Yay! Someone else finally saw it!
It wasn't six times in a 2 week period! It's nine times since May 11th... that's eleven weeks! And honestly, after the first time I saw it, I really didn't mean to see it again in the theater... but then I got a chance to see it at the IMAX while I was out of town and well, I couldn't pass that up. And it was that viewing that I fell in love with this movie. So then after seeing it in IMAX I had t see it on the regular screen again to compare the experience... then... I wanted to see it again before it left the regular theaters... and then I've seen it in five times since it came to the cheap theater (at the beginning of July - that's 4 weeks!)... and right now, I'm planning to see it tomorrow with the kids again... but that *should* be it until the DVD comes out in September... on the 16th... I'll be at Wal-Mart at midnight...
Anyhow! On the Racer X thing... No, I don't think the Wachowskis ever really meant for the Rex/X "twist" to be a twist. At least not for the fans of the series. The movie is full of scenes that make it perfectly obvious who he is and in the series it was always known that X was Rex. I think they included the "reveal" to Speed to reinforce the themes of grief that run all through the movie. One reason he wouldn't reveal his identity to the family is that he is an agent for the CIB and if it got out that he was actually Rex, the family would be right back in danger again. Another reason is a bit of a tribute to the anime in that X never did admit it to Speed, even though Speed confronted him about it several times. Then, of course, there's the obvious have to save something for the sequel bit (which we're not going to get *pout*)... but overall I agree with you. There's no reason X can't tell the family he's Rex... except that he's a big coward and doesn't want to put *them* (him) through that again.
Now for Spritle, as annoying as he was, he was pretty damn perfect for the role. I could have use a little less of the sugar fueled insanity scenes and more of the cut scenes that showed him as more of a person and playing the same role to Speed that Speed did to Rex. But overall, I have to say Spritle and Chim Chim have grown on me considerably. I absolutely love their anime imaginings and the look on Chim Chim's face when he sees Cannonball.
And now... a breathtaking image from the film...
Announcer: Oh my god! Did I just see that? A rear single set jump into a flying kick? I know he blew it at Fuji, but this kid is flat-out magic!
(sorry for my rabid fangirl-ism... I'm trying to keep it in check... really...)