Rain’s Speed Racer is a waste of money
May 9th, 2008 Movie News, News Flash
According to USA Today, “Speed Racer” is worthy of only 1.5 stars. And that low rating is not even attributed to Rain’s acting - it’s the entire movie. We anticipated failure, but who knew that it was going to be this bad.
Interestingly, despite the harsh reviews in the US, ticket sales for Speed Racer is almighty high in Korea, beating the blockbuster “Iron Man” in the box office. Again, Koreans are not ashamed to support bad movies if it boosts national pride somehow.
After reading the review, I’m skeptical about Rain’s Hollywood film debut, but I guess I owe it to Magic Fit Feet to shell out $10 this weekend for a review.
Watch out for POPSEOUL!’s review of Speed Racer.
Pop in:POPSEOUL! Exclusive Interview with Rain: I am Magic Feet
POPSEOUL! Poll: Which Hollywood debut are you looking forward to?
Rain has ambitious plans for 2008
May 9th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
ahaha this is funny xD
i was gunna watch it… i guess not.
is rain even on the movie??
hes prob in the movie like a max of 20 mins right?!?
May 9th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
o and go korea!
boosting the nationality is great
May 9th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
mannn, it’s rain. he’s lameee.
why would anyone watch it?
and it beats iron man?bull***t.
dang, it’s like the best movie of the year!!! everyone should watch it. very funny!!! and cooooool.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
hate rain even moreee..
he should learn english day and night.
to perfect his Rs and Fs.
i dont get why would hollywood even considering him to be in the movie.
wont watch it. waste of money!
it’s $10 to watch the movie, which is 9500 won.
i can eat with $10.hahahaha.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
seriously Popseoul, I applaud u for fishing out $10 in the name of Fit for a review!
Koreans…really have a infinite tolerance for super ’simple’ movie with just ONE single selling point *coughDWar* this has 2 for them, Rain and primary colors. So we should expect this to double DWar’s gross, and their pride in everything Korean alone should put the movie back to the black.
I hate to see Fit having a huge blow that he’s not back for more, so I’m honestly hoping this will at least do decent. I need my jokes and Fit dancing his way into the role of Hollywood star can last me couple life times.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
it did get generally super bad reviews. It saddens me when I read one that said Rain’s acting is worst than the chimp. T_T I was going to see it, but I’m afraid I’ll be colorblind for days.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I expected it to blow.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
the british film critics are giving it quite a thrashing actually….
May 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
omg no way @_@
that’s too harsh. and that sucks for rain too DX
May 9th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
It’s a love it or hate it movie.
And I loved it. To put it simply, it’s not just a movie, IT”S AN EXPERIENCE.
To hell with USA Today. I remember they also gave a bad review to one movie, and it turned to be a huge hit. Other “credible” and “authentic” movie critics are praising it.
Just like you and so many other people, they do not plan on watching this movie because according to them it’s not good, and that includes me.
But, I didn’t regret watching it after. It was beyond good. Nevermind Rain’s apparance (which btw, contrary to what many antis are saying, it wasn’t an EXTRA role at all), the movie’s worth it.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I already thought this movie was going to be horrendous –I mean, it’s based on an anime that only had kitsch going for it and even that ran out in the 90s. ^_^
BTW, day-amn PopSeoul I know you hate Rain but it seems over to bash Rain b/c the movie sucks. It’s okay though, we know you aint’ fake. You would have bashed him even if the movie did spectacularly well and called him out as the worst thing about the movie.
NeWayz, he’s not a creative force behind the movie, he is but one actor and supporting role at that. The success or failure of the movie isn’t about him, but I’m sure Clouds will thank you for attributing success and failure just on him.
He was added for flavor and to appeal to the Asian market since this movie is supposed to be ‘Asian’ in origin.
And since Koreans are buying tickets, and no doubt Clouds everywhere else in Asia (hellz, they made him spank Colbert in the Time poll) mission accomplished!
BTW, Jackie Chan debuted in the states with that box office bomb called ‘Cannonball Run’. The movie was so horrendous, it sent him back to Hong Kong for at least another 10-15 years.
But Jackie got his day in Hollywood, and I’m sure Rain will too.
Just hopefully a lot sooner!
May 9th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
To hell with critics.
They are not the ones giving me the money to buy for my ticket, anyway.
They have their opinion, I have mine. And it wasn’t as bad as those critics are saying.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Wait — the Wac@#4cski brothers did this movie?
Man, how far they have sunk after the Matrix.
They are such Asiaphile biters, sooner or later chasing the dragon was going to bite them in the ondoongi.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Lol, I just checked rottentomatoes and yep, it gets a low score and the critics are having a field of day slaying the Wachowski brothers for this failure.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I heard this movie is better when you see it at the IMAX to get the feel for the movie. I would love to see it because i’m a speed racer fan and a rain fan.
To be honest most movies adapated from cartoons, comics, and video games don’t compare to the originial. Now there have been exceptions to that rule.
I remeber going to see Super Mario Brothers the movie when I was young it sucked and to top it off they left it hanging for a sequal never to be made.
Critics get to see movies for free so it doesn’t amtter what they say.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
whoo! go rain!
:D 
May 9th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
should it even be called ‘Rain’s speed racer’?! I think other than Asia or Colbert’s cult/Nation, everybody else living in this planet dunno who Rain is.
I’ve seen it, it’s not just a waste of money, time, space, film, color…just the worst movie of the century.
But it’s not Rain’s fault at all. It’s not the acting that is horrendous. It’s the script or lack there of and the extra hour of tedious airtime.
seeing this in IMAX?! No, thank you. It’s an onslaught on my retina as is. Seeing it in IMAX will turn u colorblind.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I’ve seen it too. I should say this and Matrix 2, 3, V for Vendetta should be enough prove that the Wa@#$ski bros have overstayed their welcome churning out duds after duds.
This is ambitious in its imagery, but everything else is just soooo lacking I’m not ready to call it a movie experience. Visually, it’s nth u have seen before, but after 10 min of it, you cant help but wonder what’s all the hype about just being visually interesting when the story can be told in 2 lines instead of 2+ hours?!
I felt bored and restless and trapped and phobic after 15 mins.
Though it’s not Rain’s fault this is a stinker. I do blame him for the lack of taste and judgement, thus draggin his whole enormous crowd of fans and countrymen into this colorful mess.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
When it come to popseoul.. everything is Rain’s fault when something is bad. You guys are so predictable when it come to bashing Rain. Put your prejudice aside and watch the movie before jumping to any conclusion.
Who cares about the USA today as long as people are willing to pay to watch the movie. And he is in the movie for 45 min. not 20 min so if you don’t know, don’t assume.
As for me… Can’t wait to catch this tonight and I only watch it just for Rain!! Wohoo…
May 9th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I was expecting that. Just from watching the trailer or the little newsclips shown weeks back, I got the impression that the movie’s too cheesy for my taste. Like a Disney movie trying to be cool but not so.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Re: Sweat Sweat
“It’s an onslaught on my retina as is. Seeing it in IMAX will turn u colorblind.”
Oh HELLZ YEAH! I’m watching it on IMAX for sure!
May 9th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
BWAHAHAHAHAH!!!
I knew it! I knew it.
Too bad for RAIN, maybe next time, bwahahaha!
I bet his NINJA ASSASSIN will do as bad as well.
He’s got to stop accepting projects just cos its Hollywood.
Again… BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
even the trailer itself wasnt interesting enough, how much more the entire movie? ive seen emile hirsch in the david letterman show and i was so convinced and almost tempted to watch this film..haha! guess i’ll just go for what happens in vegas!
May 9th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
oh, the dark knight is also a good choice..awww heath ledger!
May 9th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Irregardless of Rain, the moment I saw the trailer in the cinemas I thought it was already crap
May 9th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
im glad that korea has national pride!!!
who cares about the usa today…
iron man was not that great either… it was an ok movie…
May 9th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I’d still see it
10$ is nothing you so stop complaining you cheap ass 
May 9th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
hahaha..
rain’s movie sucked? woohoo.. no wonder.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
crap. and i was supposed to watch it tomorrow!! this sucks.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
pssshh…like I’m going to listen to USA-Today.
I’m going to watch it today. whee!
May 9th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
So you’re gonna watch it? I hope you do a fair review of the movie, not one where you’re just gonna bash Rain just to be funny.
I’m not a Rain fan but I’m really curious.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I don’t care I am still watching it! and this is for you Popseoul :p…..
May 9th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Don’t just listen to what others say, especially people like popseoul sisters!! GO and see things for yourself with an open mind. Life is more worthy of living this way.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
i don’t think people expect the movie, pretty much all of it, to be CG and when people see the flashy CG, outfits etc. they take it to be corny…but i do admit, they could have gotten better actors =/
May 9th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
LOL! I don’t think it’s really national pride Popseoul. I’m sure there are plenty of people who want to see Rain acting in a english film, and speaking english.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
i was so excited for this movie not b/c rain’s in it but b/c it’s speedracer! i’m not so hyped up anymore after seeing the trailers though but i usually never agree w/ critic reviews of movies so maybe i’ll like it after all!
May 9th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I’m going to watch it here in Spore no matter what..but PopSeoul , y u always so mean to Rain??
May 9th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Odd. Most of the reviews I’ve read have been very positive. I got to see it at a screening and it was pretty freakin awesome. I really loved it.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Yeah, not surprised it got awful reviews. It looked way too cheesy for me to start with. However, I fully intend on going to see it, even though I only go to the movies a few times a year. I just have to see how his english is. If he is in the movie for 45 minutes, as has been reported, then I am totally going; if for nothing else, to giggle at his english.
It’s true that he’s overhyped in a lot of ways, but I really did enjoy is acting in Sang Doo and Full House (haven’t seen a love to kill yet). So it will be interesting to see how he acts in an english speaking role.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I sense another nationalistic D-War craze…Koreans will support this movie solely due to Bi’s Hollywood film debut and to encourage further development of Korean celebs in hollywoood films. Just like the world premieres of Transformers and Iron Man being in Korea, Hollywood senses a business opportunity to use dumb- and trend-minded Koreans.
Now the movie: Even though the visual f/x of this film was good, thanks to the Wachowski Borthers (Matrix Trilogy), it’s more nauseating than it is impressive. In conclusion, this is purely for the young audience and the hardcore fans of the original cartoon will be disappointed.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
From what I’ve heard (critic & viewer reviews), the movie’s bad to so-so. So not going to waste my money on this when there are tons of movies that actually look good that came out/are coming out soon. I didn’t think the previews were that great but thought I might give it a try… but now I know not to.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Popseoul dear,
After u review Speed Racer, can we have an embargo on Magic Feet-related news? I want something nice to remember my idol by. His style is getting more ridiculous and I want to remember the Bi of old.n Not the tranny looking one.
Besides, he’ll be off the radar so to speak, since he will be stuck in Berlin with Ninja Assassin
= )
May 9th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
hmmm, i was kinda interested to watch this movie coz rain was in it. but after reading this i was like “will i still watch it or not?” uhhh. MAYBE. ~~
May 9th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Why bother for Rain. Still got Joon Park in the movie too. That is my reason y I want to watch this movie at 1st place. Joon Park or should I say Park Joon Hyung of god.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
why do you go by what a reviewer says, cant any of you think for yourselves? you should see the movie because you want to and not see it for the same reason. i will see later on today and i know it will be awesome. my only problem is emil hirsch as speed. i just dont think he gets the character right. if you are a fan of anime/speed racer you will definintely watch and enjoy it because it has family fun. you dont need guns and big explosions and profanity to be a good movie.plus it has a great cast with my girl cristina ricci, john goodman, susan surandon, michael fox and rain and others. i have seen like countless behind the scenes views of this movie and it just looks better and better. cant wait until tonight to see it.
btw iron man was not all that. obviously no one is a fan of the comics because downy jr. did not protray tony correctly. he is not some witty sarcastic person. plus he has a huge alcoholic problem that they never touched on. that is why i wanted tom cruise to play tony because he has depth and could have tackled the character head on with his problems. we are not suppose to like the person tony was before begins his journey towars iron man because he is a self centered pompous rich guy who is used to getting everything he wants and when he becomes sick and sees the damage his weapons have done that is what humanizes him. not only that but they got rid of the manderin (a chinese villian, his main advarsary) and replaced him with some middle easterns. we get it hollywood, there is a war in the middle east. let it go. not every movie has to tackle that. the origin of iron man is in china not afghanastan. just another way america takes everything away asians
May 10th, 2008 at 12:03 am
@ Sara
Agree with every word u said. Go watch A Love to Kill but have some Kleenex handy. Bi’s got seriously good acting chops.
May 10th, 2008 at 12:14 am
i think bi is a great actor but i knew this movie was going to be a flop
May 10th, 2008 at 12:22 am
That’s because it NOT Rain’s Speedracer! He has a very minor role. Calling it “Rain’s Speedracer” is like calling it “Park Joon Hyung’s Dragonball” or “Popseoul’s Internet”. Is he in it? Yes. Is it ALL about him? No.
Besides, who cares what USA Today’s review says? Their reviewers are stuck up and pretentious. If a movie isn’t snobbishly artsy and boring, they give it a bad review.
I prefer to see a movie myself and decide if it’s good or bad. I’d rather get a root canal than let someone else dictate to me what I should think is good or bad. Sad to see so many others don’t think that way.
Go BI!
May 10th, 2008 at 12:28 am
seizure inducing movies are the bizbomb. People always hating on Popseoul cuz they hate on Rain but deep down in their hearts, Popseoul dreams about the day when Rain comes and hugs them and gives them butterfly kisses, and then takes his shirt…ok, i’ve gone too far.
May 10th, 2008 at 12:35 am
The movie looks GOOD TO ME, It supposed to be a kid movie GEEZ
i thinks RAINS ACTING WILL BE GREAT ^.^
May 10th, 2008 at 12:36 am
according to local bloggers, Speed Racer is flopping badly in Hong Kong. even tho it’s the “Asian hub” where magicFit showed up to screaming throngs of fans!
will hollywood show him the door when the Golden Meal Ticket in Asia expires??
Start praying the American teens crave Pinky’s Bootie!
May 10th, 2008 at 12:38 am
DUMBO, you are so funny!! :o)
May 10th, 2008 at 12:52 am
WTF, is Rain is the ONLY person in this movie?? NO. So why are you putting all the blame on him because the movie sucked?? You guys are giving him WAAAYYYY too much credit.
To the person who is watching this for Park Joon Hyeong: better not blink, the guy will only appear in like, 6 frames. And he’s got no speaking lines, despite being the one who speaks PERFECT English.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:01 am
I’m Bi’s fan, but honestly speed racer is not interesting to me at all, if it’s not because of Bi, I won’t spend money to watch it. The movie is a flop the fault is not at Bi, I would blame on WB.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:01 am
why do people listen to the so-called critics? these are middle aged old white man who think vanilla ice is hip hop! LMAO
f*ck the critics i never listen to them. we said that they are the official spokespeople for movies? people have different taste, and popseoul dont even waste your time writing a review b/c we already know your going to HATE!!!
follow what diddy says and stop all the B*TCH-ASS-NESS!
May 10th, 2008 at 1:04 am
I’m still gonna watch Speed Racer, since my hottie, Matthew Fox play a role in it…haha
May 10th, 2008 at 1:18 am
Oh. I’m about to go see it in a bit
May 10th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Rain, forget Hollywood.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Popseoul said : Again, Koreans are not ashamed to support bad movies if it boosts national pride somehow…
lol… didn’t you a Korean too ?
first things… of course you must support ur own man country…
who else….
so give him a credit for trying and working so hard…
May 10th, 2008 at 1:26 am
LOL @ the rain fangirls getting angry critics.
Are you kidding me? You all act as if Rain is the only person with his name attached to this film. He’s not. This is a lot worst for the REAL big name stars in this movie. No one will remember Rain, but they will remember Emile Hirsch,John Goodman,etc when this movie comes up short.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:28 am
It’s ok if it got bad reviews. I used to watch the cartoon as a kid and I’m very curious about Rain’s Hollywood debut. Curiousity is expensive -_-
May 10th, 2008 at 1:34 am
i just saw the movie, not the best story line but omg the graphics were amazing! the whole look of the film is gorgeous…
i mean if your a grown ass man/woman then yeah the movie might be a li cheesetastic but if your a kid at heart or a kid then you will enjoy the film.
i hope it does well at the box office
May 10th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Meh, I’m not into Speed Racer in the first place… but yeah. Oh well.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:43 am
some of the people here think that they’re soooo smart/good. just by reading at their statements. pffff..
i just hate those people. blah.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Actually, its true for some of the above, that you cant blame Rain for the failure.. Since, he A) he wasnt the main guy, and B)was he even in the spotlight enough to make the movie “bad”?
May 10th, 2008 at 1:47 am
and the ones who should be ashamed…. it’s you popseoul..
doing nothing excepted bashing and agains him… it’s ridiculous… while u had the interview, you sound nicely…hm bashful.. but back on your blog… turned 180 degree…. bashing him…. am a curiousity…i think you fall in love with rain deeply madly… so ashamed.. just from ur side… hehehehehehehe… that why you acted soinconsistent
May 10th, 2008 at 1:53 am
i’m just buy the DVD.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:54 am
Lemme guess what you’re going to think of Speed Racer… umm… *activating psychic powers* You’re going to hate it just like you hate everything else! Oh, wow. That took a lot out of me.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:01 am
i remembered… few years ago.. whitney houston and BODYGUARDS have got bad review too… but in the theater this movie proved, … they made it BOX OFFICE !
May 10th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Man, you know when your movie sucks when USA Today gives you a bad review. They are like the nicest, most unbiased news source out there. If “Speed Racer” is this horrible, can you imagine what “Ninja Assassin” is going to look like?
May 10th, 2008 at 2:07 am
Have I read it right? Popseoul hasn’t yet seen the movie as they are going to see it this weekend but started bashing already. Typical!!
May 10th, 2008 at 2:08 am
I love Ironman, it was worth my $10. As for Speedracer I’ll skip and download the pirated movie on the internet.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:09 am
@DUMBO and @ lYlY
good word… i think popseoul faal in love with rain…
otteke…? rain heart so far..far away… .. lol..
May 10th, 2008 at 2:10 am
oopps i mean faal >>>> fall
May 10th, 2008 at 2:12 am
YES INDEED!
the reason why i love Popseoul kudos wagagaga!
May 10th, 2008 at 2:17 am
DUMBO Says:
DUMBO said :May 10th, 2008 at 12:28 am
seizure inducing movies are the bizbomb. People always hating on Popseoul cuz they hate on Rain but deep down in their hearts, Popseoul dreams about the day when Rain comes and hugs them and gives them butterfly kisses, and then takes his shirt…..
lol…
i second with you… this pps girl so crazy about him…
and getting frustration..
May 10th, 2008 at 2:30 am
oh my, we all know its gonna flop
but since he’s not the main character it saves us some embarrassment, hope the ninja movie won’t be as bad lol
gogo korean nationality pride
May 10th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Actually, I thought it was pretty okay.
I got confused with the story line though, so much flashbacks.
The effects are nice, though it’s excessive…
Hey, at least Koreans support Korean stuff. That’s a good thing.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:40 am
Rain is too f*ckin’ stupid not to have read the scripts very carefully before he could venture his acting debut, albeit minor role, in Hollywood. Who would want to watch a racer driving inside of a pinball machine? I’d SKIP this crappy movie and watch Iron Man again this weekend.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:47 am
maybe you re a waste of life for your mother,don´t?
May 10th, 2008 at 2:50 am
The best way to watch this would be for me to be on speed(Crystal Meth).
May 10th, 2008 at 2:53 am
I knew this movie was gonna be weak. I mean look at the colors it’s trippy the only way I can seat & watch this movie if i was high.
I know i’ll watch it still but wasting my ten bucks on it to watch it at the movies..i’m straight I rather spend my ten bucks at either watching Iron Man, Maid of Honor or Baby Mama..
this is a movie i’ll watch on DVD smoking weed…lol
I look forward to your review popseoul
May 10th, 2008 at 3:03 am
I never planned on wasting money to go see this movie. Rain being in it had nothing to do with my decision. Even though I am a big old school Speed Racer Fan. I will wait for it to arrive on Blu-ray where I will buy it when I find a open/used copy for less than $10.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:21 am
Rain is cool but in this flick, he’s got only 15-20 mins? I think I’m not going to see it. I’ll just wait for a DVD release.
I wouldn’t mind seeing another Asian celebrity getting popular in Hollywood.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:45 am
popseoul’s such a hater!
May 10th, 2008 at 3:50 am
i agree with a lot of the comments. I’m not such a rain-supporter but i think popseoul’s really two faced for being so nice in the interview and now bashing him when you haven’t even seen the movie. I’m not saying you should be biased in his favour just because they let you interveiw him but come on, you’re not being objective either now…
May 10th, 2008 at 3:58 am
makes me want to watch more!!! thanks popseoul for making me lose money…lolz
May 10th, 2008 at 4:16 am
POPSEOUL’S CONFESSION: the reasons why i hate Rain,
- i want to have every pieces of him,
- i want to feel every parts of him,
- i want to spend my life with him,
- i want to share his fortune with him,..
Rain oh Rain, i’ve been dreaming days n nights,why baby…why?please don’t ignored me,you already have all your diehard fans no matter how bad i wrote about you, all i have just a whole bunch of ass-kissers with a narrowminded for keeping me alive to keep on bad writing about you…Ouch!who the hell just wake me up *#@&
May 10th, 2008 at 4:17 am
what a disappointment…i will still see it to decide for myself
May 10th, 2008 at 4:18 am
I wouldn’t be suprised if Iron Man was #1 over here again. The only thing interesting about that movie is the light action, which is sure to give me a headache…
May 10th, 2008 at 4:21 am
I’m proposing to all the fangirls watchin this movie just for Rain… y dun u gather all your $10, donate it to some charity for aid in say Myanmar in the name of Rain?! At least that’s going to atone some of Rain’s fault for picking sucha lousy movie.
Wasting your $10 is not going to make Rain looks any better. Even if Speedracer is doing super good in US, no credit is going to fall thro the cracks onto his Magic Feet. You r only encouraging stupid movie executives at WB or those out of juice Wachowski brothers to make more crappy duds.
It’s already going to be the bomb in US, if it’s doing well in Korea or other Asian countries it still doesnt mean Rain has broken into Hollywood. So just use your $ wiser than that.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Meh.. Nothing to look forward to now, I guess. Even though Speed Racers didn’t sell out too good, congratulations to Rain anyway.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:40 am
Wow.
I. am. so. surprised.
No wait.. That was to be expected.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:52 am
I’m still watching it to see for myself. And i can already see Popseoul having giving it a bad review with some witty ‘Magic Fit’ comments in a future post ;D
May 10th, 2008 at 5:07 am
i’m surprised at usa today’s rating too.. they’re usually easygoing & nice.. & i thought the whole point of speed racer was to be kitschy & cartoony.. i’m still gonna watch it to see how rain does in his big hollywood debut
@popseoull2: that was funny.. gross, but funny
May 10th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Most of the time critics’ reviews don’t matter!
It could suck 100x times and people are still going to see it.
I rather DL this.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:28 am
I just came from seeing the movie.
yeah it did suck.
but Rain still did prove to be eye candy in that tux. *rawr*
and yes the english needs work. the part where he was telling Speed Racer off, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. =\
May 10th, 2008 at 5:33 am
this movie will make moviegoers race out the doors in full speed!
May 10th, 2008 at 5:35 am
I was hoping the WBros wouldn’t disappoint but ah well. For once I agree with every word of this post.
As for Rain, I doubt he was ever hired to do much….just to grab Asian audiences and he has done just that. So financially speaking that increases his value in the Hollywood market to his advantage. What I’m really curious about is how SpeedRacer is going to do in other Asian countries.
Not so surprised that Koreans are flocking to see this movie - after D-Wars, clearly Korean cinema watchers have a high tolerance for uhhh crap? Which is really sad considering the number of top notch gorgeous films the more avent garde Korean directors are creating.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:52 am
BIG FLOP. iknew dis was comin lawl. yay 100th comment
May 10th, 2008 at 6:15 am
the BIG 101!! And Rain is still FINE!!!
<3
May 10th, 2008 at 6:22 am
i knew that it wasn’t worth watching in the beginning. yah. rain’s in the movie. so what?! i mean its not like hes the main character! i only want to watch it cuz i want to see rain and rain’s english improvement! so sad how they got bad ratings. but at least people know who rain is…rite?.
May 10th, 2008 at 6:23 am
ITS A KIDS MOVIE FOR CHRISSAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KIDS ARE S’PPSE TO LIKE IT ( hehe… ???)!!!!!!!!!! AND I THINK THE WACHOWSKI BBS MEANT IT FOR IT TO BE CHEESY!!!!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
ALOT!!!!!!!!
lol..
May 10th, 2008 at 6:24 am
But I’m watching it anyway, cuz I’m a kid at hearyt.
^^.\
and besides, I used to LOVE the mock 5(however u spell it)
May 10th, 2008 at 6:24 am
Well, that’s just their opinion. I won’t take their words to heart, and I will still watch the movie once it comes out on DVD…
May 10th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Popseoul is not blaming Bi, but the mindset of Koreans and their insecure pride issue. Did you already forget the D-War craze? Perhaps not since I figure most of you here are twinkies who don’t understand Korean and never visited.
The D-War craze got to a point where if you didn’t watch it, you were considered a terrorist. Not only that, if you criticized the movie, they would actually question your patriotism. I don’t know how many people here saw D-War, but the movie was worse than watching an episode of power rangers. In fact, the string theory made more sense than the movie. And for Director Shim to bash on Peter Jackson and Lord of the Rings, calling it childish and not making sense, is purely psychotic comparing it to his film.
I’m Korean and I visit every other summer and the things I witness there, I am so shameful…
May 10th, 2008 at 6:32 am
seems intersesting, i wanna watch it!
May 10th, 2008 at 6:37 am
not everyboy has to love Rain
I still haven’t decided whether I like him or not
May 10th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Ashleeeeee, that is the SPIRIT!!!
May 10th, 2008 at 6:46 am
are you kidding?
it topped iron man!
man that movie [^^^]is freaking awsome
and speed racer looks “eh”
May 10th, 2008 at 6:47 am
I know I’ll be labeld a hater, but who cares?! I dunno much about Rain. He’s borderline ugly, but supposingly he can sing/dance/act?! What’s fuming is many Koreans ar so 2faced with their national pride. The character Rain is playing is Japanese. This is a Hollywood movie, this character doesnt need much acting, just pose, move and sit pretty….AND say couple lines in English, VERY simple ones. Rain cant do it, yet his head is so big and blind that he took on this role in this movie with NO storyline as his VERY FIRST hollywood thing. HE robbed this role fr many talented Asian actors who CAN speak english fluently, thus will not as immediately fall into an Asian cliche in a big Hollywood fanfare. Well, no matter how talented he is, without careful moves and a brilliant gameplan and shrewd intelligence AND luck, he’s going to evaporate like raindrops.
And Koreans get furious for ppl mistaking Rain as Japanese? IF it’s this big a deal, then dun act in a Japanese character. Ppl in other countries honestly first know of him in this movie, and that’s his plan. It’s a logical honest mistake. Deal with it and stop whining and slap around ignorant national pride.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:07 am
I don’t get how Speed racer top Ironman! Ironman was awesome!!! eh…But then I want to Speed racer cause I really wanna se how Rain acted his role..
May 10th, 2008 at 7:08 am
@shingo
I don’t think you’re hater but I think Rain getting the role was more a very practical financial offer on WBro’s part. He’s practically a free ticket to get sales in Asia (Korea at the very least). They knew they were offering him a small role and the trade-off would highly benefit movie sales. A nameless Asian actor, no matter how talented, could NOT do that, especially as just a side character. And lest you mistaken me for a huge Rain fan (which I am not), I don’t particularly think much of him, though his dancing is nice.
***
Koreans have more than enough national pride but I’d hardly say they are the only ones; Asians in general are like that…. The wounds of the Pacific War still linger. The uproar in Japan about Chinese actresses acting in Memoirs of a Geisha was pretty big….”besmirching Japanese history and the country’s honor” eheheh
May 10th, 2008 at 7:10 am
sooo knew this was going to happen
already, people at my school are talking about how bad the movie is…it’s that bad
but yay korea! keep up the national pride
even if the movie does suck, at least one of our own us trying to make big in the hollywood
May 10th, 2008 at 7:12 am
really?!? i saw it and it was pretty good. i loved the matrix too. but yeah ironman was def much better
May 10th, 2008 at 7:22 am
his movie? This movie is anything but his movie…he’s not the main character and he’s barely even shown(i would suppose so)…It’s the directors movie so if anything popseoul should be bashing the directors for making such bad movie..
May 10th, 2008 at 7:23 am
ps…emile hirsch is HOT
May 10th, 2008 at 7:23 am
people are still gonna watch it. i’ll be surprised if it makes it to number 1 at the box office for it’s opening weekend.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:23 am
you know Speed…the main character
May 10th, 2008 at 7:49 am
I just got in the house from seeing Speed Racer; all Rain fans will NOT be disappointed! He is in the movie a lot! Just when I thought I could get up to get more popcorn there he was again. I was glued to my seat. There were a lot of scenes that could have been cut to make the movie shorter, but it was still good.
I was fully expecting to hate it, but it was decent, especially for kids. This is a family movie folks, take small kids to see it. It’s loaded with sappy dialogue about loving your family and blah blah blah. Rain looks SO good though, even while crossdressing (haha now you KNOW you wanna see it, just for that scene alone!) Plus, I thought he had one of the best lines in the movie; the one about justice being a commodity. His accent was smooth and sexy too
For a family film, it sure did have a lot of hot guys in it. There were a ton of gorg men! … and then there was John Goodman. 
HAHA.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:08 am
i expected it to be really great flop… just by watching the trailer.. the trailer sucks, more about the actual movie..
May 10th, 2008 at 8:20 am
go TAEJO go!!!
In 2 hours I can see this movie
OMG!!
May 10th, 2008 at 8:26 am
he has such a little role in this movie, it’s not even worth watching. he’s not seen in every single U.S. promo.
i guess korean stars don’t really get a spotlight under american entertainment-even for time’s former “most influential”
chinese stars get it big; jackie chan, jet li, zhang ziyi, yao ming, and dozens more
popseoul i love your voice babe.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I saw the trailer in theatres AND the trailer on TV…but guess what - I didn’t see Rain! =__=
May 10th, 2008 at 9:17 am
i saw a 7 minute preview on Yahoo the other day… it didn’t look so bad… i just couldn’t finish watching because i was at work. it look like a kid’s movie but i won’t mind watching it.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I thought this movie was very good.>< the comercials made it look too cheesy! they didn’t even choose the good parts! rain is in almost the whole movie! his english isnt that bad. you can understand it.^^
May 10th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Never listen to the critics!! They are almost always wrong. The movies they say are great are usually boring and the movies they say are bad are usally pretty good. I’ll be watching Speed Racer saturday afternoon.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:48 am
I find it REALLY hilarious that half of the people here - and the blogger herself - has put judgment on the movie AND on Rain’s participation in the movie WITHOUT SEEING THE MOVIE FIRST. And you think that makes you superior over the Koreans who support their own by making Speed Racer beat Iron Man in their boxoffice? Hah. Even if they end up feeling cheated for watching a total piece of crap in the name of national pride, at least their judgment is not clouded because they actually SAW the movie. You guys are just here spewing nonsense like sheep being herded by the all mighty Popseoul.
I know this comment will just be buried in here but I just wanna let that out.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:57 am
i support Rain all around even if his career is going bad, i would support him.
May 10th, 2008 at 11:01 am
You can’t believe critics! Aren’t they the ones saying right now that Iron Man is the best movie in America?!
Well as far as I’m concerned, Speed Racer might be better than Iron Man….seriously IRON MAN!?! Was that even popular? I’ve never heard of ANYONE who watched that/read the comics…It’s like they are totally pulling comics out of their @ss now to make movies. Next thing you know there will be a movie about Americop or something lame like that! At least Speed Racer has a fanbase. That was like my mom’s favorite show growing up….So I’ll just go see it with her for nastalgia’s sake…..
May 10th, 2008 at 11:07 am
i’m so pissed i just saw speed racer, its horrible!!!!!!!
besides rain is only in it for like 10 minutes
May 10th, 2008 at 11:47 am
I want to see the movie.
For Bi.
Oh, and the Twilight trailer.
May 10th, 2008 at 11:49 am
haha i just came home from watching speed racer!! rain was not only in it for 10 minutes =_= his english wasnt THAT great….but its still pretty good xD he acted well! It was hilarious how he always went ‘wooh!’ xD LOL. Well I liked that movie, and so did my friend!! I LOVE IT BETTER THAN IRON MAN!!! hell yea!!
May 10th, 2008 at 11:49 am
i only saw the movie for him
May 10th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I’ve already seen Speed Racer and hahaha..it’s boring…
I felt a sleep in the middle of the movie…kekekekek
May 10th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I heard that it was really good…I read several reviews..I dont know what the hell popseoul is talking about…
May 10th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
SPEEDRACER IS MEANT FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!!
KIDS LIKE THESE KINDS OF MOVIES!!!!
DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
May 10th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
a popular mag in my country (singapore) gave it 3.5 stars. in fact a few magazines and the papers gave it a higher-than-average rating. i’ll probably watch it cos its by the wachowski brothers and well i’m influenced by the reviews
but on a cheap day
but if it turns out to be really bad i doubt it’ll be because of rain. it does look kinda spy-kids though err.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Woah, just cause Rain is big in Asia doesn’t mean he’s going to be big everywhere. This is coming from a neutral Korean viewpoint. Rain just isn’t that big of a deal to me. Sorry!
Calm down. It was a good movie nonetheless. Every aspect of the movie reminded me of a cartoon coloring book, amazing stuff.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Why the heck do you refer to it as “Rain’s Speed Racer”. Did he make it, own it, lead in it? Just another lead-in to bash your smoldering heartthrob, Rain. Get a grip!
I’d see it first then judge for myself before bashing, thrashing and trashing. Sheesh, Popseoul actually cares what others say???
If you’re going to see it, just do so and think for yourselves!!
May 10th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
@Shooy
I agree! Though it was awesome to see Rain crossdressing! Haha, white is totally his color.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Cr*p…. now I feel like a loser ’cause it made me cry lol I watched it and I actually liked it. Maybe it was the bright colors
May 10th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
@rolleyes
^^^^^ well said. and most of blogger here blame RAIN for it. WTF wif that, he’s not the lead actor and most critics crap. Go watch it for yourself then criticise otherwise shut up
so is PS, bladdy idiot
May 10th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I never pay attention to the critics because I pretty much never agree with them on stuff. Anywho, I went to see the movie today and, honestly, Rain was probably the better part of the film. The acting was laughable but hey, it’s mostly a children’s film I would say. I also wished I had done some acid before going in because with the color overload, that would have been some trip …
May 10th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
“We anticipated failure, but who knew that it was going to be this bad.”
HAHA, best line ever. I laughed out loud, even though I shouldn’t be doing it… cause it will wake my family members up… bwhahaha.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Went to see it. I ended up liking it, I heard all the negative reviews so I was expecting the worst, but it wasn’t bad at all. Rain was good, and goes shirtless is some scenes!
May 10th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I saw the movie and it was totally awesome
i was expectin something bad too
the movie isnt even my usual style yet i loved it
it was totally entertaining!
May 10th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Just came back from the movie.. I loved it!!!! filled with drama, comedy, suspense, action. what more could you ask for?? speed as a kid is SOOOOOOO adorable!
May 10th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
well, i’m not really surprised… the whole production looked pretty dodgy to begin with…
the thing with jackie chan is that he had something to offer hollywood at the time he entered the industry, ie, the token Asian fighting guy who can make a fool of himself and still manage to look cool… Rain, on the other hand… if he wants to be a dancing star, then he’s got a lot of people to compete with, if he wants to be a ~serious~ actor, he’s even worse off!
May 10th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I saw it and I….
May 10th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
loved it!!! Rain was great and just the hole movie… wow!
May 10th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Wow…who knew Popseoul would resort to USA Today as a “credible” source for a movie review. Nice job on that.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Whatever they said about Rain’s movie i will ignore it
cuz im going to watch it
we should support Rain in his first Hollywood debut
May 10th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
man.. rain is like a frikken cameo to that movie. that movie looks gay enough on the poster -__-;
May 10th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I just read this movie cost $200 million to make (really?? why??) and made $6.6 million on it’s opening day. They are projecting a total intake of around $26 million for the whole weekend. This is a TOTAL and COMPLETE disaster. If it’s true that the movie cost $200 million to make (and that doesn’t include the millions spend on promoting it) then it’s worse than a disaster: in the movie biz it’s a downright catastrophe.
I just don’t know why this movie was ever made. What made the makers of the Matrix thing anyone would be interested in this crap??
And Drizzle can’t be blamed for this debacle. He’s just a small part in the movie and actually, he *is* a good actor. He’s making very bad decisions with regard to the movies he’s choosing outside Korea.
May 10th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
“who knew Popseoul would resort to USA Today as a “credible” source for a movie review”
???????????????
USA Today *is* a credible news source. It’s a widely read paper in the US and many people quote their movie reviews.
But if you need MORE credible news sources that negatively reviewed this mess of a movie, knock yourself out:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/speed_racer/
May 10th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Some movie critics’ comments on Speed Racer:
“An extravagant, pathetic pageant.”
“This toxic admixture of computer-generated frenzy and live-action torpor succeeds in being, almost simultaneously, genuinely painful — the esthetic equivalent of needles in eyeballs — and weirdly benumbing, like eye candy laced with lidocaine.”
” An uncompelling and grotesquely overlong piece of eye candy geared only to a fourth-grader’s world view.”
“It gave me a headache, a stomach ache and the less-defined unease that comes from witnessing a major change in the zeitgeist. Because the zeitgeist, judging from this movie, now embraces rattle-headed visual delirium at all costs.”
“The fakeness of it all overwhelms, dampening any real excitement. It’s hard to care about characters so stiff and one-dimensional they out-cartoon the cartoon originals.”
(This is the best one)
“So bereft of intelligence, style and excitement that I can’t figure out who in the world it’s supposed to appeal to.” (sweeeeeeet!)
“Yes, from adults through teens to tykes, there’s something here for everyone to dislike — the whole clan can have fun making fun of this thing.”
“135 minutes of noisy, infantile and shockingly boring mind rot” (awwwwwwwwesome!!)
“the summer’s most irrelevant blockbuster”
“I wanted to race to the exits after 10 minutes of this unwatchable, would-be eye candy, which is so nauseating that it could induce vomiting. There is nothing speedy about the film, as it runs a horribly bloated 136 minutes.”
There are sooooooooo many more horrible reviews, but I can’t post them all (though I would love to).
May 10th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Is SOJU still here??? Haven’t seen her since the blog makeover….
May 10th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
“and yes the english needs work. the part where he was telling Speed Racer off, I couldn’t understand what he was saying.”
Sweet!! Drizzle didn’t let us down.
(rolls @@ eyes)
He is a certifiable idiot. He’s had sooooooooooo much time to laern English–at least to master his lines which are written on the page for him, for God’s sake–and he’s still so lousy he couldn’t say more than “I don’t think so” on the Colbert show. In shades, no less. Freakin’ IDIOT. He’s just dumb, dumb, dumb. He’s like a dumb blonde girl, except without being a girl or being blonde. And he’s a cute guy with good acting skills who is RUINING his chances and connections in the USA becuase he is D.U.M.B. He wants to “conquer America” but every move he makes is sub-standard. He could have gone on Colbert without the shades and using decent English and appealed to the viewers with charm and wit. But instead what did he do? He showed up in shades looking like a gay giggolo in those shiny, tight pants and could only muster the most lame, played-out line in English (”I don’t think so”) and then proceed to do his stupid dance with his fake “hiphop” expressions and hand gestures. Get a clue, dRain, and stop licking your lips and saying “um” every time the camera is on you. And people who wear shades INDOORS look like poseur idiots, no matter how famous they are. DUMB!!!!!!!!!
Man, he pisses me off.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I know some of you frothing fans are going to accuse me of once again being mean, but whatver.
Here’s something you may like. Don’t say I never did anything for you:
http://yeinjee.com/2008/rain-training-for-ninja-assassin/#more-226
May 10th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
popseoul. you should watch it before you post such posts. i did and it was awesome!
May 10th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Though I’m not a fan of Rain, I gonna watch this movie to see if this movie is SOoo bad as what many critics have pointed out.However, the movie poster seems kinda cheezy to me..