Writer-director team, Andy and Larry Wachowski, the makers of grand films like the “Matrix” trilogy and “V for Vendetta,” bring the popular 1960s Japanese cartoon“Speed Racer,” to life with vibrant action, comedy, and summer movie fun that may drag in places, but overall delivers a good time.

The story is about Speed (Emile Hirsch), who is in love with racing and destined to be great, yet is haunted by his brother Rex’s (Scott Porter) fatal racing accident when he was a young boy. Speed, who races for his father, Pops (John Goodman), is courted by Royalton (Roger Allam), head of a large corporation named Royalton Industries, after a decisive win. Soon Royalton is exposed as a corrupt and sinister character, and with the help of Racer X (Matthew Fox) and Inspector Detective (Benno Furmann), Speed tries to take Royalton down as he battles through physical and mental obstacles, mixed in with high-octane racing.

The Wachowskis present racing from an interesting angle, one that is not just about winning, but also about family. They also present some very interesting ideas about corporate commercialization of sports, specifically auto racing, yet sadly they do not carry it to its full extent. Unlike their former mainstream films, they check most of their personal, political, and spiritual ideas at the door.

From a technical side, the film is divisive. Either you’ll love highly stylized animation and quick cuts or you’ll hate it.

Whether thematically or technically, there are some problems with Speed Racer. Some of the attempts at comedy are a bit too juvenile. But overall, Speed Racer is a fun movie that offers a raucous good time at the movies. If nothing else it is well worth your time to see some pretty good performances from Hirsch, Fox, and Allam. So if you are looking for a good time, then check it out while it’s still in theaters. Speed Racer is rated PG for sequences of action, some violence and language.