Turbo Kid

"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.

Turbo Kid is a fun little film that mashes a hyper-violent post apocalyptic wasteland with 80's retro-style science fiction. The film revolves around The Kid, a nameless scavenger who lives alone in an underground bunker. He spends his days scavenging, reading comics and trading at the local settlement. One day he meets a robot girl, falls head over heals, and goes to save her after she is kidnapped by leather wearing goons working for an imperious gang-leader. The Kid teams up with a tough-as-nails cowboy and his robot girlfriend to try and survive, and maybe enjoy the scenery and grow up along the way.

Turbo Kid was straight up adorable. The film features a cool 80's soundtrack, a la Nicholas Winding Refn's Drive, in a Mad Max style (or more like The Bed Sitting Room style) post apocalypse setting. The movie was adorable for a couple of reasons: First, all the characters ride around on BMX bikes, which is charming in its own way. These goons with leather gear and masks all riding around on bikes is just too cute! The soundtrack was great (if you fancy bands like College, Com Truise etc.), and the science fiction aspects of its were fun in a campy sort of way.

Don't get me wrong. This was not a masterpiece of a film. It is low budget, campy and over the top in some aspects. Even so, it was a fun, tongue-in-cheek film that mixes fun science fiction arm blasters with gritty and grindhouse style gore. It has a particularly original charm to it, in parts low budget, but with a ton of heart and soul. The whole thing just oozed charm and fun camp. The actors looked like they were having a blast, the soundtrack is great (once again!) and the film itself was shot well and directed straight. This is no big budget blockbuster, but it is fun, enjoyable, and adorable! Worth a watch for sure if you want to try something a little outside the box. It might not blow you away per say, but it just might charm the pants off of you. I am quite glad I was able to watch this one.

The 80s is arguably one of the most influential decades of movie history. Films such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future have often been credited as the inspiration of many directors of today's generation. One film series in particular pretty much kicked off the entire post-apocalyptic film genre, Mad Max. Created by George Miller, Mad Max was a series of movies that followed titular hero Max and his adventures in a post-apocalyptic Australia,usually meeting with thieves who are oppressing a certain people and then fighting them in several gun fights, brawls, and car chases. The Series overall while having varying degrees of quality has been a mainstay in pop culture, kicking off many more movies about nuclear wastelands. This brings me to Turbo Kid, a 2015 Canadian sci-fi action comedy made to mimic the over the top action films of the 80s, Mad Max especially. Synth heavy music dominates the soundtrack and the effects are purposefully cheesy. While the movie may not be perfect, it certainly is an entertaining adventure.

It's the distant future of 1997, atomic war has devastated the world, what few remains of civilization there are live their lives as Scavengers and Barbarians. Add in the fact that a water shortage is leaving the world thirsty and the one person who controls the water is a mad tyrant, the World is not a very happy place.

The Film stars Munro Chambers as "The Kid", A scavenger and comic book lover who looks up to his idol, the superhero Turbo Rider. He leads a simple life of collecting junk, selling the junk, and then getting his small rations of food and water. One day, he meets a slightly insane girl named "Apple"(played by Laurence Leboeuf) who follows him around believing him to be his best friend. The two get involved in a series of incidents that has them end up getting pursued by the leader of the civilization, Zeus (played by the underappreciated Michael Ironside). In order to combat Zues's forces, The Kid takes on the persona of the Turbo Rider, to end the oppression caused by the warlord.

The Story does feel generic, hitting beats that can be seen from a mile away. However, where the movie does excel is in its characters. While the acting is (purposefully) cheesy, the characters really do start to grow. Laurence Leboeuf's portrayal of Apple is charming and genuinely funny in some parts and with a twist midway through the movie, Her character gets deeper and you start to feel for her even more. Another should be given to the previously mentioned Michael Ironside, of Total Recall fame. His performance is so over the top but not too much to where it belittles his character, even though his actions in the movie is mostly played for laughs.

Speaking of laughs, the movie's comedy is hit and miss. There are some jokes and actions that made me laugh, while others were..OK at best. Most of the comedy comes from action, more specifically the heavy amount of gore in the film. Many heads and body parts get cut up, usually with heavy sprays of blood. While Gore in movies can go overboard sometimes, mainly using it for shock value, This movie uses it well, The setting in the film is built well enough to make the gore seem like the kind of action that would occur in their world. The fight scenes could have been handled better though, with some of the hand to hand combat looking extremely cheesy.

But in a way, that's the whole point of the movie, to be cheesy. The world, the characters, the story, the action all is made to mimic the cheesy feel of 80s action films. It wont leave you with any lasting message or theme. Its main goal is to entertain and to that end, I genuinely enjoyed the movie. I can easily recommend it to any fan of action movies, and sci-fi movies, especially if you enjoyed 2014's similar film "Kung Fury".

3/4 stars: Check it out.

The easiest way to put this is that they made a film for 10 year old me but knew I'd be mid 30s when I watched it!

So much fun. Some of the best kills I've ever seen and the most awesome synth soundtrack ever!

Turbo Kid is a fun little post-apocalyptic adventure, heavily evocative of certain landmark films from the 80's, particularly Mad Max; however, the creators do not rely on cheap references, but instead revel in the stylistic nuances of their influences to create something new and, for the most part, novel. Their love for what they are making is tangible throughout, giving the entire experience an earnest sincerity that most films, particularly those with a larger budget, simply don't have.

The film is quite bloody and violent, to an extent that could easily alienate viewers who are averse to such things; however, the violence is so incredibly campy and over the top so as to mostly be endearing, or even funny. That said, the film's main characters, The Kid and Apple, are so lovably innocent and optimistic that the overall tone remains lighthearted and fun. Their friendship gives the film a wonderful heart. The villains provide a good counterpoint, though they are fairly one-dimensional. The original music is also absolutely fantastic, matching the tone perfectly.

The world itself isn't developed much and occasionally the film's small budget becomes slightly detrimental to the viewer's immersion. The creators are mostly very clever with their budget though; all the characters riding bikes instead of driving cars is just adorable and matches the film's tone perfectly. The costumes and overall visual style are also top notch.

The amazing thing is that despite the silliness and low budget, this film still manages to have far more heart than most big budget films. It's a genuinely endearing and fun experience.