Rating: PG
Genre:
Adventure
Theatrical Release: 05/09/2008(USA
Release Date: 09/16/2008
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol/Por
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol/Por
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 135 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
The Matrix masterminds
Andy and
Larry Wachowski usher
anime icon
Tatsuo Yoshida's classic 1960s-era hit into the new millennium with this family-friendly story of a young racecar driver who takes on the mysterious
Racer X in a custom-made, gadget-loaded speed machine named the
Mach 5.
Speed Racer (
Emile Hirsch) is the kind of driver that every wheelman wishes he could be: a born winner whose unbeatable combination of aggression, instinct, and fearlessness always finds him crossing the checkered flag with a comfortable lead. In
Speed Racer's mind, the only driver who could present him with any real challenge is his late brother -- the legendary
Rex Racer.
Rex died in a heated cross-country rally known as The Crucible many years ago, and now his younger sibling is driven to fulfill the legacy that
Rex left behind. To this day,
Speed Racer is fiercely loyal to family. It was
Speed Racer's father,
Pops Racer (
John Goodman), who designed the unbeatable
Mach 5, and even a lucrative offer from racing giants Royalton Industries isn't enough to get the young ace to break his family ties.
Upon turning down
Royalton's (
Roger Allam) astronomical offer,
Speed Racer makes the shocking discovery that the outcomes of the biggest races are being predetermined by a handful of powerful moguls who pad their profits by manipulating the drivers. Realizing that his career would be ruined if word of the fix gets out,
Royalton vows that the
Mach 5 will never make it to another finish line. Now, the only way for
Speed Racer to save the family business and beat
Royalton at his own game will be to win the very same race that claimed his brother's life so many years ago. In order to accomplish that formidable feat, however,
Speed Racer will not only have to rely on his family and the aid of his longtime girlfriend,
Trixie (
Christina Ricci), but form a tenuous alliance with his longtime rival -- the mysterious
Racer X (
Matthew Fox) -- as well.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide