Turbo Kid (2015) Review

Who Knew Mincing People Could Be So Funny?

Yo, this be Reuben, writing a review on something that Milo would probably write a better review of. Oh well, I’ll give you an overview of what Turbo Kid is, if you don’t know already. It’s an indie action movie with the whole 80’s shtick, and follows the adventure of ‘The Kid’ and his confusing new friend Apple in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of 1997, in which he fights the tyrannical overlord of the new world Zeus.

I’ve never been nearly as infatuated with the whole 80’s thing as Milo has, but I appreciate its appeal. Turbo Kid is full of synth and it houses tongue and cheek dialogue and ridiculous violence like many of dem 80’s action films; it feels like a homage to the good old days of Robocop, Rambo and Escape From New York (the latter also being set in 1997, funnily enough). Turbo Kid also holds a plethora of overblown, ridiculous and colourful character designs, in the old-fashioned future world, if you like – particularly similar to Mad Max. The in-your-face-ness of the film gives it an extra edge, and the fun designs are something to feast your eyes on, whilst the synth-filled soundtrack gives it that feel good factor.

Wowzerz!

Now, the action is also totally on point. With terrible practical effects bodies pop like cartons of grape juice with plastic guts and all that good stuff. If I were to describe the action in the film, it would sound horrible, but on screen, the awful effects and comic timing make it hilarious; in the non-stop bloody onslaught that are the last 30 minutes of Turbo Kid, entertainment is pushed to the absolute max in all its gutsy glory.

You know where that spiky thing’s going?

However, there is more to Turbo Kid than just mental action. Through all the madness, there is a great bond created between The Kid (Turbo Kid himself) and Apple. Munro Chambers isn’t special as The Kid, but Laurence LeBoeuf is great as Apple. Both actors fit their characters well, The Kid as the slightly reluctant and geeky Kid and Apple as the energised and excitable Apple. As more is revealed about both characters, they become more and more likable, and their bond gets more and more strong as the film progresses, giving the movie a heartwarming touch and an under-tone message of friendship and justice (as is cheesily put on the back of the DVD’s box). The varied camerawork also comes as a nice surprise, coming as one of its indie quirks.

The rest of the cast is mostly made up of acceptable but not special performances, although the Big Cowboy, Frederick by Aaron Jeffrey is wonderfully in-your-face, as performances go, a little like a slightly crappy version of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones. Some of the funniest lines, and some of the dud lines, both come from this Cowboy’s part of the script. That leads into a little issue of the film, the script writing. Although most of the film’s dialogue is on point, there are a small selection of dud lines throughout that take hammy to new levels. That alongside the movie’s slow start and slightly underwhelming villain in Zeus show that Turbo Kid isn’t perfect. Even so, I don’t know if any of those 80’s action marvels were perfect in the first place.

To conclude, as a homage to 80’s action classics and as a standalone film itself, Turbo Kid is pure enjoyment, in its ridiculous gore, perfect comedic timing and fantastic design features, and is well worth a watch for anyone looking for a good time, or, I hear, anyone who liked Mad Max: Fury Road.

______________________________________________