Metascore

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 37 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 319 Ratings

  • Starring: Emile Hirsch
  • Summary: Hurtling down the track, careening around, over, and through the competition, Speed Racer is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed 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, 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 but uncovers a terrible secret--some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless tycoons who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won't drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that Speed never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family's business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie, Speed teams with his one-time rival--the mysterious Racer X--to win the race that had taken his brother's life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as the Crucible. Yet, the ultimate test of Speed Racer's true racing grit will be at the pinnacle event of the World Racing League, the Grand Prix. But standing between Speed and the checkered flag are the world's best--and most cutthroat--competitors, fueled by a million-dollar bounty from Royalton to the driver who takes Speed out once and for all. (Warner Bros. Pictures) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 37
  2. Negative: 15 out of 37
  1. At its best, it's buoyant pop entertainment focused on three things: speed, racing and retina-splitting oceans of digitally captured color.
  2. Unlike a Pixar cartoon that embraces as wide an audience as possible, Speed Racer proudly denies entry into its ultra-bright world to all but gamers, fanboys and anime enthusiasts. Story and character are tossed aside to focus obsessively on PG-rated action and milk-guzzling heroes.
  3. Speed Racer is chaotic as a six-ring circus, gaudy as a transvestites convention and soullessly cute as a robot puppy.
  4. Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    38
    Yes, it's a candy-colored Day-Glo world, but there's a liveliness missing from this lead-footed Speed Racer.

See all 37 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 28 out of 199
  1. DaveN
    10
    It's more than a year after this movie was released. Few even knew there was a Speed Racer movie it seems, and even fewer cared to see it. I was one of those people and oh boy, am I ever sorry. A trailer means NOTHING for this type of movie. While one their own, certain scenes might appear unwatchable and the dialogue too sappy for most, as a whole this movie has escalated to the top of my list of favorite movies in the past couple years. I can't get it out of my head. The shmaltz, the eye-ravaging colours, the exhilarating soundtrack, the heart pounding races, and the comic genius --- When you become obsessed with everything related to a movie, you know it was something special. If you're gut tells you to avoid this movie, it's probably just gas. Expand
  2. This Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law gave me a $35 gift card to Target. To date, I've spent $2.75 of it. Speed Racer on Blu-Ray at clearance price. Honestly, I saw the previews several years back and thought it looked, for lack of a better word, stupid. That's why I never bothered to see it. But after having bought it at bargain basement price and watching it, I am pleasantly surprised. My review score is 8 out of 10 simply because of length. I agree with reviewers who claim it is too long. It is. But that's the only flaw I could spot. I sit back and let myself enjoy this film for all it set out to be. From the opening sequence of brilliantly blending Speed's present with older brother Rex's past to the psychedelic special effects and standout color scheme that added to the quirkiness and hilarity of the film to the heart of the story raising family and virtues above greed and power, I loved this film. I often do not understand comparing new to old, revamp to original, which is usually where a lot of negativity creeps into reviews for films like this one. Taking the film as a standalone, it is original and full of heart, and if one allows oneself the pleasure, they can have a lot of fun watching. I thought the cast was picked well, and all played they're roles perfectly. Do yourself a favor, and go rent or buy this film for your own viewing enjoyment, or sit and watch it with the whole family. It's a crowd-pleaser for any age. Expand
  3. A pure, technicolor spectacle that, despite its flaws, is pretty much impossible to resist. The Wachowski brothers might have their shortcomings as writers, but they always know how to make a movie that is fun to behold. Expand
  4. USG
    3
    This is a disservice to even fans of the original Speed Racer cartoon and any references (which are too many) to the original are painful. The effects are weird and unfitting and don't suit the original series. Expand

See all 199 User Reviews

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