SPEED RACER

This is a family-friendly remake of the 1960s anime favourite, the story of a young man’s quest to become the greatest racing car driver in the world. In doing so, he has to overcome scheming corporate baddies, cheating drivers and the memory of his older brother’s death in a crash. As you’d expect from the comics-obsessed Wachowski brothers (The Matrix), it’s a visually striking combination of live action and CGI, and it looks amazing. But retro-futuristic pop Americana and computer game special effects can’t make up for a super-corny script. It’s a film for kids with short attention spans but, at over two hours, it would make a better computer game. Stars Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon and Korean popstar Rain. Tuesday night special. (Lachlan Jobbins)