SPEED RACER out paced by IRON MAN at the box office
(+2 rating, 2 votes)
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SPEED RACER, the Wachowski’s multi colored multi cultural live action adaptation, finished third place behind the box office juggernaut that is IRON MAN and romantic comedy WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS. SPEED RACER earned $18.56 million in it’s opening weekend and suffered from mixed reviews by critics. Warner Bros. feels that SPEED RACER has gotten off to a slow start but is optimistic that it will have some sustainability heading into the summer based on positive reactions by audiences over the weekend.
I just saw the movie on Saturday and I was thoroughly entertained by it. I don’t know what people were expecting, but this film more than lives up to it’s original 60’s predecessor. There is no other way this movie could’ve been filmed other than what the Wachowski’s did with this adaptation. It’s over the top, colorful and full of exuberant energy. And it’s wildly imaginative especially when it comes to the racing scenes which are visually mind blowing to say the least. Even the performances are great and true to the spirit of the English dub version of the 60’s “Speed Racer”. John Goodman as Pops stands out the most along with Christina Ricci’s Trixie. Heck, even Rain acquitted himself well with his acting and action scenes.
With a lackluster box office performance, what does this mean for other anime/live action adaptations down the road? Perhaps a more mature anime property like Akira or Ghost in the Shell may have more appeal to mainstream American movie goers. Or maybe movie studios overestimated the demand for such properties in the first place. Or maybe going up against a huge mega blockbuster like IRON MAN was what led to it’s mediocre take at the box office. Only time will tell.
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One Response to “SPEED RACER out paced by IRON MAN at the box office”
By patrick on May 14, 2008 | Reply
The Wachowski bros certainly put a lot of effort into making Speed Racer… the movie overall looked and felt like a cross between anime, a kaleidoscope, that Flintstones movie, a video game and the Dukes of Hazard