Review: Speed Racer Volume 5 (B)

Speed Racer Volume Five
Grade: B
Review by Scott Standish

When I was film school (back in the eighties) I wanted to do an updated, futuristic black and white version of Speed Racer. Remember, this was the eighties, and for the most part, this show was nothing more than a cult reference. It would be dark. Gritty. Sexy. Weird. I had the casting all in my head. Johnny Depp would play Speed (remember this was a long time ago) and Winona (then his girlfriend) would be Trixie. Mickey Rourke would play the mysterious Racer X and get this: as Pops Racer? Mike Ditka. I still think that Ditka would make a great Pops Racer.

Anyway, there was no way in hell I was going to actually be able to get the rights (I think Warner Brothers owned them at the time), and it wasn't long before I figured out that directing was actually hard work. Writing reviews seemed a lot easier. So my black and white, futuristic version of Speed Racer was not meant to be.

Now there is word on the street that the Wachowski Brothers (Matrix, V for Vendetta) are going to direct a modern version of Speed Racer. Ahh.. This should get interesting. I love the Wachowskis. Bound is underrated and despite the hype, the original Matrix still stands up well as a sci-fi classic. Plus, they always seem to get the best out of their actors. There are rumors that Vince Vaughn could be playing Racer X. I actually like that idea. Anyway, I wish this one well and I definitely will check it out.

In the meantime, this seems like a great opportunity to dust off the original cartoons that started it all, the Japanese made Speed Racer cartoons from the 1960s. They've been released on DVD and I recently had the good fortune of checking out Volume Five. This collection of classic Speed Racer cartoons has it all. The hokey dialogue, the bizarre animation and the cardboard cutout characters. Believe me, Speed Racer is just like you remembered it. Lots of fun. Very strange. All good. if you never really watched Speed Racer as a kid, it might be interesting to check it out now, in advance of the feature film. If you (like me) grew up watching Speed, Trixie and Chim Chim rip it up on the race tracks around the world, then watching these originals cartoons should prove to be a real treat.