theaters with 3D.

 

[jett]

Some time ago I watched this movie with a friend, his first time watching, almost reluctantly. He was totally converted in the first 15 minutes.

Speed Racer, the bomba we didn't deserve, or needed. :/ After watching Cloud Atlas I was disappointed how the Wachowskis pretty much swept under the rug every innovation they brought it in with SR. Comparatively that movie is almost workman-like in its visuals. It's like they were scared of going too far out there after SR's financial failure. Which is a real shame because if any movie could've used some inventive scene transition and editing, it was that one.

 

[Ruze789]

'You think you can drive a car and change the world? It doesn't work like that!'

So good... Thanks, now I'm gonna have to watch this again this weekend! Just like everytime this thread or a new SR thread pops up.

 

[Boss Doggie]

I just realized that the film is 2hrs long

 

[Discotheque]

Some time ago I watched this movie with a friend, his first time watching, almost reluctantly. He was totally converted in the first 15 minutes.

Speed Racer, the bomba we didn't deserve, or needed. :/ After watching Cloud Atlas I was disappointed how the Wachowskis pretty much swept under the rug every innovation they brought it in with SR. Comparatively that movie is almost workman-like in its visuals. It's like they were scared of going too far out there after SR's financial failure. Which is a real shame because if any movie could've used some inventive scene transition and editing, it was that one.

Cloud Atlas is such a POS. it literally only gets a pass because of the people who directed it. if that laughable acting was in any other drama it wouldn't get so many props on gaf.

Speed Racer has inventive visuals, and somehow has better acting too. It's not perfect and could be changed (like getting rid of that chimp and the kid....especially that scene at the end when he jumps in before the kiss) but it's a nice movie.

people are smoking some strong stuff to think it's better than matrix though.

edit: speed racer manages good drama too in some scenes. My favorite is when he's racing his brother's ghost.

 

[Messofanego]

Add me to the list of people who recommend this movie. Keep on coming back to this and Scott Pilgrim (sorry, jett) for the amazing audiovisual presentation and transitions.

It really is the best live-action adaptation of a cartoon ever.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Of an anime, even.

 

[KevinCow]

As much as I love Speed Racer(easily one of my favorite movies), I don't need a sequel.

I don't think the story needs a sequel... But those visuals in 3D and HFR? Holy shit, it gets me excited just thinking about it. And then it gets me sad because it'll never happen.

 

[Acrylic7]

I will never understand the hate for this film.
top 20 films easily, in my book.

 

[Unbounded]

I will never understand the hate for this film.
top 20 films easily, in my book.

Pretty much this.

Everyone I've ever met in real life hates it for some reason.

Makes me sad.

 

[Korey]

Add me to the list of people who recommend this movie. Keep on coming back to this and Scott Pilgrim (sorry, jett) for the amazing audiovisual presentation and transitions.

It really is the best live-action adaptation of a cartoon ever.

Added!

 

[Timedog]

Just watched this last night. 6.5/10.

All fantasy and sci-fi must present a plausible reality and this fails to do so. I did not care for the visuals at all even by the end I was not able to get over the whole "background, foreground, and actors" all in the same plane of focus. I felt like I was experiencing a seizure in a time loop.

Also, waaay too much Spritle.

I don't understand what this means.

 

[Mengy]

Just watched this last night. 6.5/10.

All fantasy and sci-fi must present a plausible reality and this fails to do so. I did not care for the visuals at all even by the end I was not able to get over the whole "background, foreground, and actors" all in the same plane of focus. I felt like I was experiencing a seizure in a time loop.

Also, waaay too much Spritle.

I don't understand what this means.

I do, he didn't like it for the very same reason why I didn't: the effects just didn't work for me. The digital environment with the real actors superimposed completely broke the feel of the movie for me. I just couldn't take any of it seriously, and with no "weight" behind any of the scenes the movie loses all focus.

So many fans of the movie here at GAF talk on and on about how awesome the races were, how great the final scene was with Speed racing the ghost of his brother. For me (and Tom) it was hilariously stupid, it just didn't mean anything to us at all, and the reason is because the visuals simply were not believable to us. They took us out of the movie every moment of the film rather than drew us in.

I get the directors vision, I understand what they were going for, it just didn't work for me. Or for Tom. Or for a lot of other people who aren't members of GAF.

I've watched the blu ray three times now, I even bought it for $5, just trying to "get" what you all see in this. And it gets worse and worse for me every time, lol. The races in Cars have more drama and feeling to me than the races in Speed Racer. Hell, Cars is a far, far better movie IMHO.

 

[jett]

I don't understand what this means.

He didn't like the use of deep focus in the movie, where all elements in the image are in focus. I guess he would hate Citizen Kane as well. It's not always used in Speed Racer but it is used significantly. The purpose is to make it look like a live action cartoon, and clearly it succeeds.