Speed Racer

by James Christopher Monger
Composer Michael Giacchino (
The Incredibles
,
Mission Impossible 3
,
Lost
) brings '60s cartoon icon Speed Racer into the 21st century with his wild, retro-futuristic score for
Andy
and
Larry Wachowski
's frenetic live action film. Giacchino deftly weaves
Nobuyoshi Koshibe
's original themes and melodies into the mix, utilizing the percussive, piano and horn driven, four on the floor original intro whenever he gets the chance, and peppering the film with enough emotive interludes and lounge-tinged asides to render Austin Powers a period drama. This is a fun and colorful score that manages to sound both economical and loved, and may be one of the most satisfying audio jumps from TV to the big screen since
Danny Elfman
's score for 1989's
Michael Keaton
-era Batman.