Normally, I don’t review movies here on TV Jab, but I think its ok to take a look at Speed Racer for a couple reasons.

1) Speed Racer started out as a television show long before I was born.

2) The movie has bombed at the box office, and the only place most of you are going to see it is on your televisions in your living rooms at home.

So, with that out of the way, this weekend my family and I decided to check out Speed Racer. My 4 year old was particularly interested in what she’d seen on the Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon ads. I have to admit, the “grown-up” trailers left me uninterested in this movie, but the kid’s comedy aspect of the film is played up in those commercials on the kid’s networks, and I thought that the movie might be an enjoyable kid’s romp.

My wife was also interested in seeing the film, but more out of curiosity of just what it was than any real love for the Speed Racer character.

When we walked into the theater it was 7:40 pm. 5 minutes before the movie was supposed to start. They had to stop off at the restroom, so I decided to walk into the theater to make sure we could get the best of whatever seats were left. This is only the second week of the film’s release, so I expected their to be at least a small crowd. When I walked in, however, I was SHOCKED to see that the theater was completely empty. Not a soul.

The last time I watched a movie in a completely empty theater was when Godzilla 2000 was released theatrically. It’s been a while.

I couldn’t believe there wasn’t anyone there, and I began to get a sinking feeling that this movie was going to be as truly terrible as Rotten Tomatoes says it is.

Before seeing the movie, all three of us had watched the first episode of the original Speed Racer cartoon on Hulu. I think it helped prepare us for what we were going to see…and I have to tell you, what we saw was amazing.

This film is an unapologetic love letter to the insanity of classic anime series like the one its based on, and it lets you know right up front what you’re getting into. This, like other live action films based on cartoons like The Flintstones, tries to accurately recreate the animated world - but this is one of the first films to truly do it successfully. If you are willing to allow yourself to embrace the world presented, this film is a joy from beginning to end.

I’ve read in several places that the film has a convoluted plot, but I honestly just don’t see it. The only place my daughter had a problem following along was at the very beginning when it flash back and forth from young Speed to adult Speed. After she understood what was happening there, she had no problems understanding the rest of the film. Sure, I don’t think she gets all the talk about raising and lower the price of stocks, and corporate corruption, but she doesn’t have to get who the bad guy is, and what’s going on with the film.

Where I think a lot of people are getting confused or feel that the pacing is off are in the races, and I can understand that. The first race serves as an introduction to Speed, where he’s at, and what his life is like. The second race is Speed coming into his own - and is the best race of the film. This race brings in every element of the classic series, and is - by far - the best race in the film. It’s so good, and so long, it almost feels like the end of the film itself. This is the race where you’re truly routing for Speed. By the third race, the character arc is complete and the race itself is presented not as a traditional “end of the movie win” (where we don’t “know” if the hero is going to win or not) but more as a culmination of everything that Speed had learned in the previous hour and half.

It’s a very different pacing choice, that I can see might throw some people off, but I think the film successfully pulls it off.

This movie, successful at the box office or not, is going to sell many Blu-Ray players when it hits DVD/HD. It’s a visual masterpiece, and when it ended, all three of us left the empty theater ecstatic.

My 4 year old now wants a Mach 5 for her first car when she turns 16, and I’m pretty sure my wife would be fine with it if I showed up in one as the new family vehicle (as long as there was a back seat of some kind). We were all eaten up with this film, and really, truly, enjoyed it.

I hope you’ll give it a chance. Forget what you’ve read from everywhere (including here), and just go see the movie. Don’t let anyone else’s opinion influence your experience with this movie. Some of you will become life-long fans, others may not be impressed.

I am now, and forever, a Speed Racer fan because of this movie.