Today’s quick review: Turbo. Turbo (Ryan Reynolds), an ordinary garden snail, has only ever had one dream: to be as fast as his idol, racing champion Guy Gagne (Bill Hader). He gets the chance to make his dream come true when a freak accident imbues him with super speed. Tito (Michael Pena), a taco truck owner, sees Turbo’s potential and tries to get him a spot in the Indy 500, where Turbo can show his newfound speed to the world.
Turbo is a family animated sports comedy about a little snail with big dreams. Turbo crosses an underdog racing story with a typical family film setup about a snail who is shunned for being different. Neither side of the story offers many surprises, but they work well together, establishing Turbo’s dream and then giving him a shot at it. Solid execution and a dash of passion are enough to make Turbo an entertaining pick for the right viewer.
Turbo has a strange relationship with suspension of disbelief. The bulk of the movie works according to the standard rules of family films: snails can talk and pull off remarkable acrobatic feats, none of the human characters question Turbo’s speed, and everything runs smoothly. But the movie has to bend over backwards to make its premise seem feasible, and in the process it has to rely on more coincidences and thinner story logic than usual.
Once Turbo gets over these issues, it makes for a fun watch. The voice cast helps sell the film, with Ryan Reynolds, Michael Pena, Paul Giamatti, and Samuel L. Jackson all turning in strong performances. The art style is simple and not that distinctive, but the movie knows how to change up the visuals to make the races pop. The underdog story is predictable, but it is handled well, and it is satisfying to watch Turbo chase his dream.
Turbo is a solid pick for anyone in the mood for a lighter family film. Neither its premise nor its execution is enough to set it apart, and its plot is a mash-up of a couple of well-worn formulas. But in spite of these drawbacks, Turbo is well polished, energetic, and reasonably funny. Give it a try when you are in the mood for something light and enjoyable. Skip it if you are looking for a memorable movie that breaks new ground.
For a more manic, cartoonish, and visually inventive love letter to racing, try Speed Racer. For a live-action movie about street racing, try the early Fast & Furious movies. For another underdog story, this one about robot boxing, try Real Steel.
[6.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1860353/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for a flawed but entertaining take on a classic formula.