Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
speed racer
via Warner Bros.

The first 15 minutes of an infamous bomb labeled as ‘perfection,’ it’s just a shame the movie ran for 135

Even if that statement rings true, there's still two hours of nonsense to sift through.

As the first feature to be directed by the Wachowskis following the conclusion of the The Matrix trilogy, 2008’s Speed Racer was viewed a a pivotal moment in the careers of the filmmaking duo.

Recommended Videos

They may have changed the face of cinema forever when Keanu Reeves and his leather-clad associates burst onto the scene in 1999, but the sequels suffered from a huge dip in quality, with critics and fans alike left severely underwhelmed by the overindulgent and borderline-pretentious end to a story that had the potential to go down as a classic.

Leaning even harder into their own fandom for inspiration, the Wachowskis embraced their adoration for the manga and anime iterations of Speed Racer to deliver a candy-colored $120 million exercise in stunning visuals, cutting-edge effects, eye-popping set pieces, counteracted by a completely and utterly uninvolving, uninteresting, and tedious narrative.

It tanked at the box office after recouping only $93 million of those hefty production costs from theaters, while a 41 percent Rotten Tomatoes score underlined the critical apathy. Speed Racer has become a cult favorite over the years, though, but a recent debate on Reddit has summed up the film’s issues in microcosm.

The first 15 or so minutes are described in such glowing terms as a “masterclass,” “sheer perfection,” and “mind-blowing,” but the problem is that Speed Racer runs for 135 of them. We’re not saying the praise (no matter how hyperbolic) isn’t warranted, and the bonkers action epic has endured as a favorite for a reason, it would have just been preferable were more than a fraction of the runtime capable of being held in such high esteem.


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Scott Campbell
Scott Campbell
News, reviews, interviews. To paraphrase Keanu Reeves; Words. Lots of words.