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    Turbo Kid

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    “Turbo Kid” is a small Canadian film that will appeal to you if you love the iconic films of the 80’s. I must admit that I wasn’t completely bowled over by what is probably best described as a blend between “Mad Max” and “Kick-Ass”, with a whole lot of other 80’s sci-fi properties thrown in. I’m also not the kind of person that gets madly excited when I hear the words “throwback” or “nostalgia”, but I still had fun along the way. Set in a post-apocalyptic future in which water is scarce, the land is ruled by a cruel, eye-patch-wearing dictator named Zeus (Michael Ironside, who wears a helmet that reminds me of Douglas Wilmer’s in “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad”; it might be a coincidence) As with all despots, he’s just asking for someone to rise up and knock him off of his blood-earned throne so that freedom can reign again, like it did in civilized times. We follow our protagonist who is never named, played by Munro Chambers and credited at the end as “The Kid”. After being inspired by a ‘Turbo Man’ comic book, and meeting a perky and very excitable young woman named Apple (Laurence Leboeuf), he learns that he might just have the stuff necessary to save this wretched world.

    I’ll give this to “Turbo Kid”: it has a lot of enthusiasm and wears its love for post-apocalyptic films on its sleeve while putting a comedic twist to them. I wonder originally they wanted to cast Hugh Keays-Bryne as Zeus because he played the main antagonist in “Mad Max” and, seeing that he was busy filming “Fury Road”, they decided to go for the next best thing. They decided to give a nod to one of the biggest “Road Warrior” knock offs, “Waterworld”. Michael Ironside essentially plays Dennis Hopper’s role in that film, complete with the eye patch, the legion of colorful goons and the desire to hoard all of the drinkable water. This film is filled to the brim with many references to other properties, including some really obscure post-apocalyptic/dystopian stories like “Tank Girl” and some favorites like “Terminator”. It’s definitely got that 80’s feel right, with the synthesizer score that’s reminiscent of John Carpenter, the neon teal fashion, the same camera techniques, a plot structure and that intangible 80’sness that appeals to every red-blooded male that has ever dreamed of becoming a hero.

    I see this element as a double-edged sword. The film is consistently amusing because you’ll see a reference to “Soylent Green” or another piece of science fiction work and it’ll make you chuckle. With the consistently over-the-top violence, it gets deliciously dark, but it also frequently doesn’t pull back enough on the humor. I saw more than a few would-be dramatic scenes get their legs cut from under them because either the change in tone is too abrupt, or a joke dissipates any real emotion that is about to be generated. When “Turbo Kid” is trying to tell its story it isn’t as effective as it would have been if it were taking itself more seriously.

    When the film goes for all-out comedy is when it works best. There’s something hilarious about seeing a chase scene that would have been pretty impressive if done with sandblasted, rusted, repurposed motor vehicles… done with bicycles. There are also plenty of combat sequences where we see people get cut up, disemboweled, blown to bits, dismembered or stabbed in cringe-worthy ways that are so over-the-top that you won’t be able to do anything but laugh out loud.

    For a small Canadian film, I have to give extra praise to the people responsible for the production. Aside from a scene at the very end of the film where a field should have been covered in blood, everything looks top-notch. The gore effects are well done, the costumes are great, the SFX are seamless and I actually thought that the performances were solid. I did not expect Laurence Leboeuf’s character to grow on me, as she is introduced as a thoroughly annoying sidekick. I found her very charming by the time her part in the film ended, so thumbs up to that. She’s got a kind of Alyson Hannigan from “American Pie” type of appeal to her. I also foresee a lot of people dressing up as the most iconic character from the film for Halloween. Even if he had looked like a total lamo, anyone called “Skeletron” earns himself a special place in my heart just for having such a wicked name. Even better, his look matches the awesomeness of the mental picture you have in your head right now.

    You can see the passion and the enthusiasm on-screen with “Turbo Kid” and when you’re exposed to that much fervor, it rubs off on you. I laughed out loud many times while watching “Turbo Kid” and I’d be very excited to see what the team of François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell have got in store next. Just take a look at that poster. Do you see that man with the metal skeleton mask and the circular saw? Do you see that evil-looking guy with the shiny eye patch in the background scowling while an excited young hero brandishes a gauntlet of power in one hand and holds a sword in the other? Meanwhile the background is populated by maniacal cyclists brandishing melee weapons among a field of skulls on pikes. On the right, an attractive lady in teal with a makeshift club and an Australian cowboy, ready to punch people in the face with his metal fist. Doesn’t that look and sound awesome? You agree? Well good; so stop thinking about the logistics of it all, get past the fact that the tone is uneven and just go check out “Turbo Kid”. (Theatrical version on the big screen, August 27, 2015)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  29.8.2015 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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