10 Movies Doomed From The Start

2008 America was practically a different planet from the America of 2024, particularly in how general audiences tended to vibe with, quote-unquote, "nerd stuff". This especially included anime, where the dominant observation by the ignorant westerner who thought they were Very Funny, was how "weird" it all was. 

So you can imagine how well-received the Wachowski sisters' adaptation of Speed Racer was. 

Even people who vibed with the film's style could see its bomb coming a mile off. There was simply no way a film this - no better word for it - "anime" was going to be embraced by a cynical 2008 American audience. This makes the fact that the film is actually one of the Wachowskis' very best all the more tragic. Speed Racer bombed and bombed hard. It speaks to the level of fame The Matrix had awarded The Wachowski sisters that they weren't put in director jail forever after this.

Genius is never appreciated in its time, but at least Speed Racer has rightly found its fanbase in recent years.