In conclusion, Iron Man beats Speed Racer at the box office. However, things aren't as clear when we take other criteria into consideration. The visuals of both shows are on par and it really boils down to personal preference of special effects style. It is the story that separates the man from the boys, and Iron Man is not the man. So folks, it is a one-one draw. There are things to love and hate about both shows. If you have the time, watch both and decide for yourself. If you don't have the time, I suggest skipping both shows and watch Indiana Jones instead.
Pseudo-Realistic vs Psychedelic
As with all summer blockbusters in recent years, the main reason for watching them is to gawk at the special effects and both shows have excellent effects. As with past movies based on Marvel comics, Iron Man's special effects follow in the footsteps of Spiderman and X-Men in the use of pseudo-realistic, computer generated imagery. Being a computer graphics buff, I have always been interested in watching the evolution of such techniques over the years. And of course, the graphics is top notch and blends so well with the actual footage that we, the audience, can never really tell what's real and what's not. Perhaps it is a case of over dosage, but with just about every blockbuster using realistic computer generated effects, I have become numb to such effects. As a result, Iron Man's effects felt... ordinary instead of spectacular.
Speed Racer on the other hand, is produced by the infamous Wachowski Brothers. For those who have forgotten, the Wachowski Brothers are responsible for creating "The Matrix". Unfortunately, they are also responsible for creating the dismal sequels "Matrix: Reloaded" and "Matrix: Revolutions". Despite all their faults, the Wachowski Brother's have always been pushing the boundaries of big screen visual effects. They have applied their creativity and hunger for innovation to Speed Racer. The end result, is a shockingly psychedelic splash of brilliant colors that is totally different from any other movie in existence. Speed Racer is also the first movie to incorporate Kill Bill-esque elements, mixing together different visual and genre styles. These are very risky moves that definitely will shock the conservatives and has impacted Speed Racer's box office figures. However, I have to give the Wachowski Brothers some kudos for having the balls to do something different and very memorable.
Stark Industries vs Royalton Industries
Interestingly, the villain in both Iron Man and Speed Racer is the big bad corporation, personified an evil Executive as the head of the company.
In Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is a brilliant scientist/engineer/playboy who inherited his daddy's weapons manufacturing mega-corporation. After escaping from terrorist kidnappers who forced him to build weapons of mass destruction, Stark decides to turn his company away from producing weapons. Nobel intentions indeed. If I were a determined chief executive seriously wanting to turn the company around, I would hide in my multi-million basement designing a suit of high tech battle armor. Huh? I wonder hallucinogen Tony Stark is taking there.
Meanwhile, his number two executive decides Stark has finally gone too crazy (I don't blame him, Stark IS crazy) and decides it is time for him head the company. Like any good number two executive, he decides the best option is to kill Stark. I guess the number two is also taking hallucinogens, because he too creates his own high tech battle armor and both executives slug it out metal-o-metal like two cavemen.
Speed Racer is the story about a boy (Emile Hirsch), his family, and his dream to become a professional racer. The only problem is, he discovers that the world of racing, and every single race result is tightly controlled by automobile conglomerates who only care about how race results affect their company revenue. If he discovers that if he does not race for his would-be sponsor Royalton Industries, then he won't even be able to race at all. "What can I do? I only know how to race", ponders Speed Racer who is blocked at the driveway.
I won't go into details as to how Speed solves his problem and bring down the evil Royalton Industries, save to say that it is a story about sticking to his dreams, believing in himself and having strong family values. If this type of story appeals to you, then ignore the badly done psychedelic trailer and do give Speed Racer the movie a chance. The movie itself may just surprise you.
Introduction
Today, I am going to attempt something difficult. I will not only review two movies (Iron Man and Speed Racer), I will do so with an unconventional format. The reason for doing so is because I have been inspired by one of these movies. I hope when you reach the end of this review, you will know which movie I am refering to. So without further adieu, here goes... wish me luck!
