Turbo Kid Review

This is my 200th post/105th movie review!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxyH-adavb8

In the post-apocalyptic future of 1997, a young man known only as The Kid (Munro Chambers), is a young solitary scavenger who is obsessed with comic books, primarily that of a superhero known as Turbo Rider, must face his fears and become a reluctant hero when he meets a mysterious girl named Apple (Laurence Leboeuf). Despite their efforts to keep to themselves, Zeus (Michael Ironside), the sadistic and self-proclaimed leader of the Wasteland, continues to plague The Kid and Apple. Armed with only his faith and an ancient turbocharged weapon, known as The Turbo Glove, The Kid learns about justice and friendship as he embarks on a journey to rid the Wasteland of evil and save the girl of his dreams.

Even though I wanted to see this film after seeing a trailer one night and I kind of knew what I was expecting, I was still pleasantly surprised by it. I found the style of the film to be very distinctive. I thought it reminded me of another film which I liked, Hobo With a Shotgun. The film is a sci-fi film (obviously) but it’s not just any sci-fi film, it’s like an homage to 80’s sci-fi/action films. From the style, to the soundtrack, to the story, it just screams 80’s which I liked (Yes, I was born in the 90’s but I can still like it). Hobo With a Shotgun, a Canadian film like Turbo Kid (Canada shout-out), also had an 80’s style but I think this one did it better. Sure, the story makes little sense and was very campy but that’s not why you’re watching this. The film is very aware of this and thus, doesn’t take itself to seriously. You’re watching this for the experience. This a funky, cheesy (not the bad kind), post-apocalyptic sci-fi experience. It doesn’t really explain how the world came to be but instead chooses to focus on The Kid himself. The film’s world is similar to that of the Mad Max series but instead of vehicles, the characters use BMX-style bicycles. I liked all of these things but the main selling point of this film is the violence. My goodness is it ever violent so it may not quite be for everyone. There’s real-looking blood (perhaps too much), there’s gore, and pretty much if you can think of anything bad then it’s probably here too. I enjoyed how creative they were with how they utilized the violence but I won’t elaborate on that to not give anything away (I don’t know what that says about me but sometimes I like myself some tasteful violence). In a film that tries to be a B-movie type film, you would think that the acting would be bad but this was not the case here. Sure some of the acting was cheesy and some may not like the film for it but that was just because of the style of the film. Chambers and Leboeuf as The Kid and Apple were very likable and relatable and fit the world admirably. Apple’s happy, go-lucky personality definitely stole the show. Ironside’s villain Zeus was also great as well. Overall, if you’re a squeamish person than you may not enjoy this but if you’re looking for a fun time then you should give this one a try.

Score: 9/10

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.