Hot Wheels World Race is a movie I was obsessed with as a kid. I’ve watched it more times than I can count, and I thought it would be nice to return to one of my favorite childhood films for my first piece. So how does the movie hold up more than two decades after its debut in 2003? Well, that’s what we’re here to discuss.

The film follows Vert Wheeler, a Teenage boy who just turned 16. After his father, who is in the military, takes Vert to get his Driver’s license and then leaves because he has to go to work, Vert returns home to find a mysterious car parked in his driveway.

It turns out that Vert has attracted the attention of one Doctor Peter Tezla, who is looking for the best racers in the world. What makes Dr. Tezla think that a 16-year-old who just got his license can live up to those expectations is completely unclear, however we know that Vert is good at skateboarding, and he’s a surfer, so obviously he should be great at driving a car across various racetracks each with it’s own unique terrain that have been built in different dimensions by aliens. Anybody could do that!

Meanwhile, mysterious forces work to undermine Vert and the other racers and prevent them from obtaining the “wheel of power”, which could serve as a source of unlimited clean energy for the world.

Hot Wheels World Race is a movie whose graphics are slightly better than that of a PS2 game. It’s from the early 2000s, and it shows. There are many questions brought forward by the film, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem very interested in answering them. This culminates in a confusing final act that serves to deliver one final spectacle that doesn’t contain any more depth than the rest of the movie.

In other words, if you’re looking for something to watch whose purpose seems to be mindless action and fun, then you’re in the right place. The choreography and camera work is legitimately captivating at times, and the soundtrack gives it an extra punch that kicks this film into high gear.

If you’re interested in checking it out, you can find it on the Internet Archive.

The choreography and camera work are both very well done. This is a kids’ movie, so the action is relatively tame, But I was never lost or confused. Instead, I found myself keeping my eyes on the screen throughout every twist and turn of the film’s various racetracks.

In addition, the soundtrack is incredible. Every song gives something to the film that it needs and each scene benefits greatly because of it. Even when the film is predictable the music is not.

The character writing is not that great. This does make them fairly one dimensional, but not boring. Each character is interesting in their own way. Vert, for instance, uses his experience from skating and surfing to his advantage. In addition each team has a different kind of car that is designed to be used for a specific terrain. However, the characters are smart enough to find unique ways to use their vehicles regardless of where they are.

The racetracks themselves might be one of the most interesting parts of the film. They were built in different dimensions by an alien race called the Accelerons. The tracks are hazardous, and the terrain of each one is different. There’s a Jungle, Volcano, Desert, and Glacier track. This means, as the characters attempt to navigate them, they are met with challenge after challenge. The only Problem is that we don’t know or learn anything about the Accelerons.

There are many things I’m curious about, nothing more so than the Accelerons. We don’t find out where they came from, where they went, or why they were here. The lack of knowledge regarding these alien beings leaves me wondering if they were nothing more than a plot device. That’s certainly how it seems and without any logic to form their actions one can only assume this is the case.

The antagonists of the film are no different. We do find out that they are robots, and we know they are led by a blonde woman who seems to be a robot herself, but their motive remains a mystery. The lack of a motive is made even more frustrating when the identity of the mysterious racer in the black car, is revealed. It turns out the saboteur is none other than Kurt Wild.

He’s more interesting than some of the other characters by a wide margin, however we never find out why he was working with the antagonists. That being said, I did enjoy his relationship with his younger brother and the conflict his inclusion created in the story.

The final act itself, seeks to undo what the rest of the film achieves. At this point in the story the racers have already acquired the Wheel of Power, and yet they decide to put it back. There seems to be no reason for this. The antagonists are already outside and eager to destroy the racers and take the wheel for themselves, and Dr. Tezla seems eager to use it’s power to help the world. So why return the Wheel of Power?

After driving across multiple dangerous racetracks, navigating dozens of hazards and putting their lives on the line, the racers return the Wheel of Power. Vert’s reason for doing so is clear cut. He does it because he wants to continue racing, and Doctor Tezla has a logical reason as well. But the movie seems to be operating with something else in mind, and it’s not just because they need to end things with some high stakes action. The reason, as far as I can tell is for an advertisement.

At the end of the movie, Vert, after returning the Wheel, reveals that the place the Wheel came from is called, Hot Wheels City. It’s unclear how he knows this and also why the city was built in the first place, until you realize the movie pretty much exists to sell toys.

This isn’t exactly egregious. There are many movies for kids that exist exclusively for this purpose. It’s just slightly disappointing to see a movie go for the obvious cash grab while knowing there was a better story in there somewhere.

The movie isn’t bad. Overall I enjoyed myself quite a bit. The racing scenes are fun and the music is great. The character work and plot could use some help. And at the end of the day we all know this is an Advertisement for toy cars.

I’m going to give the movie three lukewarm tires one of which has been slashed and set on fire.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!!