I listened with slightly more interest when I heard them start talking about how they were practically inventing new ways of shooting stuff in order to get the look they wanted for the movie. I mean, after all, these guys did influence about a million movies with the whole dodging bullets slo-mo thing.
I have to admit, however, that I’m a lot more interested now that I’m seeing these new pics that USA Today posted. Now, I’m not a huge fan of all these computer animated and green screen filmed movies like “Beowulf” and “300″ (although I did enjoy “Sin City”), so when I heard the cast and crew describing the film as looking like “a live action cartoon” I was a bit skeptical that anything good could come of it.
These pictures, though, are really pretty cool. A still photo, of course, isn’t the same as film so it remains to be seen whether or not the effect looks as cool on the big screen but from seeing these shots (presumably stills taken from a trailer) the film looks like it could be something amazing.
Warner Bros. Pictures provides us with a plot synopsis:
Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized-the legendary Rex Racer - whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer, the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner but uncovers a terrible secret-some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie, Speed teams with his one-time rival-the mysterious Racer X - to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.
The trailer for the film is supposed to premiere on Entertainment Tonight this evening. That means I’ll probably have it up tomorrow.
This film is set for release on May 9, 2008.
Click the link below to see the rest of the pics.
