Are you a fan of computer games, especially the race-car variety? Do you enjoy manoeuvring the twists and turns of the road, zipping by obstacles and occasionally flipping in mid-air when your car crashes into another?

Or do they just give you a headache? Your answer would determine whether you'd like Speed Racer, an aggressively cartoonish movie by the Wachowski brothers (of The Matrix fame) that seems to be aimed at the very, very young.

Based on a 1960s Japanese cartoon TV show that was itself adapted from a Japanese manga, the film tells a very simplistic story of racecar-driver Speed (Emile Hirsch) who comes from a family of car lovers that include Mom (Susan Sarandon), Dad (John Goodman) and kid brother Spritle (Paulie Litt). Speed's elder brother Rex had died in a racing accident, and the evil automotive magnate (Roger Allam) and his team of mean drivers may be behind it.

The plot, as you will see, is deliberately simplistic — perhaps as a tribute to the original children's cartoon. Still, gamers and anime lovers are getting wildly excited about is the look of the film. It features cartoonish designs, candy-coloured backgrounds and comic strip-like panels which all add to give you the feeling that you're actually in a video game.

Forget the laws of physics. Abandon any hope for a human drama. And try to put yourself in the shoes of a 6-year-old. That's probably the only way anyone reading this could enjoy Speed Racer.