brodieblizzard 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.

CathodeRayTubesRock This movie illustrates what happens when the director/producer can tell a simple story very well with layered characters. Films that are internally consistent and coherent can be wonderfully fun.Okay, the last act is a little bit of a let down, but the rest of the story is so well told it's still good.Don't watch if: you don't like gore. The gore gets more and more over the top so that by the end it is a straight up parody of itself. Then again, it's mostly played like the gore in Monty Python (with some better effects).Do watch if: you like wonderful, quirky post-apocalyptic movies.

michaelsoful I really wanted to like this movie. The trailer hit all the right notes for me and I was psyched to go see it. Turbo Kid played one weekend in my town and I missed it. Luckily Netflix came along and made it available. I will not say it is a waste of time, just a waste of potential. Here is where spoilers may dwell. I thought it had a decent opening, following this lonely kid as he scavenged a post nuclear apocalyptic landscape. The walkman cuing up the 80's montage song was funny, but like the kid who collected artifacts from a bygone decade that's all this movie really does. It takes from all the BMX movies, the post apocalypse movies. Definitely Zombieland with his list of survival rules. I don't need all that nostalgia without a payoff. Turbo Kid gets some life when Apple shows up. An oddly cheery blonde female who isn't quite right. Leboeuf steals the show with her character. Not much of a show to steal but it's hers. The script was solid when it centered around this young odd couple. Where the writing failed this project was nearly everything that wasn't them. The Aussie/Kiwi Cowboy was very out of place. He seemingly maintained the peace in this "village" that was under the thumb of a cycloptic warlord. Zeus, yep his name is Zeus and he is portrayed by Micheal Ironside who is what you would expect. No let down there. The settings are not well established at all. This town/village is never shown or established in a competent manner. I know, I know, B-Movie here. That does not excuse a lack of fundamentals in story telling. Weather it's a comic, a game or a movie. You still need to set the stage for everything to play out in. So it's a hodge podge really. Then there is the splatter. Which really I think is another weak link. The gore for the most part is not exciting or all that grotesque. It's just kind of there. The laser blasts are well done. Turbo Kid eviscerates quite a few baddies and that all looks good. All the cross section, dissections are clunky. Like bad 70's samurai movies. I know, I know B-Movie. But you have to have some consistent effects work to get some thrills. These are not thrilling effects. From the mid point on the film becomes predictable and follows all the tropes of the movies I assume they are paying homage to. When the girl is captured and the Kid comes to the rescue. Later on the Kid and the Cowboy are surrounded and she (Apple) comes to the rescue. So on and so forth. It has feeling and that is it's best quality. I'm not a teen or twenty something so I need a bit more than that even in a B-movie schlock fest. Turbo Kid has the coherence of the Toxic Avenger and that is what broke the spell for me. It worked when I was naive but I have more discerning tastes now. I think this could have been a solid film had they focused mostly on the couple and had the rest of the story and characters run through them. Oh well not a total waste. Set laser to meh.

please_stand_by 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.