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SPEED RACER has toppled off Kill Bill from the top of
my favorite movies. I certainly loved the Wachowski brothers’ big
screen masterpiece. A friend said that he didn’t like the film,
but I simply told him that he hadn’t soared high enough to grasp
its depth.
Forget the astounding,
candy-bright 2D effects, the brilliant transition from one scene to
the other, or the unbelievably cute cast which had been amplified
more in IMAX. What I loved about Speed Racer was how it captured the
very essence of life on the fast lane, which a lot of people still
do not know about. I can relate to it as I am an old soul; and
though I never stop learning, I know the harsh realities that people
who dare to become somebody, have to drive through.
A high-octane movie with heart,
Speed Racer, played by Emile Hirsch—is about an earnest guy with
an unwavering sense of morality, out to prove that one can win in
his own terms. Speed struggles to race a clean competition, and not
give in to corporate sponsors who want the game fixed for their own
interests. During the Thunderhead Race, Speed acquires a lucrative
offer from Royalton which he turns down. It’s basically like how
it is in any society, especially ours. A lot of people would
initially try to fight for what they think is right, only to succumb
to the controlling powers, defeated in knowing that they can never
rage and triumph over the system. In the movie, Royalton industries
tries to manipulate and break Speed when they lost their chance to
make him.
Things moved from foggy to
sinister. The mysterious Racer X teams up with Speed in the Casa
Cristo Road Rally, a perilous race where they had lost the legendary
Rex Racer, Speed’s brother, who tries to change the system, but to
no avail. This is another defeat for Speed for though their team won
the race, they got cheated by their other teammate, Togokahn.
A few years back, I gained
university-wide respect for winning a Palanca award and then I
always told myself that I would never leave my country; I will make
my country rise like a Phoenix from the ashes.
But, I forgot that our
country’s Sarimanok that lives in the hands of its caretaker, and
somewhat intends to stay that way, and who am I to change things? So
I graduated, got into a few jobs, and realized that life wasn’t as
candy-coated as it seemed; there are norms to be followed, and I had
no connections to push me in the right direction, for I am just a
middle-class maverick with a big dream, who thought she knew
everything, but was vulnerable to people who take advantage. Just
like Speed, armed only with passion and a wonderful family.
That is basically how life is;
sometimes, we need to drive according to the rules of others whose
status and power make them god, enabling them to decide who gets
what. Sometimes, we can ride that way, and live by their rules. But
then, if we know that we were born to rise to the top; if we do our
craft straight from the heart, then we just might make history. Just
like Speed Racer, who persevered until he found his break and made
sure that he rose to where he should be.
Life is a choice, and it is
always driven on the fast lane. We can always choose to become other
drivers who just take whatever money-spinning offers are given to
us, compromising integrity and identity just to make it there. Or,
we can be like Speed Racer, who has been cultivating a dream as a
child, working every minute to fulfill it; the very few people who
can honestly say that, “I have made it on my own.” It’s a
long, hard route; a dozen defeats may come, but these are only
lessons that pave your path to the top.
And more importantly, at the end
of the day, it would be so wonderful to have a family that will be
there for you no matter how many roadblocks your Mach5 would
encounter, and making the bitter road to victory sweet!
marylaine_viernes@manilatimes.net
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