If there’s ever a movie from the late 2000s deserving of its reevaluation, might we thrust Speed Racer to the front? A dizzying piece of pop that zooms like an acid trip through the world of racing and anime, the movie just did not connect with audiences…outside of those actively under a certain kind of influence, at least. To say it went under the radar – taking in $44 million domestically on a $120 million budget – would be an understatement, but it has gained a lot traction in the 15+ years since its release, taking on a cult status that was sort of always there underneath the rubble.
Speed Racer star Emile Hirsch is well aware of the movie’s modern reception, although it does remind him of its flop at the box office. “When it came out, it was unanimously dogged…I remember we were all like, ‘Man, this movie is so good. How come nobody gets it?’ That was sort of our perspective. But then we were also like, ‘Are we the crazy ones?’ Because it’s the public and the critics…So it’s really validating to have everybody come around all these years later.”
This validation is no joke. And while the Rotten Tomatoes score of 60% is hardly anything to root for, it’s far superior to the critics’ 42%. At the same time, Speed Racer sits at a 3.4 on Letterboxd. Hirsch also gave the Speed Racer reappraisal some historical context as well, adding, “What’s interesting about Speed Racer is that the trajectory that it took, weirdly, is similar to the cartoon. The cartoon only had like two seasons, maybe three. And that’s not very much for a huge children’s show. These cartoons go forever. So it had kind of a relatively short run. But over the years, it just gained this cult following.”
The evolution, making and release of 2008’s Speed Racer is one heck of a story in and of itself, which we covered in an episode of “WTF Happened to This Movie?!” Coming off the heels of wrapping up their Matrix trilogy, the Wachowskis went all in on their adaptation of the manga-turned-cartoon, a project that had been circling Hollywood for more than two decades. Numerous iterations of the project – including one set to star Johnny Depp – fell through, ultimately landing at the Wachowskis, Hirsch, and a supporting cast that included Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, and Matthew Fox, a role offered to Henry Rollins back in the ‘90s.
But now that Speed Racer is a bonafide cult movie, maybe it’s time to get that sequel going…
Where do you stand on Speed Racer? Were you a fan at release, did you learn to love it for what it is or does it not have enough gas?
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