Movie Review: Turbo

Turbo / Rated PG / DreamWorks / 96 min. / Dir. by David Soren

Sometimes crafting the plot of a movie is a result of months, even years, of thoughtful, intricate planning. Sometimes it's a matter of building something around the toys you're hoping to sell (I'm looking at you "Cars 2").  Other times, it's a matter of simple addition.  For example:  "The Incredibles" + "Harry Potter" = "Sky High"  or "Transformers" + "Top Gun" = "Battleship".  Sometimes the addition works ("Sky High") and sometimes it doesn't ("Battleship").  Sometimes, the addition can be pretty ridiculous ("Jaws" + "Twister" =......nah, no one would try that).  In the case of DreamWorks' new film "Turbo" they've done some cinematic math that isn't an obvious fit, but on execution works just fine: "Cars" (itself a combination of NASCAR and "Doc Hollywood") + "Ratatouille" + "A Bug's Life".  As you watch the film, the plot points and emotional beats that are gently used hand-me-downs from these Pixar movies are pretty obvious, but they don't feel like blatant forgery as much as creative mathematics.

"Turbo" stars a garden snail named Theo (affably voiced by Ryan Reynolds).  Theo is a forward thinker in a garden filled with stay-the-course workers.  He doesn't understand why everybody around him moves so slow, a question that infuriates his older brother, Chet (voiced by the terrific Paul Giamatti), because the answer is so obvious:  they're snails.  They move slow because moving fast is a physical impossibility.  

Theo fuels his need for speed by gulping down energy drinks while watching high-octane car racing.  His favorite racer is Guy Gagne (Bill Hader), a Frenchman who can't help but evoke "Ratatouille's" Chef Gusteau when he spouts his catchphrase, "No dream is too big, no dreamer too small".  However, after a showdown with a lawn mower, Theo begins to wonder if his dreams really are too big.  

"Turbo" definitely embraces the higher level of reality suspension afforded animated films with its central plot conceit: after a late night encounter with a tank of nitro, Theo is transformed into a car that merely looks like a snail.  He has turn signals, his eyes are headlights, and he has an inner radio that is inexplicably drawn to rock anthems and hip-hop.  Of course, for him, the highlight of this transformation is he can now zoom around up to and over 200 mph, leaving a neon blue trail in his wake.

Along his journey he ends up in Radiator Springs, er, I mean Starlight Plaza, a run down strip mall consisting of a few dying businesses including a Taco stand run by two brothers, Tito (Michael Pena) and Angelo (Luiz Guzman).  Theo, who now prefers to be called Turbo, is determined to work with Tito to use his speed to help breathe life back into the strip mall and save the day.

As I previously mentioned, "Turbo" has one of the most derivative plots I've seen in a film in ages.  One can almost see the seam lines where sections were dropped in from other movies.  However, it's so good-natured and optimistic that it's easy to chuckle off the similarities and just move forward with the story. Sure, the central theme turns out to be the overused "just be yourself"  that seems to be the theme of one out of every three modern animated films, but it uses these familiar tropes in such a pleasant and genuinely uplifting way that one doesn't mind their familiarity.  

Like most DreamWorks' animated films, it has a stellar voice cast filled with A-list talent (in addition to the stars already mentioned, it includes Samuel L. Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Michelle Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, and Ken Jeong)  However, unlike some of their films (such as "Shark Tale"), these voices are all perfectly suited to the characters,  with the one exception possibly being Jeong playing and elderly and highly stereotyped female Asian caricature, who is, thankfully, less prevalent in the film than the commercials have implied.

Technically, "Turbo" is a knock-out with every frame.  The characters, especially the snails, as fascinating to look at and the film's color scheme and visual sensibilities are pure eye candy.  I'm reminded of a recent article that I read that pondered why computer animated films are among the only "four quadrant" films (a "four quadrant" film is a movie that is equally appealing across age and gender lines).  It's these types of splendid visuals that, I believe, explain the extreme popularity of the art form.  Animated films have all the visual flair of a big-budget special effects movie, but are also more family-friendly, making the better computer animated films entertaining across generations.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "Turbo" is among the best of its genre.  As I mentioned before, it's derivative and it never engages the viewer in the way that the best of animation does, but there was never a moment that I didn't enjoy on some level.  If you're on the line about choosing this for an outing with your family, my advice would be this:  If you can, it's a fun and pleasant way to beat the heat, but if you're watching your budget, it will be just as delightful on the small screen.

If you do choose to see "Turbo" in the theater, though, let me tell you that the 3D is not necessary.  There are three or four times during the movie that the images really pop off the screen, but for the most part it doesn't add a lot to the experience.

Overall grade: B+