Still from SPEED RACER (2008).
© Warner Bros.
First Seven Minutes of RACER Online
By: Associate News EditorDate: Thursday, May 08, 2008
Yahoo! Movies has posted the first seven mintues of SPEED RACER, which hits theaters tomorrow (May 9th). Click below to watch.
And from their write up... "Born to race cars, Speed Racer 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. "
As we're sure everyone knows by now, the film stars Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer, Susan Sarandon as Mom Racer, John Goodman as Pops Racer, Christina Ricci as Trixie, Matthew Fox as Racer X, Kick Gurry as Sparky, Benno Furmann as Inspector Detector, Ji Hoon Jung as Taejo Togokhan, and Paulie Litt as Spritle.
According to Warner Brother's internal tracking numbers Speed Racer will make between 30 to 35 million dollars in its opening weekend. Well, with Iron Man making 98 million dollars last weekend, even if the film sees a 65 percent drop at the box office this weekend, it could still come in at number one at the box office, that is, if Warner's tracking numbers for Speed Racer are indeed accurate.
Worse still, Speed Racer is only garnering a 32% approval rating from national critics, which has fluctuated from as low as 29% to as high as 38%. That is compared to 93% for Iron Man--this according to Rotten Tomatoes.com. Shockingly, Speed Racer's low critics' approval is one of the lowest, if not the lowest, for an expected block buster film release that I have ever witnessed being printed on Rotten Tomatoes charts.
Making matters worse, Speed Racer is sandwiched between Iron Man and the Narnia sequel...thus forcing it to share the family and teen audience. The result? The available audience will be split 3 ways when the latter film is released, hence, Speed Racer will have to make the bulk of its money during its debut weekend...or it will be a complete failure for Warner. Should the film's opening be meager, the film will quickly sink at the box office and fade away rapidly under the crush of its competition. This film looks to be headed in the direction of being a major flop and embarrassment for producer Joel Silver and directors, The Wachowski Brothers--one that will serve to damage their collective reputations, perhaps, for years to come...and certainly, it will derail Speed Racer as a franchise property as it was being forwarded by Warner Brothers and Joel Silver!!!
Signed, Metal Water