For 15 years now CGI Animation has been populated by a variety of wisecracking bugs, most voiced by celebrities and all carrying some kind of moral. While “A Bug’s Life” is an underrated masterpiece and “Antz” was a surprisingly effective comedy, others (namely “The Ant Bully” and “Bee Movie”) were not so fortunate in terms of quality. The latest (and the third bug flick in all from DreamWorks Animation) is “Turbo”, which has a lackluster story and iffy visuals, mixed with some delightful characters and well written depth.
Theo (Ryan Reynolds) spends his whole life wanting to be as fast as the racers he idolizes, the only problem with that dream being that he’s a snail. Not to mention, he’s a snail in a community of mollusks that do not approve of his ambitions, least of all his brother Chet (Paul Giamatti). However, a scientifically inaccurate accident gives him the power of super-speed, and with it, the ability to help out his new friends (an assortment of shop owners, among them voiced by Michael Pena, Ken Jeong and Michelle Rodriguez), the nickname Turbo, and the ability to win the Indianapolis 500.
The medium of animation has always been made for stories that seem too extreme or crazy; why, one of Walt Disney’s most beloved fables involves an elephant learning to fly. So, really, the idea of a snail racing for speedy glory seems like a perfect fit for the guys and gals at DreamWorks Animation. Unfortunately, like past works “Rise of The Guardians” and “Puss In Boots”, there’s not much plot beyond the intriguing concept they created, with the majority of the film taken up by superfluous sequences and an overabundance of characters (namely, a gang of racing snails, all but one of which are voiced by celebrities, that have literally no effect on the story whatsoever).
Still, the film’s underdog story does become oddly engaging, although it’s hurt by a pathetic finale that’s simply laughable in it’s attempts to keep tension in the plot going. Plus, the movie has a few hilarious moments; some highlights include some unexpected dark humor involving crows snatching up snails and Turbo’s adjustment to his newfound abilities (which in addition to super speed, give him headlights, car alarms and a radio). Plus, the animation on these snails is phenomenal, simply some of the best animation and character designs seen in animation ever, although the less said about the animation on the human characters the better.
“Turbo” is an enjoyable movie, with a fun story and some great moments of hilarity combined with too many characters and a slightly overlong plot. This is nowhere near being a bad movie, or even a mediocre one, but it certainly lacks the emotional resonance of “The Croods”, “Kung Fu Panda” or “How To Train Your Dragon” or the gut-busting jokes of “Shrek” or Madagascar”. In the end, “Turbo” never exceeds or even matches it’s brethren in quality, but settles for being nothing more than a decent diversion.
