Who payed the critics

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

A Major Disappointment

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I'm a fan of indie sci-fi flicks, and apparently so are director Robert Brosseau and the Hyper Image production company, because the 2007 film they released is a surprisingly ambitious stab at an animated adventure aimed at the PG-13 crowd. RACE is not the most original space opera ever made and is not without its share of glaring problems, but the tendency of the filmmakers to make the extra effort shines through in most of the features' aspects and makes this one worth chancing for particular sci-fi fans.The story: In a distant future wherein a shaky interplanetary alliance is maintained by the popularity of a dangerous vehicular sport, a ragtag human racing team uncovers the plot of a sinister ruler to seize control by shattering the alliance.Despite its cartoonish design and unrated status, RACE is clearly a movie for a slightly older crowd of kids, given its salty dialogue, high level of violence, and sexual undertones. This works well enough for an action feature, and the movie definitely has some good adrenaline scenes going for it. The entire racing aspect is a clear lift from THE PHANTOM MENACE – right down to the first contest taking place on a desert planet – but the filmmakers have a knack for creating thrills and craft three surprisingly excellent race scenes, bolstered by a handful of shootouts and dogfights. Most promising of all is Brosseau's direction: even though the animation sometimes dips into cheap video game quality, the editing and camera-work gives this one a surprisingly professional edge, to the point that it's easy to imagine it being filmed in live-action.Disappointingly, the film's weaknesses weigh heavy on its enjoyability. The screenplay by Rhonda Smiley is intricately detailed - possibly too much so for some viewers. The extensive cast and complexity of the plot's politics are more akin to DUNE than anything George Lucas ever created, and it may be a little excessive for a casual audience. It might seem more involving had the characters been more intriguing, but from the cocky protagonist to the crotchety team manager and the doomed best friend, don't expect many surprises or opportunities for these guys to grow on you. Additionally, the heavy sexualization of female characters is wearying: I challenge anyone to find even a handful of female characters – even in the background – who are not revealingly dressed or designed with enormous breasts.Nevertheless, RACE is unique enough of an experience to take note of, and in that regard, it's disappointing that it's so obscure. Without a doubt, this is the niche film of someone who has yet to discover it, and the feature is strong enough to make it worth checking out – just in case you're that someone. Rent it if you're interested.

This movie is totally destined to be cult classic - have no idea why it didn't get a larger release. Great action scenes, racy anime vibe makes it more engaging than usual US animation fare -- maybe not a great movie for young kids (some of the characters are provocatively drawn)? but super fun movie. The action is relentless, lot of innuendo and racy dialog with highly endowed female characters -- reminds me of a lot of classic Japanese race films (Ghost In The Shell, etc.) Had a pretty tight script and great dialog. Is this finally coming out on DVD?? I've been looking for it online for a couple years...

My boys loved this movie. There's over-the-top racetrack designs and nonstop action, so it's great for older gradeschool and junior high boys. It also contains tough/strong girl characters, too, so girls of that same age group will likely enjoy it. There's a constant drive (pardon the pun) to the movie and soundtrack which kept my boys on the edge of their seats.I'm not aware of many PG-13ish animated films out there, so this is a nice film for kids of a certain age who are too old of "cute" animated films but not yet ready for serious anime.I would think that anyone who likes gaming would enjoy this movie as it has that immersive visual quality to it.

I liked this movie a lot. The palette and visuals were excellent, especially considering that it's an independent animated feature - almost unheard of, I think. The main characters were recognizable as types, but these versions of them (scrappy, arrogant but charming rebel, grumpy older racer with a past, arch villain who seeks to rule the universe) were fresh and fun. A lot of the dialogue was very clever, and delivered with obvious relish. It felt like they had fun making this, and that feeling was contagious watching it. I'd recommend this to anyone with teens. The women are drawn very, ahem, busty, but that's pretty much true for most teen and tween fare, so not sure I'd let that stop me. Thank God it's not another gloomy vampire story!