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WSR Detailed Disc Review
Speed Racer
Two-Disc Special Edition
Genre: Action Adventure
Reviewed In Issue 136 (Nov 2008) Of Widescreen Review®
Stars:
Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Mattew Fox, Roger Allam, Paulie Litt, Benno Fürmann, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rain, Richard Roundtree & Kick Gurry
Special features include the 15-minute Spritle In The Big Leagues and 16-minute Speed Racer: Supercharged! featurettes, a digital copy of the film, and up-front previews. In addition to the same special features on the DVD, the Blu-ray Disc™ has an additional featurette Speed Racer: Car-Fu (28 minutes) and an immersive DVD game Speed Racer: Crucible Challenge.
Disc General Information
(Studio/Distributor):
Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number):
1000026375
(MPAA Rating):
PG
(Rating Reason):
Sequences of action, some violence, language and brief smoking
Story Synopsis:
Speed Racer (Hirsch) is a natural at driving his family's racing creation, the Mach 5—a car so fast and full of gadgets it is deemed unbeatable. Hoping to redeem the family name after his now-deceased brother Rex Racer (Scott Porter) was caught apparently cheating in the brutal Casa Cristo cross-country race, Speed sets out to dominate the racing circuit with nothing but his talent and his Pop's (Goodman) awesome car creation. When Speed discovers that top corporate interests have been fixing the outcome of major races for profit, he enters the dreaded Casa Cristo race to expose the corruption that has crippled the sport that means the world to him. (Stacey Pendry)
Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.32:1 DVD delivers on the fantastically vibrant color scheme of the film, with deeply saturated, intensely bright colors that really pop from the screen. Black levels are deep and consistent, and shadows are delineated nicely. The source element appears very processed, with an unnaturally polished appearance. Fleshtones are too red, and contrast is somewhat overpumped. The entire image seems somewhat soft, and noticeable stairstepping and digitization can be distracting at times. Edge enhancement, luckily, is not noticeable. The VC-1-encoded Blu-ray Disc looks superb, with bright, bold colors and a fantastic sense of depth in the image. The polished appearance works well in high-definition. This is a great image. (Danny Richelieu)
Sound:
The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack features a broad front stage, but the sporadic surround channels limit the engagement of the presentation. The surrounds are often under-utilized, which is a disappointment, considering there are scenes that are fully enveloping. The LFE channel is used well when needed, with bass dropping down below 50 Hz with natural definition. Phantom imaging is not incorporated with much consistency, but the front stage does deliver an audible sense of depth. Dynamic range is adequate and fidelity is good. The noise floor is low as well. The Blu-ray Disc’s Dolby Digital encoding doesn’t sound much better than the DVD and is a big disappointment. (Danny Richelieu)
WSR D-Box Motion Code™ Review
D-Box Motion Code™ Rating:
5
D-Box Motion Code™ Review:
There is but one word to describe the experience of watching Speed Racer with D-BOX… EXHILIRATING! The highly stylized visuals and “in-your-face” sound help to set the tone, but D-BOX makes all the difference. Comparing bits of the Grand Prix that takes place at the end of the film with and without the D-BOX activated is just not fair. Not taking anything away from the Wachowsky brothers, because they delivered a fun and invigorating movie, but the motion control artists who spent the time pouring over each frame of “Speed Racer,” racking up an amazing 332 hours, took it to the next level. There are 6,927 different motion events and an unbelievable 41 minutes of motion in the film.
The animated sequence at the beginning is a nice precursor to the rest of the film. As Speed is racing in the first race of the film, along with the flashbacks of him as a child riding with big brother Rex, every interaction of the racecar with the track is perfectly felt. The motion places you in the car and in the middle of the action. It is a complete adrenaline rush. When the car shimmies, turns, and drifts along the track, so does the viewer. Even though the motion seating is not going anywhere, when the car accelerates, it truly feels as if the seats are accelerating too. When Racer X is chasing some of the “bad guys” on a winding road, the gunshots are extremely convincing. The explosions of the heavy weapons provide a serious jolt, adding to the tension. This is about Speed Racer, so obviously he is involved in a few races during the course of the film. During each race, D-BOX places you right in the middle of the frenzy. There is a nice fight sequence as well that makes good use of the actuators.
Many films often have good demo sequences for D-BOX, but with “Speed Racer,” the WHOLE film is demo material. This is a must-have Blu-ray Disc for D-BOX owners. (Chris White)
