Speed Racer 2008 is a great movie.

I just saw it and I loved it.

It's a movie that mostly flopped when it came out, but has become a cult classic, more and more people, especially people into Anime, have praised it, sometimes seemingly calling it the only Western film they really like.  And some people liked it at the time, I remember relatives of mine talking about it that Christmas.

What I love about it has a lot in common with Digibro's praise for it.  He did his main review of the movie, and touched on it in the Tone Shifts video.  This movie is also a great argument for the point of my Live Action Adaptations of Anime should be Colorful post.

I didn't see it when it came out.  My Anime fandom was in it's infancy then, mostly revolving around Noir still.  My nerdiness was mainly about Comic Book adaptations, so The Dark Knight and early MCU dominated the year, though I did find time for Prince Caspian.

Overall, 2008 was definitely a great year for movies.  Jut try to pretend Frank Miller's The Spirit didn't happen.

As much as I'm into Anime now, I still haven't seen any Speed Racer anime, since my taste in Anime is mostly modern.  But I do have fond childhood memories of old Wackey Races reruns.  And I love Mario Kart.  And I love the Pod Race in The Phantom Menace.  And I like Pro-Wrestling.  Speed Racer is like all of those merged together in a perfect Hot Mess.

Ya know how some Comic Book films try to merge the modern/futuristic with a 30s/40s aesthetic to make them timeless?  Starting with Batman89?  Well this does the same thing but with the 50s/early 60s instead.

John Goodman is great in it.  Matthew Fox has a very George Cloony vibe.  And Trixie was fun, she's totally worthy of being called an Anime Girl.  And the villain was exquisitely British.