The Matrix trilogy is one of the most well-known science fiction series in film history. Directed and written by the Wachowski siblings, they even adapted an anime in 2008, but it was a big flop. Nowadays, fans see the film as an underrated gem.
Which film is it about? After the Matrix trilogy, Speed Racer was released in 2008. It is an anime adaptation of the eponymous anime and manga. The anime aired from 1967 to 1968. At its core, it revolves around futuristic car races. Besides the races, the protagonists fight villains.
The film by the Matrix creators was thus a live-action adaptation of the anime and manga. Despite a fairly high budget of 120 million dollars, the film flopped. Looking at the numbers on Box Office Mojo, the film only grossed just under 94 million dollars worldwide.
Variety even estimates the budget at 200 million dollars, due to extremely high marketing costs with brands like McDonald’s.
But all that marketing didn’t help the film, and critics were not convinced either. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film only has a critic score of 42 %, based on 218 reviews.
You can see a trailer here:
Bad timing and too much money
Why did the film flop? As Variety wrote, the film was really expensive. Accordingly, the fall height is also high. At the same time, Speed Racer is not a huge franchise. It is not at the level of a Dragon Ball.
The target audience was also a problem for the budget. It was a film for children. Speed Racer is colorful, loud, and has an unusual look that mixes animation elements with live action. It was too niche.
In the same month, major franchise films were released that stole the show. Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, or The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian are bigger names with established worlds and characters that also premiered in May of the same year (via movieinsider.com).
Then in early June, Kung Fu Panda was released. A film that was interesting for a broader child and family audience.
The name Wachowski
was previously associated only with films like Matrix and V for Vendetta. These are names that do not work for a children’s film like Speed Racer.
Speed Racer became a cult film among fans
Speed Racer still has many fans. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has over 250,000 user reviews and holds a score of 60%. Also on reddit, the film is loved by many, as a thread in the /movies subreddit shows.
Fans of the film praise on both platforms that it is simply visually fun. Although the film may be childish at times, for many that contributes to the positive experience. The action and dynamic editing are also positive aspects for many fans.
Another science fiction film was supposed to become a big franchise, but that didn’t work out: A sci-fi film with huge monsters grossed 290 million US dollars, yet there will never be a sequel
