Classic Movie Review: 'Speed Racer' Thanks Patrick H. Willems

Speed Racer (2008)

Directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski

Written by Lilly and Lana Wachowski

Starring Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Roger Allam

Release Date May 9th, 2008

Published April 3rd, 2025

YouTube video essayest Patrick H. Willems is dropping a new video, an epic defense of the remarkably underrated 2008 flop, Speed Racer. This visionary effort from Lana and Lily Wachowski was too far ahead of its time when it was released in 2008. It's no wonder that people who are revisiting Speed Racer today are finding that the film was, indeed a masterpiece far ahead of it's time. I watched and loved Patrick's essay on the creator owned streaming service, Nebula. It will be on YouTube soon as well. Subscribe to Patrick H. Willems on YouTube or subscribe to Nebula to watch this epic. Meanwhile, I decided to revisit my love for Speed Racer.

The team behind The Matrix, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, had been away from the big screen for four years before they returned with Speed Racer. The film was their follow-up to what some saw as a disappointing pair of Matrix sequels. Regardless of the critics, those sequels were wildly successful, enough so that WB gave the Wachowski's a massive budget for Speed Racer while also taking a hands off approach to allowing the Wachowski's to make the movie they wanted to make, a big budget, wildly inventive adaptation of the boomer anime retro strip Speed Racer. They then turned that I.P into an eye popping effects extravaganza. This candy colored action-racing smorgasbord was a feast for the eyes and a triumph for modern special effects, that bombed at the box office.

Emile Hirsch stars as Speed Racer, the hottest young driver on the world racing league tour. Coming off a big win, Speed is being pursued by every corporate entity on the globe, but especially by the smarmy head of Royalton International (Roger Allam). Royalton wants Speed on his team and dazzles him with his sprawling car plant. Speed however, he cannot be bought. With the support of his family, Speed sees no need to take the corporate money. This means Royalton will have to destroy Speed as well as Racer Motors, the independent team run by Pops (John Goodman) and Mom (Susan Surandon) Racer, Speed's parents. The team also includes Speed's gal Trixie (Christina Ricci) and his lead mechanic Sparky (Kick Gurry).

Always along for the ride are Speed's little brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and his pet monkey Chim Chim. Rounding out the cast is the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) who has a reputation for causing crashes but more often than not he comes out on the side of good. Fox's performance as Racer X is far more key to the plot and to what is so good about Speed Racer than he first appears. From a technological standpoint, Speed Racer was a leap forward in the way computers and movies intertwine. The virtual world that Wachowski's craft for Speed Racer is one of the most impressive visuals ever brought to the screen. Some will complain that it is all too busy and jolting, to0 video game-esque, only time has served to render Speed Racer ahead of its time.

Though it was made for the kids, mostly boys aged 10 to 14 years old whose sugared up perspective allows them to see the movie as it is meant to be seen, all energy and vibration. That said, the film is such a technical marvel that all audiences, if they'd not dismissed the movie before seeing it, should be dazzled by the awe inspiring ambition and accomplishments of Speed Racer. The extraordinary visuals, the exceptional way real actors are integrated into digital backgrounds, and the exciting action scenes crafted almost entirely with computers are some of the most striking and breathtaking visuals in film history.

As film technology has improved, Speed Racer is now being remembered as a historic leap forward. The visionary Lilly and Lana Wachowski have expanded our collective movie imagination and while many found the experience jarring at the time, over the years many more have found themselves reassessing Speed Racer and being blown away. Myself, I was immersed in the visual splendor and overjoyed by the fun and excitement of Speed Racer from my first time seeing it in 2008. The movie may rely on technology to a ludicrous degree but it's so skillful in that use of technology that I really didn't mind.

When Speed Racer was released, I had already published my rave review. I compared Speed Racer to Star Wars, a potential generational watershed that kids would love and cherish for years to come. I recall that I compared Matthew Fox's Racer X to Harrison Ford's Han Solo. I was hyperbolic, I was over the top, but I was also genuine and my passion for the film has not diminished in the last decade and a half. Speed Racer was simply ahead of its time. It's a visual dynamo that audiences simply were not ready for in 2008. Thanks to Patrick H. Willems, among others, I hope we can bring Speed Racer back and give it the reassessment it truly deserves. It was in 2008, and it remains today, a landmark piece of cinema.

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