Casey Phillips: Watching “Speed Racer” is like riding a roller coaster through a fireworks display while tripping acid. Adequately describing how vibrant “Speed Racer” is was a tough proposition, but that’s about the best I can come up with.

The film has a near seizure-inducing amount of flashing lights that glint off futuristic racers ricocheting off each other at supersonic speed through tracks that defy the laws of physics. For safe enjoyment, I recommend a bite bar and a welding mask.

Holly Leber: Without a doubt, “Speed Racer” is the most colorful thing I’ve ever seen, and I watched “Rainbow Brite” as a little girl (sometimes while eating Skittles, for even more color). I felt like I was in a video game the entire time. It’s hard to focus on anything but the bright colors while you’re watching it, but this really is a good, fun, family film. Yes, it’s totally predictable and formulaic, but it’s a good “lessons” movie without being directly preachy. And as a bonus, there are no talking animals. Except the monkey, who is a better actor than the kid he plays opposite, but at least he doesn’t talk.

Casey: At times, I felt like the speed of the action worked against the film. When angles are constantly changing to keep pace with the racing, it all starts to blur together into a colorful mess, which can give you a headache. Plotwise, however, you’re absolutely spot on, but that’s right in line with the source material, which co-directors/writers Andy and Larry Wachowski obviously followed. Despite the predictable plot, I felt like the casting made up for it. Emile Hirsch pulls off Speed Racer’s look and attitude quite well, and I enjoyed John Goodman and Susan Sarandon, who managed to seem genuinely caring in their roles as the racer’s parents. Finally, Roger Allam — who worked with the Wachowski Brothers in “V for Vendetta” — just oozes corporate nastiness as the CEO of a company out to make racing solely a business proposition.

Holly: I didn’t like Allam’s work here. He fell too far into the bag of bad-acting tricks, including teeth-gnashing and using a snarling voice to stress the fact that he is playing a bad guy. I’d expect that from a soap opera actor. From an Olivier Award winner, I want better. Hirsch really does look like the Speed Racer of the 1960s cartoon, almost uncannily so. Having recently rented “Into the Wild,” I expected to be let down by seeing him here. While his acting as Speed can’t compare to his turn as Christopher McCandless, he wasn’t disappointing. His best work was in the mother-son scenes with Sarandon, where he mainly listened.

By far, however, my favorite character was Ricci’s. The barely there romance between her and Hirsch was — well, to be kind, I can say it wasn’t as painful as the romantic scenes in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” — but Trixie is a pretty kickin’ chick. She flies a helicopter, knows cars, does kung fu ... she plays rough but not dirty, keeps up with the boys and then some ... and looks cute as all get out in her pink and red outfits and Louise Brooks haircut. The girl’s got moxie and I dig that.

Casey: A word to the wise (and this is in jest), don’t see this movie if you’ve any history of epilepsy since seizures would make all the flashing colors that much less comprehensible. Also, don’t expect the same grown-up treatment of a treasured childhood cartoon as “Transformers.” Think “TMNT,” and you’ll be in the right ballpark. With those warnings in mind, those looking to veg out and enjoy a supersonic trip through a Jackson Pollock painting with a checkered-flag theme will enjoy this ride.

REVIEWED THIS WEEK

Film: “Speed Racer”

What it’s about: This liveaction remake of the popular Japanese animation cartoon follows driving savant Speed Racer and his family’s attempt to remain independent despite corporate interest in the family business.

Stars: Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon and Christina Ricci

Rating: PG for sequences of action, some violence and language.

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