We are experiencing one of the most brutally mediocre summer movie seasons I can remember. Every week a sequel (Hangover 3, Despicable Me 2, Monsters University, The Wolverine, Red 2, Grown Ups 2) of some kind is coming out. If it isn't a sequel, it is a movie based on a pre-established story (R.I.P.D., Lone Ranger, World War Z). This summer has been almost completely devoid of original stories at the mainstream multiplex. The only one that succeeded (both in terms of money and in terms of quality) was "This is the End". "Pacific Rim" was mediocre at best and the less said about "White House Down" the better. Now comes "Turbo", an original story about a snail who aspires to be a race car driver, which is being all but passed off as nothing more than a silly child's film. It is. It is also one of the funniest films released this summer hitting on surprisingly dark humor all while containing genuinely touching scenes with interesting characters. It is a much better film than both "Despicable Me 2" and "Monsters University" which will hopefully find the audience it deserves.
The almost ridiculous plot summary of "Turbo" would simply read "what if a snail could go really fast". Theo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) is a snail who dreams of one day competing in professional racing. His fellow snails think he is crazy for having such a ridiculous dream and encourage him to simply continue working at the tomato patch (referred to as "the plant"). One day a freak accident with a supercharged car results in Theo receiving special powers which allow to "drive" at extremely fast speed. He draws the attention of a local taco shop owner, Tito (voiced by Michael Pena), who believes that Theo (who goes by the name "Turbo" now) has a chance at winning the Indianapolis 500.
On the surface, there is nothing new in "Turbo". The "follow your dreams and you can achieve anything" plot has been done countless times before. Where "Turbo" succeeds is in not taking itself too seriously. It knows it is a movie about a talking snail who wants to race. It makes up for this silliness by being genuinely funny. While the voice-cast (which also includes Paul Giamatti, Bill Hader, Samuel L. Jackson, and many other recognizable names) delivers their lines with great comic timing, it is "Turbo"'s surprisingly dark sense of humor which succeeds so often. Various jokes revolve around snails being picked up and taken away by carnivorous birds. An animated film with humor that revolves around animals essentially dying is a gutsy bit of writing. Each of these scenes are surprisingly hilarious.
There are quite a few very nice little touches in "Turbo". One of the most interesting and well-developed touches is the inclusion of the shop owners at the strip mall where Tito works. While these characters aren't necessarily given ample screen time, they feel like real people and are never played for laughs. Michelle Rodriguez plays an auto shop owner. The fact that she is a woman is never forced into a ridiculous sub plot (there is no love story and she never breaks from being a "tough" businesswoman). The relationship between Tito and his brother Angelo (voiced by the always great Luis Guzman) is also given a good amount of screen time and feels genuine. The shop owners of this strip mall are not ridiculous (not an easy feat when one is voiced by Ken Jeong). They are simply people who love their businesses even though nobody seems to be coming to frequent their shops. It feels natural and makes the film that much more enjoyable.
"Turbo" is not without a few faults though. The inclusion of Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion now) is unnecessary. In a film that is so often well-written and original, hearing Lion's trademark way of delivering dialogue (adding "izzle" often) is tired, unfunny, and feels incredibly dated. It feels like a relic from a "Shrek" script that was desperately trying to include pop culture references to appeal to the masses. I kept waiting for a character to turn to Lion's snail character to ask him why in the world he still talks like that. The fact that I expected it to happen in this movie shows that the comedic writing is far more intelligent than what you might be expecting.
As I mentioned earlier, "Turbo" is a much better film than "Despicable Me 2" and "Monsters University". While those movies (especially "Monsters University") may be better-animated and show a slightly more serious tone, they are mediocre. Their mediocrity is not simply because they are "sequels". They fail because they simply aren't as fun as they could be. "Turbo" contains some comedic sequences that you will remember long after the film ends. The heart of the film feels natural and not forced like we so often see in animated films these days. One wonders if Pixar had made "Turbo" using the same script and contents if we would be seeing critics calling this a "return to form". If you had told me years ago that films like "Turbo", "How to Train Your Dragon" and even "Madagascar 3" would be much better than what Pixar is putting out, I wouldn't have believed you. "Turbo" isn't good simply because it is an original story or that it isn't produced by Pixar. It is good because it is hilarious, well-written, surprising, and one of the most fun times you can have at the theater right now.
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