Gleb Jolie "Rants Back" about Speed Racer!

Venkman here - We recently got a rant back from one of our fellow geeks regarding the new 'Speed Racer' movie. We like what Gleb said so much we wanted to post it, because we here at Geektyrant Feel 'Speed Racer' is not being treated fairly by the critics and is not getting the respect it deserves. Thanks Gleb jolie!

I am a closet geek who works at Black Belt magazine, that’s right, the granddaddy of martial arts geekdom.

I was a huge Speed Racer fan when it aired on Channel 52 in Los Angeles in the 70s. My dad disapproved of us watching it because of the “violence.” Even then we knew that was a ridiculous charge. I used to draw the Mach 5 in profile obsessively. It was the center of my aesthetic universe for a few years, there. I freakin’ loved that show. Looking back on it now, it’s more nostalgia than admiration. It looks so Spartan compared to today’s anime, it’s almost sad. But the voices and music and the car have not lost their appeal.

Let me get to the point.

My nephew and I went to see it on Friday and we both loved it! I was so happy because all the lame reviews by a buncha wet blankets had me worried. I went in with a mood of defiance. “I’m ready to like this movie!” I told Jason. “Those critics were not only old, they just don’t get it.”

Then I saw Iron Man on Sunday and despite how well all the parts fit together, I have to say, I had more fun at Speed Racer! I think it’s a generational divide at work here. Speed Racer speaks to the manic kid that grew up to race cars. Iron Man to the nerds who yearn to be James Bond or America’s closest approximation according to Marvel Comics: Iron Man.

Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Marvel and Favreau’s shellhead and it was pretty nigh flawless, but the narrative seems to address the dreams and desires of an older movie mentality. There’s a traditional approach to film that Iron Man fulfills and there’s a need for something fresh that Speed Racer and the wacky Wachowskis hit like the reddest game controller button there is. They nailed it, they know what kind of experience film and the big screen can deliver. We don’t care anymore about whether CGI can make a hero like Iron Man “believable.” We want to be thrilled by what he does.

As far as I’m concerned, the car beat the suit hands down, regardless of how many butts paid to sit through the film. Numbers tell different stories than the stories themselves.

Thanks for putting out an enthusiastic review from the heart!

Count me in.

Glebedee