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Speed Racer

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Speed Racer

PG

Released May 9, 2008

2h 15m

Action

Adventure

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

42%

Tomatometer

218 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Born into a family business of race cars, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is one of the track's hot stars. Sitting at the wheel of his Mach 5, he consistently deflates the competition. When Speed turns down an offer from the head of Royalton Industries, he uncovers a secret. Powerful moguls fix the races to boost profits. Hoping to beat the executive, Speed enters the same arduous cross-country race that killed his brother.

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Critics Consensus

Overloaded with headache-inducing special effects, Speed Racer finds the Wachowskis focused on visual thrills at the expense of a coherent storyline.

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William Goss

Film.com

Amid the overly earnest tone, (almost) squeaky-clean humor and familiar messages about teamwork and integrity is the rare film family that's as strong at the start as they are by the end.

May 29, 2013

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

You have to be 12 to like it, and I have to say there is little or nothing here to remind us why we were all quite so excited about The Matrix.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Rated: C+

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Behold the racing stripes and lipstick so red they’d make Technicolor blush, and live-action performances (by almost everyone but star Emile Hirsch) reaching for the transcendently unrestrained hysteria of action anime.

Apr 3, 2025

Full Review

Tina Kakadelis

Beyond the Cinerama Dome

The Wachowskis’ style is very distinctive, and while The Matrix series is far grittier than Speed Racer, they share the same belief that good people and love are the answer to changing the world for the better.

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

It’s a cinematic sugar rush.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 10, 2023

Full Review

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Jadan S

One of the very few Anime to Live-action films made that not only honors the original show, but improves upon it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/04/25

Full Review

Tyler G

It's bad haha. There are some cool visuals going on and the reporting desk dynamic is fun, but everything else is bad- the acting, script, and pacing.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/24/25

Full Review

Audience Member

SPEED RACER IS THE GEATEST MOVIE OF AL TIME. THIS MOVIE SAVED MY MARIGE AND GAVE ME A GREATER LIFE. THIS MOBVIE WILL DO IT TO YOU TO. THIS MOVIE GOES SO HARD

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/09/25

Full Review

Tyler L

Filled overblown CGI special effects and a boring storyline makes the Speed Racer film very forgettable despite featuring talents like John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, and Matthew Fox who don't have a lot to do.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/28/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme ruim, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é ruim, o elenco é mais ou menos, mas ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e o filme tem cenas de Cgi horríveis, tipo a cena da explosão na parte de fora da casa do speed, com tudo isso, eu não recomendo esse filme, eu só recomendo para todas as pessoas ver as cenas de efeito visuais/Cgi horríveis.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

Full Review

Z R

Not everyone will like this movie. But for viewers like me who grew up in awe of this cartoon and for whom it was pivotal in our young lives, this movie is a masterpiece. It's an unapologetic love letter to the original cartoon, with countless references from subtle to direct, everything from facial expressions, sound effects, plot developments, car details, and even the campy martial arts. I felt like every aspect of the movie was true to the concept of the cartoon, and the casting choices and the acting were excellent. It's visually alive like an arcade game, which can border on overwhelming, but it worked as a modern interpretation of the cartoon's action sequences. The great use of musical elements from the cartoon added to the nostalgia effect, but the message - especially in one of Pops' quotes about greed - is absolutely relevant 17 years later (2025).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/25

Full Review

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Lilly Wachowski

Director

Lana Wachowski

Director

Emile Hirsch

Speed

Christina Ricci

Trixie

Susan Sarandon

Mom Racer

John Goodman

Pops Racer

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Synopsis

Born into a family business of race cars, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is one of the track's hot stars. Sitting at the wheel of his Mach 5, he consistently deflates the competition. When Speed turns down an offer from the head of Royalton Industries, he uncovers a secret. Powerful moguls fix the races to boost profits. Hoping to beat the executive, Speed enters the same arduous cross-country race that killed his brother.

Director: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Producer: Joel Silver, Grant Hill, Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Screenwriter: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Entertainment, Silver Pictures
Rating: PG (Language|Brief Smoking|Sequences of Action|Some Violence)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 9, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.9M
Runtime: 2h 15m
Sound Mix: DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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