Pure cinematic candy

“Speed Racer"
Warner Brothers Pictures
Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski
Starring Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci, Paulie Litt, Roger Allum and Rain

Rated PG

2 1/2 Stars        

Like an explosion in a candy store; "Speed Racer" is an all-out assault on the senses that should delight young ones raised on "Mario Brothers” and other Nintendo fare. It's brightly colored and filled with gravity-defying race sequences. There's plenty of physical comedy, quirky characters, and the romance stuff never gets too gooey. The film even features ninjas and a monkey. Ten-year-old boys will be in heaven.

Mom and dad will probably notice that the film is over-long, the acting simplistic and the action difficult to follow at times. But hey, as long as junior is happy, that's all that really counts in a movie like "Speed Racer." Not every film can be satisfying for the whole family.

The story follows the career of Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch), the middle son in a family of car fanatics. Speed is a promising young driver, that is until he declines to join up with a sinister racing organization that fixes races and might have been behind the fiery crash that killed Speed's older brother. Now the bad guys are trying to destroy Speed, who fights back by driving as fast as he can. He has help along the way from his girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), Mom and Pops (Susan Sarandon and John Goodman) and the mysterious driver known only as Racer X (Matthew Fox).

None of this is very interesting, but the rudimentary story does allow the filmmakers to quickly link from one race to the next. Just like in a video game where you can choose your track and customize your car, "Speed Racer" zooms along through a series of races that are more reminiscent of Hot Wheels courses than anything NASCAR might dream up. Nobody tries to hide the fact that the cars are completely computer generated, easily able to defy the laws of physics and even able to battle in what the filmmakers have dubbed, "Car Fu."

None of it looks real, but it sure is exciting, despite the fact that it's difficult at times to tell what's going on in the race. "Speed Racer" is a candy-colored fantasy complete with the post-ingestion sugar rush. You'll be overwhelmed by the film's visual style (Think Willy Wonka making a movie out of Skittles) but it's only a simple treat without any of the heartier substance of a full cinematic meal.

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published Wednesdays and Fridays in “The Port Arthur News.” He can be found weekly on KAVU-TV, KFDM-TV, and KVIC Radio. Additional reviews can be found at www.rottentomatoes.com or www.panews.com. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.