REVIEW: Turbo 3D

MOVIE
Turbo

CAST
Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti

RATING
PG

RELEASE
July 17, 2013

DIRECTOR
David Soren

STUDIO(S)
DreamWorks Animation,
20th Century Fox

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 36 minutes





STARS
***3/4









REVIEW:

Start your engines, eager moviegoers, as we are about to delve into the creative world of DreamWorks Animation for yet another original adventure.  Earlier this year, DreamWorks took us back in time to the prehistoric age with their movie "The Croods."  Now they're not taking us through time, but into the realms of talking snails, with one having the urge to go fast, like a race car driver.  When the snail is exposed to a huge tank of Nitrous Oxide, he literally becomes a mini car in the form of the snail, and his life changes forever.  That little garden snail's name is Turbo, and his film, which conveniently sports the title "Turbo" as well, is a lot better than one might expect it to be.  Despite being predictable and childish at times, "Turbo" is a lot of fun.  It's everything a family movie should be, as well as being everything a comedy should be.  It's an insane, clever, and ridiculous 3D fest that kids and adults of all ages will get a kick out of.  Well, that is if they have the need for some speed in their summer filled with unnecessary sequels and mindless action movies.

As with every DreamWorks movie, the animation is incredible.  All of the characters, whether they're human or a snail, pop out in their own special way and just have a distinct look to them that makes them look alive and gorgeous.  The racing scenes especially look incredible, as they are exciting and hilarious at the same time, depending on which race is going on.  The 3D especially is spectacular, and this is by far the best use of 3D in an animated movie all year.  The racing sequences are the best looking 3D scenes in the film and are worth the surcharge of a movie ticket alone.  "Turbo" isn't a movie that has to be seen in 3D, but it's definitely worth paying the $3-$5 surcharge.

All of the characters in "Turbo" have their own way of bringing in laughter or just entertainment in general.  If it wasn't for the film's extremely talented voice cast, I don't know if the characters would have had the same spark.  Ryan Reynolds is great as Turbo, bringing in lots of laughs and a lot of heart throughout.  Paul Giamatti has a good role in the film as well, being the one against all of Turbo's actions.  Michael Pena and Luiz Guzman bring in some solid laughs as two brothers who disagree with one another when Pena's character wants to enter Turbo into the Indy 500.  Bill Hader is hilarious as always as a French race car driver, but why the screenwriters made him a villain, despite being logical for the story, didn't have to be done.  Samuel L. Jackson and Snoop Dogg are a part of the hilarious ensemble group of snails who consider themselves to be the fastest of the fastest, that is before they see what Turbo is made of.  Everybody in the voice cast is great in their own way, with nobody overall outshining one another.

Director and co-screenwriter David Soren has taken a really silly and obscure premise and formed it into a movie that can please both kids and adults alike.  Almost every single joke strikes like a bullet and produces heavy belly-laughs consistently.  The voice cast all brings these characters to life in ways that only the best animated movies can do. The animation, especially in 3D, is gorgeous and pops off the screen in the ways that animated movies are supposed to do.  While the story could have been a little more creative in terms of its predictability and its use of a somewhat unnecessary villain, "Turbo" is still a very fast and very fun family movie that never overstays its welcome and makes you walk out of the theater with the smile of a 7 year old stamped on your face.  This is definitely a movie worth taking young and older kids to go see, plus you, the adult, will probably have a good time as well.





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