Turbo Kid (2015) Reviews

• Colourful and bloody homage to 80's sci-fi action flicks

  Red-Barracuda2015-06-22

  Some films have no pretensions other than to simply entertain their audience. Turbo Kid is such a movie. It plays upon the continual love for the 80's that still shows no signs of abating. Its set in the future of 1997 - well this was the distant future in the 80's I seem to recall – and the world is a post-apocalypse. General lawlessness prevails and life is a survival of the fittest. Enter The Kid, a teenager who lives in a scrap yard surrounded by old 80's toys, he is joined by an ever-optimistic girl called Apple and together they go against a gang of bad guys ruled over by an evil man called Zeus. This Canadian movie really goes for it on the 80's homage front. We have heroes on BMX bikes and a world not dissimilar to the Mad Max template. We also have a very agreeable 80's styled synth score that emphasises its influences at all times. The two young heroes make for an engaging central couple, with Laurence Leboeuf particularly impressive as the girl Apple. Michael Ironside is also on hand to offer some additional B movie cred and as a star of many 80's genre pics his presence makes additional sense. The story is nonsense of course but it never pretends otherwise. It's more a means to an end to allow us to see lots of over-the-top bloody action violence and colourful characters decked out in a selection of great outfits. It's fast-paced and, most importantly, it never forgets that its principle objective is to entertain. It reminded me a little of another Canadian movie Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) which also was a hyper violent modern recreation of an 80's genre pic with a veteran genre star (in that case Rutger Hauer). Turbo Kid adopts the same approach but dispenses with the more mean-spirited stuff from that one; its focus is squarely on a fun time.

• B movie Fans, please apply!

  KeroScee2015-10-20

  Turbo Kid can basically be summarised as 'The Road Warrior' on bicycles. Basic post-apoc tropes apply, and it makes no attempt to be anything other than what it is. And it does so admirably. The story is simple (in a good way), the soundtrack admirable and the scenery is appropriately bleak. 'B-movies' like this are hard to judge in terms of acting, but the actors play their parts admirably. It may be cringe worthy or cheesy to some, but its grand nonetheless. The effects are 'cheap', over the top and feel very 'dated', but in a good way. If you love cheesy 80s action flicks, enjoyed Kung Fury and the like you'll feel right at home. Grab the SO, some popcorn and relax. It'll be a fun time.

• Set your expectations right!

  kk-yanakiev2015-09-15

  I don't really have any previous knowledge of most of the actors or seen or heard anything prior to watching the movie apart from the trailer. I won't go into plot details as there are other reviews that did that way better. What I do want to say though is: set your expectations right!!! If you liked what you saw in the trailer, hey...if you liked the poster and know what "homage" means as a genre then go see it! But if you are not aware of those things....please don't come back here giving ratings of 1 and saying how bad this movie was. It's one of those artsy movies that you'd better watch on your own in my opinion. The universe is very captivating. The characters are likable and relatable. They are pure and innocent in a way. There is no nudity in the movie. And the gore is 80's style, but you could probably go with a tween or a teen. It's way safer than what Hollywood offers to that audience. I really enjoyed the movie. If you have open mind, some time and know what to expect it's a nice treat at the beginning of the autumn. If some of those things do not apply to you, then you'd probably skip or leave the cinema.

• Worth the nostalgia

  jimfoghorn2015-09-21

  I loved this movie. The gore was traditional non-CG and had a great 80's feel to it. Brought me back to the good times of Never ending story memories. This movie made me really feel for the characters, and something I would love to share with friends. My vote is to watch this and you'll find yourself smiling and grinning at the light hearted fun with serious under-tones. Although they barely touched on the back story of what happened to the world, we kind of get the side notes of what happened. But the story itself wasn't about how civilization got there, but focuses on the views of the innocent main character. I fell in love with the co-star Apple, even with her annoying happy go lucky cartoon behavior. Definitely stole the show.

• Skeletron "FTW"

  thisseatofmars2015-11-07

  "Turbo Kid" is a post-apocolypic comedy that I've seen described as "Mad Max meets BMX." I don't know if I'd agree that, however. "Turbo Kid" feels a lot more like its own thing. "Mad Max" is set in the Wasteland, and the latest MM film had a multi-million dollar budget. "Turbo Kid," in contrast, was Canadian funded (ouch) and is set in Canada (in November, it looks like) and everyone rides bicycles. Yeah. I like this movie: in fact, I watched a lot of it with a smile on my face. It's almost a perfect movie, except for one thing: Apple and "The Kid" have too many "moments" together. You know, "moments?" Too many times when they lock eyes, stare for a moment, and then both smile slowly-- gah. Also, a lot of their dialogue is a bit too awkward for my tastes, but tastes are as arbitrary as... film reviews (teehee.) However, "moments" aside, a lot of this movie is just great. Apart from its fight scenes, which are both glorious and hilarious, a lot of "Turbo Kid's" charm stems from its celebration of the 80's and 90's. Everything from its kicking soundtrack, Commander Keen (and flannel!) costumes, and even its title is a retro sendup. Seriously: there's a campfire scene where they're using VHS tapes instead of logs. Brill! Michael Ironside is also great. I only knew him as Sam Fisher, a henchman from "Total Recall," and the dude rockin' the awesome mullet in "Highlander 2," but after "Turbo Kid" I've learned that Ironside is a treasure-- and he's funny in this. Laurence Leboeuf deserves a shoutout too, even though she's essentially playing the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" stereotype. However, she deserves credit because she takes what could be extremely awkward material ("moments") and just runs with it. And the I like that she doesn't cover up her Quebecois accent. Actually, you know what? *Everyone* is great in this-- Skeletron, your wild eyes rocks my socks, and Frederic, you're hilarious because your super-intense character lampoons Mel Gibson. A lot heart went into "Turbo Kid." That's what makes it a loving parody. Maybe in 30 years we'll see 2010 kids make a movie lampooning reality TV, social media, and dumb phrases like "FTW" and "be awesome." Or maybe by then we'll have moved on from "meta" culture--I don't know. But "Turbo Kid" is a both brilliant parody and a loving tribute to 80's and 90's pop culture, and it has a lot of heart. Definitely worth watching.