Speed Racer (2008)

OK, who's idiotic idea was it to make this movie 2 hours and 15 minutes long?  that was the biggest mistake ever.  it should have 80 or 90 minutes and it would have cost less, made more money and been a better movie.  the filmmakers just had to put too much on the screen, like five episodes worth of Speed Racer, and it's too much at one time.

the other big mistake was an over-reliance on green screen and cgi.  there's something moving in every pixel of the frame, it is sensory overload.  the movie is so true to the US version of the cartoon except that it misses the simplicity of the animation.  a breather for the eyes would be really nice here and there.

having said all that, I really do like the movie.  the cast is fun, they used a real chimp for Chim-Chim (amazingly enough) and there's plenty of action and even martial arts stuff.  it's all very enjoyable in about 3 doses, but not all at once.  you also get Peter Fernandez and Corinne Orr with cameos.  gotta like that.  but mostly it makes me want to watch the cartoons more than anything.