Before I begin, I want to speak directly to all the Speed Racer purists out there...do not allow yourself to be fooled, I am not one of you. I didn't watch Speed Racer. Didn't like it. There were better things on TV during my childhood, and I just don't appreciate campiness.

There. I said it. Now you know where I'm coming from.

Despite all the strikes against this one that existed in my book, the big screen homage to this cult favorite television series is shockingly entertaining. Energized and light-hearted, SPEED RACER is a techno-trippy version of anime come alive set in a fantasy world that resembles an adult gamer's conceptualization of Eden (trust me on this one -- all of the adult males around me were engaged in uber -serious gaming conversation pre-movie...and they LOVED this film).

The special effects are admirable, the action is memorable, the shtic is humorous, the cheese factor runs seriously high, they dress a chimp in clothing, and it's loaded with 70's camp -- miraculously all without being campy.

And I loved it.

How does that happen? The Wachowski's deserve a pat on the back for the movie equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of a hat -- a big pink tie-dyed rabbit that speaks Japanese.

Emile Hirsch as Speed in SPEED RACER (Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

I am also impressed by the family friendly nature of SPEED RACER. The Wachowski boys made every effort to gently appeal to childhood sensibilities of all ages by skirting sticky topics such as death and injury by protecting the racers in creative ways

The only drawback Speed Racer possesses is less than stellar acting. Don't get me wrong, it's not BAD acting -- it's just not anything to shout about. However, with leading roles played by experienced names (Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Christina Ricci), this shortcoming goes relatively unnoticed up against the technicolor background and non-stop action.

Mathew Fox as Racer X in SPEED RACER (Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

All in all, it's an early summer hit that's sure to entertain. Don't miss this one!