In May 2008, nearly five years after the release of their previous movie, The Matrix Revolutions, The Wachowskis came back to the big screen with their next directorial effort: a massive and massively expensive live-action adaptation of the classic manga and anime series Speed Racer. Despite the major players in front and behind the camera, Speed Racer was not only a critical failure (though we gave it 3 out of 5 stars upon release) but a commercial one as well, with a less-than-ideal opening weekend draw of $20 million. And things didn’t get much better from there.
Over the years, Speed Racer has gotten kind of a bad rap, regarded as a flashy yet forgettable adaption that failed to live up to the hype. And while there is no denying the movie was a box-office bomb, we shouldn’t let that or unflattering reviews prevent us from enjoying what I’ve long considered one of the most intense and ridiculous anime adaptations that is so much fun to enjoy 15 years later. Allow me to break it down…
