The idea alone that a snail dreaming to compete at the INDY 500 is already hilarious. A regular human underdog story—albeit very common—would have sufficed for a storyline, but writer/director David Soren went over the top and gave us for a NASCAR dreamer a creature popularly known to be sinfully slow: a gastropod.
The underdog story is quite simple, and
again, with a funny premise: a crazy dreamer of a garden snail named Theo (Ryan
Reynolds) is obsessed with speed and is deeply immersed in his imaginary world
that he’s a NASCAR driver. This fantasy is Theo’s only escape from his everyday dreadful
existence working at The Plant (an apt illustration of today’s zombie workforce), which
frustrates his pragmatic and pessimistic brother Chet, voiced exceptionally well
by Paul Giamatti.
A freak accident one night, though, turned
Theo into a 200 mph-snail—thus begins his exciting adventure until,
amazingly and hilariously, he really ends up competing at the INDY 500, alongside
his human idol, the French-Canadian superstar race-car driver Guy Gange (Bill
Hader). Will Theo, a.k.a. Turbo’s luck run out before the ultimate realization
of his dream? Or will he wake up and realize that Chet has always been right?
That he’s just a possessed mollusk with dreams too big for his own good?
DreamWorks Animation thankfully delivers
a movie far more entertaining than most recent blockbuster flicks out in the
cinemas. Also, it's remarkable how just a pair of eyes and a mouth could bring such a realistic facial expression to the snails. With an engaging narrative, rich dialogue, a visually pleasing cinematography, a fun and
fitting soundtrack, and a charming cast of multiracial—and multispecies—supporting
characters (with voices from Samuel Jackson, Michael Pena, Snoop Dogg, and even Ken Jeong as a Viatnemese woman), Turbo
proves to be a clever comedy with a big heart. And no matter how repetitive or cliché
its mantra “No dreams are too big. And no dreamer too small,” it will hit you
squarely in the heart. Simply because it’s true.
It's a mistake to underestimate Turbo. Rarely can an animated flick absorb you, or tickle the funny bone of both adults and kids alike, as proven
by the collective guffaws and shrieks at the packed press screening. Turbo is a charming, funny, and memorable tale that is a must-see for all ages.
4 out of 5 stars
Comments