Speed Racer (film): Difference between revisions

[[File:Speed_Racer_film_8690.jpg|frame|"Ho-Hoa!"]]

 

 

An outrageous visual spectacle, the movie did not attempt to make any apologies for the implausibilities or cliches of the original, instead merely using them to show insane, over-the-top brightly colored race car action sequences.<ref>If anything, the original anime is ''less'' over-the-top and unbelievable than the movie.</ref> These are easily the highlight of the movie and the first thing anyone who liked it will gush about. The entire script is pure, Grade A ham. And that's okay.

 

* [[Action Girl]]: Trixie was fairly tough in the anime, a novel concept at the time, but in the movie is much more an active partner to Speed than in the original. {{spoiler|Even taking part in a portion of one of the races.}}

* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: And how!

* [[Anachronic Order]]: Several scenes (especially in the beginning) keep switching around between multiple points of time.

* [[Annoying Younger Sibling]]: Spritle (and Chim-Chim).

* [[A-Team Montage]]: The Racers building the Mach Six for the Grand Prix, intercut with Royalton and Musha's contract signing.

* [[Avoid the Dreaded G Rating]]: The only reason for any of the cursing in the movie.

* [[Awesome McCoolname]]: Your family name is Racer and you name your kids Rex and Speed? [[Genre Savvy]] indeed.

* [[Badass]]: Pretty much everyone in the main cast except Sparky, who makes up for it in mechanical talent. The fight in the mountains is one of the greatest beatdowns in the whole movie as Speed and friends effortlessly beat the tar out of several gun-toting goons completely unarmed.

* [[The Big Race]]

* [[Bond One-Liner]]: Delivered by Pops Racer after dispatching a ninja:

'''Pops''': "More like a ''non''ja." }}

* [[Book Dumb]]: As a young child, Speed was so obsessed about automobile racing that he spoke about little else; he even filled out a multiple choice test's answer sheet so that the dots read '''GO REX GO'''. He later admits he probably would not have finished high school without Trixie's help.

* [[Catch Phrase]]: Trixie's "Cool beans."

* [[Can't Get Away with Nuthin']]: Speed and Trixie tell a fib to help Racer X and Inspector Detector by racing in the race that killed Rex.

'''Pops:''' "..." }}

* [[Car Fu]]: Taken [[Up to Eleven]]. Also actually called such in the video game.

** Sparkey - Orange

* [[Conservation of Ninjutsu]]: Ninjas infiltrate the hotel where Taejo, Racer X and Speed are staying to take their team out of commission. The first ninja, a stealthy assassin, is deftly successful at silently drugging Taejo, while the second somewhat annoys [[Badass|Racer X]]. Supported when the third makes trouble for Speed, Sparky, Spritle and Chim-Chim, but then subverted as he is comically relieved of his pants by Spritle and Chim-Chim, then trounced by Pops Racer, who derides the assailant as a "non-ja".

* [[Context Sensitive Button]]: Speed has one button for each of the Mach 5's various tricks, however they're each shown capable of performing a variety of very precision maneuvers. For example, the "jump" button may deploy all four jump feet to hop over someone, or it might deploy just the left two to flip to the right, like how 'tap','double tap', 'press' and 'press and hold' can do different functions in a videogame but with more options than the ones mentioned above.

* [[Continuity Nod]]: To the original series ''and'' the original Japanese version of the show; the end credits music is a remix of the "Speed Racer" theme song, and intermixed with the remix is dialogue from the original show and lyrics from the original ''Mach-A-Go-Go'' theme song.

* [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]: Royalton, of course.

** Hell, ''any'' of the WRL sponsors qualify. They've been fixing races for the benefit of the stock market for at least 48 years.

* [[Epic Race]]: The Casa Cristo 5000.

* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: The appropriately sexy Emile Hirsch as the hunky hero Speed.

* [[Meta Twist]]: The identity of Racer X.

* [[Montages]]: Lots of them, generally woven into the various action scenes. This allows the [[Action Prologue]] to ground us in the entire family's history; and, later, Speed's defiance of Royalton's [[Monologuing]] is made all the more hollow because we've [[Foregone Conclusion|already seen]] that [[Downer Ending|the good guy loses.]]

* [[Mythology Gag]]: In the anime, Racer X always holds himself back so his younger brother can win the race. The movie does this backwards during the opening action sequence, when Speed deliberately loses to Rex's [[Racing Ghost]].

* [[Nerds Are Sexy]]: Speed and Racer X both have their fangirls, but everyone was surprised at just how sexy Inspector Detector turned out with his [[Smart People Wear Glasses|styling specs]]. (He is basically a German Johnny Depp.)

* [[Non-Fatal Explosions]]: The cars all have a system called "Kwik-Save" that puts them in a protective foam bubble when they crash. [[Smug Snake|Snake Oiler]] has a parachute.

** Speed has one (combined with a [[Heroic BSOD]]) right as they entered the cave where Rex died.

** Every single shot of Royalton's face from the moment the spearhook is revealed on-camera till the end of the film.

** [[Bullet Time]]

* [[Slow Motion Drop]]

* [[Spiked Wheels]]: Taken to an extreme, where... [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifF3VGOuVjg&t=1m55s see here].

* [[Techno Babble]]: one of the [[DVD Bonus Content]] clips is about nothing but the cars themselves, and quickly degenerates into this since the cars (and physics) have nothing to do with [[Real Life]].

* [[Theme Naming]]: The "Headhunters" (teams bribed by [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Cruncher Block]] to take out Team Togokhan) are the "''Flying Foxes"'' ([[Femme Fatale|Femme Fatales]]), ''"Semper Fibre"'' (dressed as G.I.s), and ''"Thor-Axine"'' (Vikings). And then there's [[Smug Snake|Snake Oiler]]...

* [[Throwing the Fight]]: Many of the races are fixed.

* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: On the final lap of the Grand Prix...

** Snake Oiler gets one earlier, when he tries and fails to send Speed off an icy, narrow mountain pass.

* [[Wacky Racing]]: Courses that would be at home in F-Zero or Hot Wheels? ''Check''. Themed racing teams, including one of barbarians paid in ''furs''? ''Check''. Cars covered in special weapons and improbable technology? ''Check''.

* [[Wounded Gazelle Gambit]]: Taejo Togokahn offers to turn over incriminating evidence if Racer X and Speed help his team win the Casa Cristo 5000. {{spoiler|They do, which causes Togokahn's stock to skyrocket, and he leaves them empty-handed.}}

* [[Wraparound Background]]: Used in the most obvious way possible, on both sides of the car, with a bike that rings it's bell every time it passes.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Sony Pictures Imageworks]]

[[Category:Digital Domain]]

[[Category:Speed Racer]]

[[Category:Film]]