Search - Speed Racer, Vol. 4 on DVD

This should have been the end of Speed Racer

joseph Corey | Raleigh, NC United States | 01/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If the reports are correct, this volume should contain only 8 episodes of Speed Racer from the original series. This means you'll be seeing:

The Terrifying Gambler
The Secret Invaders (Part 1)
The Secret Invaders (Part 2)
Man Behind the Mask
The Car Destroyer
The Desperate Racer
The Dangerous Witness
Race the Laser Tank

So it appearsLionsgate will stretch this out one more year by since there's still the final 8 episodes left to be release. At least they're making up the lack of episodes (since Vol. 3 had 13 episodes) by including a Mach 5 car - which is a better gimmick than the theme song cover that had the battery die after six months.

As for the show, it's always amazing. Before my cousin shipped out to Iraq, we spent an afternoon watching Vol. 2. It was like we were back to being in elementary school - except we didn't need a fake ID to buy our beer. The limited animation techniques in the series don't detract from the story."

Dissapointing

David FERNANDEZ SABIO | Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid Spain | 05/23/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Only 8 episodes not in order as the Tv broadcasted,the last one compressed and fast paced.Only the die cast collectible makes the set worth.I hope Lions Gate learn the lesson and the last release of the series can be better.I'll be waiting.

"

Die-Cast Mach 5 is a Nice Touch

N. Lim | Santa Clara, CA USA | 03/31/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The collectible die-cast Mach 5 is a definite improvement over the round tin case from volume 3. It is pretty durable and measures 3 3/8" long x 1 3/8" wide x 3/4"high. The only moving parts are the wheels/tires. It rolls forward very easily but has trouble rolling backwards. The interior is painted red (as it should be), and you can see the steering wheel, two seats, and stick shift. The steering wheel, however, has no buttons (too small). In addition to the headlights, you can also see the outlines of the two doors, trunk, homing bird hatch, and periscope hatch.

The height and width of the outer box matches the same dimensions of a standard DVD case but is almost 1 1/2" deep to accommodate the die-cast toy.

The DVD begins with four previews, which you can just skip (run times in minutes:seconds):
Ultimate Avengers The Movie 1:55
Dragons Metal Ages 1:47
Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever 1:13
Pinocchio 3000 1:59

All four are either 2D or 3D animation. Beyond the previews, I found no other DVD extras, which is why I gave it four stars instead of five."

Exciting and Fun, more violent than previous SR volumes

Wallis Davenport | Ithaca, NY | 05/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I loved Speed Racer as a little Girl, and my daughter, age 6, loves the series as well. A lot of reviews have already been written about this vol., but I wanted to make a few points.

First of all, of the first 1-4 volumes, this is the most violent. Again, it's cartoon violence and doesn't seem particularly gratuitous, but I waited a full year until my daughter was 6 before letting her watch these. Older kids, I'm sure, will have no trouble with the material.

Second, one of the series is very much like a previous episode "Car Hater", but it's still a good story.

Finally, I have to say that there are more twists and turns in this one than I remember in the First Two sets of Speed Racers. One of them, "The Man in the Mask", actually left me and my daughter gasping with shock at the end!

Very exciting stories; and, I think they have a good message, too, of Right Vs. Wrong, Good Vs. Evil, etc.

Great series, and this is sure to be one that you'd like to include if you liked the previous three volumes.
"