The same can be said of Christina Ricci in her role as the ‘always there for ya’ supportive best friend and potential love interest, Trixie. They never over do the love angle which was very refreshing but it’s also very clear that Speed will never turn around and find that she’s no longer standing there.

All of that important emotional stuff out of the way, this film is a ton of fun! The racing sequences are brilliantly executed. It’s impossible for me to imagine how someone (The Wachowskis) were able to see these scenes in their heads first, and then get them onto film. Storyboarding a simple movie is a crazy enough under taking as it is, this one is unbelievable! When you see this you’ll be amazed at how brilliant this directing team had to be to dream all of this up!

The other elements that they were able to weave into this miraculous visual tapestry were taken straight from the cartoon itself. Anyone familiar with the style of animation back then will be able to pick out each scene that was clearly inspired by these signature moves and for those of us less familiar with it, it will seem like yet another great idea on the part of the filmmakers.

As I mentioned earlier they use a ton of different elements to bring this world to life; CGI, green screen, animation, almost every element you could think of and somehow it all blends together and creates the exact right environment for this story. They didn’t stress over making it look ‘real’ it just had to look ‘right.’ That was something that I could not understand, again, until I saw the film.

So I guess the overall point behind my entire review here is that you should go see this film! Don’t wait for DVD because the experience of seeing this on the big screen is way too good to pass up. It’s exciting, fun and tells a really great story with an amazingly talented group of actors! What more could you ask for?

Movie Grade: A

Synopsis:

Born to race cars, Speed Racer (Hirsch) is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized—the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret—some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves ...