Staff Pick: Speed RacerPG135 min
Synopsis
Oisin's Take:
In 2005, after the Wachowskis had finally completed work on the Matrix Trilogy and their V for Vendetta adaptation, they were left with a single, monumental question: How do you follow up a series of films that launched your career and redefined action cinema forever?
Their answer? Redefine cinema again.
Speed Racer grabs every established visual convention of Hollywood filmmaking by the throat, turns them upside-down, inside-out, and sends them roaring into the digital age. Drawing from their own experiences within the studio system, the Wachowskis tell the story of a passionate young driver who suddenly learns that racing is not quite the romantic sport he dreamt of, but a merciless industry built on profit. Speed must fight to rediscover the "true heart" of racing and win the day to prove that love and passion conquer greed in the end.
This dream closely mirrors the Wachowskis' efforts to redefine themselves as more than the Matrix series and to prove that filmmaking should be about the joy of creativity rather than the desire to turn a profit. Though the film's box office performance did not ultimately reflect their unbridled optimism, the rebellious mindset that powered their breakneck experimental direction still shines through in the final product, and Speed Racer remains a peerless work of cinematic revolution from two directors at the height of their powers.