When the kid brother and a monkey are the most entertaining parts of "Speed Racer," it's not a good sign.

Based on the imported-from-Japan 1960s cartoon series of the same name about a young race car driver, the live-action "Speed Racer" movie was written and directed by brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski, who rocked the world of cinema with the visuals they created in "The Matrix."

"Speed Racer" also has an amazing look -- vibrant, computer-perfect colors somewhat akin to TV's "Pushing Daisies" -- but people don't go to movies solely for fantastic production design, especially not a movie marketed to children and families.

The race car scenes, largely computer-generated, don't suffer from the visual incoherence that marred the final battle in last summer's "Transformers," but watching "Speed Racer" is much like watching a friend play a video game.

---

'Speed Racer'

2 stars = Mediocre
Ratings explained

• Starring: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, John Goodman, SusanSarandon
• Rating: PG for sequencs of action, some violence, language and brief smoking
• Web site: speedracerthemovie

---

In a race stadium, cars careen and fish tail over elevated tracks that resemble a Hot Wheels set. A race through the desert brings to mind the podrace in "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" both visually and aurally.

"Speed Racer" is a straight-up homage to the '60s original, not an ironic gloss. The Wachowskis insert some fanboy details -- the title character is costumed in his signature red ascot for one race; at the end of a race he jumps out of his car in a live-action version of the same move seen in the opening credits of the cartoon -- and they build to an emotional, for-the-love-of-family crescendo at the end.

It just takes way too long to get there.

With a running time of two hours and seven minutes (not including eight minutes of end credits), "Speed Racer" goes on about 30 minutes longer than it should. At a screening last weekend, some children lost interest after the film's penultimate race scene as Speed has a heart-to-heart chat with Pops. ("Let's go home," one antsy child behind me said.)

The Wachowskis also do young audience members no favors with a confusing opening that sets up the story, flashing between racing car scenes of Speed (Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild") in the present and his older, now-presumed-dead brother Rex (Scott Porter, "Friday Night Lights") in the past. There's also a lot of convoluted corporate politics involving the World Racing League and car manufacturers.

The plot is basically the same as in the cartoon: Speed Racer drives the Mach 5 car as part of the family racing business led by Pops (John Goodman, whose presence may remind audiences of another lackluster cartoon-to-live-action transfer, "The Flintstones").

Speed gets emotional support from Mom (Susan Sarandon), who compares his racing to making art; girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci, who isn't given enough to do) and mischievous little brother Spritle (Paulie Litt, "Hope & Faith") and the monkey Chim-Chim. In his many races, Speed often vies for the lead with the mysterious Racer X (an expressionless Matthew Fox, dropping his voice an octave from what TV viewers hear on "Lost").

Speed suspects Racer X may be his brother Rex, another conceit of the cartoon series.

Although flashbacks to a young Speed (Nicholas Elia) show his passion for racing, Hirsch's Speed seems to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders.

No wonder Spritle and Chim-Chim steal their scenes by lightening the mood so it matches the film's candy-colored visuals.