Turbo Kid

Turbo Kid is certainly a unique animal. It is a nostalgia piece to 80's action films (and 70's) with so many elements that instantly throw you back in time. As a canadian film, you certainly feel a duty to support it and promote such artistic endeavors in our country. As a film however, there are so many elements that just weren't executed as well as they could have that its hard to give I the glaring review you'd like to.

First, the 80's references are evident from the first slide. From the BMX bikes, the 80's music, the hubba bubba bubble gum, the viewmaster, mega man, jem and the holograms, etc... The references to the 80's abound and are certainly a welcome part of this piece. With cheesy and excessive graphic violence throughout (think Kill Bill type effects with lower budget), the movie attempts to create a dystopian universe with its evil ruler Zeus representing corporate greed and a toy robot Apple, simply made to play and please.

Although the ideas behind the film were well intended, the low budget of the movie, along with a script that is sometimes uninspiring and hard to really get into, really hurts the viewer from getting attached and involved. The characters were also well thought out, the endearing Apple and The Kid himself along with a few others, but were simply not descried and/or defined well enough in the film for the viewer to really relate to them, they are simply part of a story.

I really wanted to like this film, but cannot really recommend it to anyone but someone who would like to indulge himself in a bit of nostalgia from a bygone era.