Style, flash and some acting drive ‘Speed’

The manga-inspired film is chaotic and cluttered, but it all works out

There are times, when sitting there mouth agape watching "Speed Racer," that you suspect you're witnessing a new grammar in film literature. There doesn't seem to be any cuts in the editing, in the traditional sense, as scenes transition in wipes and dissolves, and everything is layered like an endless hallway of proscenium arches and set flats, sliding back and forth as if on roller skates. And yet it all works. There is no misunderstanding the story, or the physical logic of the choreography, or of the underlying philosophies. "Speed Racer" is a cluttered, dashing, bouncy celebration of pure pop imagination, and yet the careening chaos on the screen is crystal clear in its execution. It is the exact opposite of "Transformers."

'Speed Racer' Rated: PG-13 Opens Friday in theaters 1/2

I must have seen plenty of "Speed Racer" cartoons as a kid (whilst waiting for "Thunderbirds" to air), because the characters and situations are all awfully familiar. One of the first Japanese manga-derived cartoons to succeed in the United States, the show has remained a pop culture icon over the years, and has spawned a number of animated heirs.

It's classic manga. Speed is a talented, misunderstood teen, with loving parents (Pops and Mom Speed); a disaffected older brother (Rex) who just might be the more talented driver, and who has vanished mysteriously, leaving only a bubble of sibling rivalry; an annoyingly perky younger brother (Spritle) and his chimp buddy (Chim-Chim); a cutely asexual girlfriend (Trixie); a family mechanic (Sparky); and the mysterious, brooding driver known only as Racer X. Can anyone draw a straight line between Rex and Racer X?

ORIGINALLY called "Mach GoGoGo" in Japan and limned by anime groundbreaker Tatsuo Yoshida, the animated series was criticized for being too violent, what with all the car crashes. The suits didn't much care for the generic bad guys either, who worked for multinational corporations dedicated to wiping out family businesses like, uh, car racing.

It's all in the movie. After years of false starts, the Wachowski brothers took over the production and made it as much like the original as possible, only pumped up. Apparently, after the grim business of the "Matrix" movies, the brothers wanted to make something family-friendly. And if your family all drinks testosterone for breakfast, they succeeded.

What's different about "Speed Racer" the creakily animated '60s cartoons and "Speed Racer" the 21st-century blockbuster is that, in between, video games were invented. The world of the anime is invested into the universe of the first-person-driver here, and the Wachowskis are having clever fun with the whole notion of avatars, as well -- projections of personality into a shell. That's the subtext here.

The road races here are a cross between roller coasters, drift racing and Grand Theft Auto. There's a bit of wink-wink at NASCAR Nation as well, with the corporate circus of sponsorship being ribbed.

It all looks quite amazing, with a Day-Glo '60s retro panache, as if 40 years ago were the future instead of the other way around. Those familiar with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" will be on familiar ground. The score, by "Lost" veteran Michael Giacchino, is often brilliant in the way it tweaks core action themes.

The cast are all on their game, particularly Matthew Fox (another "Lost" alumnus) as Racer X and Roger Allam as an oily corporate mogul. Susan Sarandon and Christina Ricci positively glow here.

"Speed Racer" is a big, slam-bang, noisy action movie with a visually chaotic frieze holding it together, and yet hammers home a margarine-tasting, Hollywoodish notion of family togetherness and everyday nobility. That's the pill in the big pile of cotton candy, and it's good for you, I guess.

Although the layered, anime storytelling might not be for everyone, "Speed Racer" gets across the finish line in great style.