palabras José María Alvarez Ortego

The Wachowski Brothers (of Matrix fame) are back. This time they bring us one of the most popular Japanese anime series ever: Mach GoGoGo, better known by the American public as Speed Racer.

When The Matrix hit the theatres in 1999, the Brothers blew everyone away with their filmmaking innovations. Nine years later, innovation is the name of the game once again with their adaptation of this famous cartoon.

For those who are not familiar with the story, it is about a young driver named Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) with an innate talent for racing. Hirsch lost his brother, one of the best pilots ever, when he was a kid. That loss marked him for the rest of his life and compelled him to better driving, and ever faster speeds.

Speed Racer lives by his own code of loyalty, particularly to his family. His father (John Goodman) was unhappy that Speed accepted an "offer he could not refuse" from the corrupt owner of Royalton Industries.

Speed's entire family (the always wonderful Susan Sarandon plays his mom) fight against Royalton, which basically set up Speed for failure. Christina Ricci's turn as Trixie was a no-brainer, she makes the character weird and interesting at the same time.

The mysteriously masked Racer X brings some needed drama to the story. I won't give it away, but he becomes an important part of the story as it progresses.

The Wachowskis thankfully utilize the latest technology to make the film a visual spectacle. Their interpretation of Japanese anime's explosive color and speed is something different for North American kid's movies. That is what Speed Racer is: a wild, kaleidoscopic sugar rush for the whole family. At least it is a viable alternative to the countless flicks about young princes, picaresque elves, and magical talking tigers.