Turbo

The trailer of this new Dreamworks animated film did not really make me interested to watch because I thought the whole racing snail story would be corny. However, my kids insisted and there were some favorable initial reviews, so I reluctantly gave it a go and hoped to be pleasantly surprised.

"Turbo" is about Theo, a garden snail obsessed about car racing and being fast. He accidentally ingests nitrous oxide and develops amazing race car powers. A luckless taco shop owner Tito picks Theo up for his hobby of racing snails, and discovers Theo's incredible speedy abilities. Eventually, Theo (now re-named Turbo) actually qualifies to race against his racing idol, the five-time champion Guy Gagne, in the Indianapolis 500. Can this phenomenal little snail now finally fulfill his dream of winning a big league car race?

The topic of car racing had already been tackled very well in Pixar's "Cars". If "Cars" was for kids, "Turbo" is targeted for even younger kids. More than just the car racing, the side story about the deserted mini-mall in Van Nuys, California where Tito's taco shop is located, was also obviously inspired by the town of Radiator Springs in "Cars."

The scene showing how Theo got his powers, with the nerve axons and red blood cells being revitalized with nitrous oxide, was straight out of "Spider- Man".

I did not really get the whole snails working together to gather tomatoes thing. It might have worked in "Bug's Life", but I did not know snails ever worked like ants. I could imagine how encountering a huge army of snails in a small tomato patch like that would probably look pretty scary in real life.

On the positive side, "Turbo" manages to tell a good story about brotherly support in the parallel stories of Theo and his brother Chet, and Tito and his brother Anton. One brother is the whimsical dreamer, while the other is the more grounded practical one. They may see things differently, but in the end, brotherly love would prevail.

Of course, the showcase of the whole film is still the big race. The execution of the race sequence was thrilling and exciting, especially the final laps. While the climactic moment in "Cars" is still better, but this one in "Turbo" still manages to hold its own with its unique charm.

As a whole though, I found the film's pace leading to the climactic race quite slow for a movie about speed. I was disappointed about how the Guy Gagne character was developed as a stereotype, when it could have been more original. The voice work was by big stars like Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti and Samuel L. Jackson. They were all okay, but nothing really distinct and memorable stood out.

Kids will surely enjoy this cute little film delightful. Parents will just have to summon their inner child out in order to enjoy it with them.

I was lucky to see Turbo at a preview today, and had a great time. I don't want to give anything away, but suffice to say that I greatly enjoyed the movie. The plot's cute, the characters amusing, and there are some hilarious one liners. (As well as a few somewhat more risqué jokes for the adults, although they'll fly over most kids' heads.)

It's not going to rival Pixar at their best, but it's a lot of fun. I will say, though, that this isn't a film I'd bother with 3D for. It takes a back seat, and is little more than a gimmick. You won't be missing anything at all to watch in 2D.

But other than that, heartily recommended!

A snail named Theo(voiced by Ryan Reynolds)loves to watch racing, and wishes he could race on the tracks, but his brother(voiced by Paul Giamatti) tells him that he is a snail, he was not meant to be fast, cause he is a snail. But one night Theo accidentally lands in a fast car, and gains the power of being as fast as the car. Now Theo has fun with this new found power, but how far will it take him?

a well made animated film, I mean it is no Wreck it Ralph, but still a fun movie. But it's not just a snail with super speed, but it's more of a ensemble, providing the voices Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Michael Pena to name a few. They all really make this story quite a joy, and seem to be having a blast working on this film.

Here it is, a snail receives super speed, hence the name of the film being "Turbo." What the film makes me think of when I see it is a combination of Disney's "A Bug's Life" and "Cars". It is a great movie to take the 4-9 year old kids to see.

As an adult, it is great to see Ryan Reynolds taking a voice-over part in a family friendly film. However, I could have lived to watch it without many of the other actors. Paul Giamatti and Samuel L. Jackson are in so many different films these days, their voices are tiring.

A nice change of pace for Dream Works after seeing three "Madagascar" films and four "Shrek" movies. I was Shrekked out! That's why I gave this fresh film from DW Pictures a 9/10.

Everyone loves an underdog story. They are done so much in film, and it's such a common notion that the line is even spoken in the new Dreamworks film "Turbo". The best part in this instance though is, unlike other movies, it's genuine. You feel for this animated snail and his new friend a part owner of a taco shop. Both have dreams and do all they can to make them come true, even when their own family doesn't believe in them. The second best part is that it's fun for the entire family and could very well be the best animated film of the year.

Theo is a snail who wants to be fast, much like Tom Hanks wanted to be Big and Rocky wanted to be champion. After a freak accident of Spider- Man proportions, he gets his chance to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Along the way he finds a friend and fellow dreamer he never actually speaks with in Tito (Michael Peña). Together they both reach for the impossible dreams that live in us all. The filmmakers of "Turbo" use both wish fulfillment and the belief on oneself to tell a familiar story with most of the troupes we've seen before. What sells it here is voice actors ranging from the comedic Ryan Reynolds as Turbo, to the dramatic Paul Giamatti as his brother Chet. In between you have actors that have a foot in both dramatic works as well as comedy, like Luis Guzmàn, Maya Rudolph, Michelle Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins, and Samuel L. Jackson. It also tells its story with a singular goal in mind and still manages to have fun with sight gags, great one-liners, and involvement of the supporting cast.

My kids loved this film as did I, every year we get so many sequels there's quite a few this summer alone, and it's always refreshing to see a movie with the originality and the bravery to take a chance on a story that could have been a bad rip-off of Rocky, but instead reminded me of it in that good way. So go see "Turbo" this weekend, Adam Sandler and his pals have enough of our money, give it to real grown-ups who know how to make really enjoyable films like "Turbo".

--Robert L. Castillo

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