Turbo: Movie Review

Who's in it?
 Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Peña, Samuel L. Jackson, Snoop Dogg & Maya Rudolph

What's it About? 

Theo (Reynolds) is a tiny garden snail with huge dreams. Watching the Indy 500 tapes to the point of obsession, he knows he can be more, despite his dissaproving and safety focussed brother Chet (Giamatti). When a freak Nitrous Oxide accident gives Theo the speed to fulfill his dreams, fate puts him on the right track but can the undersnail win? 

Any Good? 

Despite being the first of it's kind character wise, the premise of Turbo is a very familiar one - fans of Cars, A Bug's Life, Ratatouille and more recently Planes will consider this colourful tale of self belief and determination a little predictable but satisfying nonetheless. 

They're fast, he's furious

The ensemble cast of Turbo really adds to the tale with Samuel L stealing the show several times. Though a little slow moving (no pun intended) in comparison to other animation favourites, there's jokes aplenty, some great one liners and a peppering of adult humour, subtle enough to float over little ones' heads. The inclusion of a bouncing soundtrack and even its own viral auto tune adds to the humour and manages to liven things up just as the younger audience start to get antsy. 

A snail's eye view of victory

Cute and colourful, I'd be reluctant to advocate 3D as a neccessity for Turbo. The real fans of this movie, the under tens, will find the glasses distracting and with the lulls in the storyline, that's a recipe for disaster. While Dreamworks have absolutely upped their game, animation wise, this offering just felt a little underwhelming to me. The likes of Megamind and Kung Fu Panda prove that this studio have the ability to produce truly memorable movies. Just not this time. 

Look at that Es-Car-Go! (Escargo - geddit?)

While this tale of whimsy and colourful determination is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours with your little people, I'd be inclined to advise you wait for the dvd release to do just that. Instead save their piggy banks for the release of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 next week see how universally entertaining an animation can be. 

            Rating: