This is a well-made documentary on the exciting world of Indy Car racing. The photography is simply outstanding. The scene were Mario Andretti drives the old racing roadster down the New England street lined with the ancient maples, leaves blown to the side by the speed of the car, is incredible. The film does lose some of its beauty on the small screen but if you like watching cars driven to their limit you should see this film.
13 Reviews
I thought it was a decent IMAX production,
geobucks13 April 2006
I thought it was a decent IMAX production, sure to appeal to NASCAR aficionados. Personally, I thought "your" post was contrived. At least you didn't swear like most of the lowlifes who think they are a great critic, but can't spell or punctuate. I value your opinion, ...not a movie/doc of great interest to me, but many will enjoy it.. Always entitled to your opinion, and read them always but disagree with this one. Even if it appears "contrived", because non-actor race car drivers had to read from prepared scripts, and not always well, would you do any better? It was insightful, informative, and not 50 mins. I regret losing. Not Oscar material, but glad I watched it To each his own.
Absolutely amazing!
Bob-24030 July 2001
I enjoyed this movie so much that I watched it twice and that is something to say about a documentary. The musical score, cinematography and sound are absolutely stunning as you might expect from an Imax production. Even though it is shot for those huge Imax theaters, it looks and sounds wonderful on my home system. In fact this would make a perfect DVD to demo your system.
The subject is also so fascinating. It is about Mario Andretti and his son Michael. I was already a fan of Mario because he is the best racecar drive in history since he is the only person to win the CART Championship, F1 Championship, The Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. The script follows the path of two cars very important to the father and son. The first car is found in a chicken coop and turns out to be the first roadster that Mario ever drove and we follow restoration to gleaming perfection. The other car is Michael's new racecar and we follow it from cutting the mold through the race season. Imax lends just the right magic to make car construction entertaining and fascinating.
Paul Newman, who was Michael Amoretti's team owner at the time this movie was made, narrates the film. His anecdotes and witticism, drawn from many years as an owner and driver, lends much to the production.
The main feature is the race scenes. Turn up the volume here! There is something about riding along at over 200 mph and the musical score that totally draws you into the screen for an experience you will not forget. Wow!
The final magical element is the humanity of the Andretti family. This god of the racing world, Mario Andretti, is loving father who proudly watches over his son's career. They work together so well that every father and son should see this. You can tell that they are a close family. I wish we could all have that experience.
The subject is also so fascinating. It is about Mario Andretti and his son Michael. I was already a fan of Mario because he is the best racecar drive in history since he is the only person to win the CART Championship, F1 Championship, The Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. The script follows the path of two cars very important to the father and son. The first car is found in a chicken coop and turns out to be the first roadster that Mario ever drove and we follow restoration to gleaming perfection. The other car is Michael's new racecar and we follow it from cutting the mold through the race season. Imax lends just the right magic to make car construction entertaining and fascinating.
Paul Newman, who was Michael Amoretti's team owner at the time this movie was made, narrates the film. His anecdotes and witticism, drawn from many years as an owner and driver, lends much to the production.
The main feature is the race scenes. Turn up the volume here! There is something about riding along at over 200 mph and the musical score that totally draws you into the screen for an experience you will not forget. Wow!
The final magical element is the humanity of the Andretti family. This god of the racing world, Mario Andretti, is loving father who proudly watches over his son's career. They work together so well that every father and son should see this. You can tell that they are a close family. I wish we could all have that experience.
Geat DVD of an IMAX film.
TxMike21 August 2002
I've never had the pleasure of being in the cockpit of an Indy racer circling the track near top speed. However, when I pop in this DVD, crank up the surround sound, and sit about 6 feet from my high-definition widescreen TV, it's damned close to being there! All this is balanced with a side story of restoring one of Andretti's original Indy racers, compete with his test driving it again after all those years. The background music is pleasant, and the picture is just reference quality. A nice DVD to own, to watch now and again, and to demo your surround sound system!
Simply the best
jockeleu26 October 2003
This is an excellent documentary, packed with racing action beautiful pictures and a great story. The IMAX Cameras give you a very wide perspective, as a DVD movie it is perfect. Your hear every speaker working almost all the time, The film is not speeded up and just gives you the natural feel of 230mph. Of course there are some sound effects added but i think they are good, they give a depth to the driving scenes...
IMAX At Its Best...
Axiom-25 March 1999
This is a great documentary film. Any fan of car racing should own a copy of this outstanding film. Director "Stephen Low" did a great job,as well as the main stars of the film, Father & Son, Mario & Michael Andretti. The DVD looks & sounds amazing. And best of all it's IMAX! Great home theater test disc.
Great film
dave-86631 January 2001
Sure, for it's super imagery and awesome sound, it's a great home theater "show off" disk, but this is also a touching drama as well as an informative documentary. The parallel stories that are intertwined throughout this film will keep all viewers interested. Young, old, boys and girls alike will find that deep down, we are all fans of the automobile, especially the high performance indy machines that are the result of generations blood, sweat, tears, ingenuity and perseverance. The Mark Knopfler and Ry Cooder sound track is perfectly matched to the visuals and the content. I don't want to give away the ending, but the final driving sequence to Quincy Jones' "Days Like These" just might bring a tear to your eye. Enjoy it!
not quite what i had hoped,but racing buffs will probably enjoy it
disdressed1229 October 2007
i should mention that i'm not really a racing fan.nevertheless,i picked this documentary up fairly cheap,and i thought it might be interesting and thrilling.and to be fair,it was-to a point.the scenes with the closeups of the car racing as it's being tested are quite exciting.the cameras are right on the car,so you can't get any closer unless you're actually behind the wheel.theses scenes really show you how skilled the drivers are and how dangerous the sport can be.and hearing the roar of engines was something.you really get an idea of how powerful they are.but for me,there were'nt enough of those moments. a lot of the time is spent showing how a car(at least one car)is manufactured.i knew before hand that there were would be some focus on this aspect.i just thought they devoted too much time to it.f you're into that sort of thing of thing,you will probably enjoy theses scenes.but for me,i'm not really into that sort of thing,so i found those scenes dry.there is a making of feature,which is almost as long as the documentary itself.this is not something that would interest me,so i did not watch it.however,if you're a racing fan,or you're just interested in the behind the scenes of the documentary,you might like the making of.overall,for me,i was kinda disappointed.i don't think the documentary is terrible by any stretch,but it did not live up to my expectations.i'd have to give Super Speedway a 4.5/10
Great entertainment!
darin.chester23 August 2000
I too was led to believe this DVD would be more race oriented, rather it was how a car is built and tested, and the end result.
It was definately a great work of art, the sound of a speeding car ploughing through your living space put you in pit row...epic. The Andretti's are class, there was no ego involved with the making and any narration, Newman gave you a feeling of "Stand by Me" with his well mannered and molded voice.
Im really concerned with the way sound is reproduced with all of the latest movies, this is the only disc of the 30 I own (not very many) that with the volume a 1/4 turned up, which is usually just right with a movie, was very loud with Speedway. It wasn't distorted, the high's and low's gave me the presence I wanted when I purchased my system. Nak AV8, Pioneer 525, B&W 302's, Mirage sub...fine for basics, movies do not display the power that this disc has.
I was excited before and after I bought it, I definately want to show this disc off as a demo disc...go buy it, you won't be disappointed.
It was definately a great work of art, the sound of a speeding car ploughing through your living space put you in pit row...epic. The Andretti's are class, there was no ego involved with the making and any narration, Newman gave you a feeling of "Stand by Me" with his well mannered and molded voice.
Im really concerned with the way sound is reproduced with all of the latest movies, this is the only disc of the 30 I own (not very many) that with the volume a 1/4 turned up, which is usually just right with a movie, was very loud with Speedway. It wasn't distorted, the high's and low's gave me the presence I wanted when I purchased my system. Nak AV8, Pioneer 525, B&W 302's, Mirage sub...fine for basics, movies do not display the power that this disc has.
I was excited before and after I bought it, I definately want to show this disc off as a demo disc...go buy it, you won't be disappointed.
Immersive driving experience
MrSprocket23 February 2000
Super Speedway makes a great demo of your new DVD / bigscreen / 5.1 channel sound system. The IMAX camera puts you right in the race car, where you cruise around various tracks at high speed, reminiscent of the driving sequences in Grand Prix (if only that would appear on DVD!). I enjoy watching it again and again.
The only minus, and why I didn't give it a 10, is some of the driving sequences look suspiciously like the film was speeded up. The soundtrack also requires a little suspension of disbelief - all you can hear in a real car is the engine. You won't hear swooshes as you go under bridges.
The only minus, and why I didn't give it a 10, is some of the driving sequences look suspiciously like the film was speeded up. The soundtrack also requires a little suspension of disbelief - all you can hear in a real car is the engine. You won't hear swooshes as you go under bridges.
Must have with surround sound.
birdogron-4622620 May 2019
Racecar Driving Bliss
michaellaney1519 March 2018
I never considered myself a car person but seeing this movie changed that. For a film produced in the late 90's the film work was ahead of its time capturing captivating first person shots of Andretti speeding down the raceway. It also documents the competitive nature of not only the act of racing but also the construction of the car itself. Watching the engine endure rigorous durability tests scratched that itch for my love of mechanization. Plus Paul Newman is a narrator; need I say anymore. I highly recommend this documentary. It isn't just about the bliss of Driving race cars but Driving cars in general. An impeccable documentary that hints at the meaningfullness cars occupy in our culture.
staged and superficial
ldavis-23 September 2002
It was so painfully obvious that the Andrettis, the Haas team and the other drivers were acting from a script -- and not doing a very good job of it, coming across as stiff and unnatural. Witness the scene before the "big race," how every driver is complaining of the problems he's having with his car: why are they waiting until NOW to talk about this?! Was Michael the only driver who had the foresight to do test runs? The only time Mario and Michael were themselves were when they were driving, the only times they couldn't afford to think about the fact that they were on camera.
Aside from some tidbits on how a F1 car is built, I gleamed no insights whatsoever into how these men think and why they, literally, risk their lives for a living; "because I love it" doesn't cut it. And the car the mechanic gave Mario: are we really expected to believe he wrestled that beauty from the heap of scrap he found in a barn?! Gimme a break!
Aside from some tidbits on how a F1 car is built, I gleamed no insights whatsoever into how these men think and why they, literally, risk their lives for a living; "because I love it" doesn't cut it. And the car the mechanic gave Mario: are we really expected to believe he wrestled that beauty from the heap of scrap he found in a barn?! Gimme a break!
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