Directed By: Francois Simard, Anouk & Yoann-Karl Whissel
Plenty of films nowadays try to recapture the look and feel
of our favorite late seventies and eighties genre films. We have film geeks
making films that pay homage and respect to the pictures that birthed their
love of the medium and we all know how much humanity loves feeling nostalgia.
However, as much as these filmmakers love to make a modern film that looks or
feels like it could have been from the past, so few actually try to make an
eighties film in the modern age. Well, Francois Simard, Anouk Whissel, and
Yoann-Karl Whissel set out to do just that with their new film Turbo Kid, and they have succeeded. This
not only feels like a classic genre film, it is a classic genre film, and a
highly entertaining one at that.
With clear influence from renowned directors like John
Carpenter and George Miller, this film is set in the post-apocalyptic world of
1997. Much like in most movies of this nature from the eighties, humanity does
not make it into the 21st century before plunging their world into chaos and death.
The film establishes global warming and acid rain as the cause for the downfall
of humanity and makes it clear that water is now the prized treasure of the
world. The film focuses on The Kid (Munro Chambers), a lonely teenage boy who
has been surviving in the waste lands since his parents were killed. He
captures deformed rats and collects garbage to barter for water and goods with
the locals, he spends his free time reading old Turbo Rider comics and
fantasizing of a better world.
The Kids life is instantly changed however when a mysterious
girl named Apple (Laurence LeBoeuf) forces her way into his life. Despite her
eccentric personality and in-your-face attitude, he finds himself attached to
her rather fast. So when she is taken by local thugs he vows to do whatever he
can to get her back. With the help of an arm wrestling champ (Aaron Jeffrey)
and a high tech suit he found in an abandoned plane, it may actually be
possible too. Zeus (Michael Ironside) runs the land with his army of malicious
goons and it is now up to them to try and bring peace to the land once and for
all. The story is wacky, the costumes are out of this world, and the action is
gory as all hell, making this the perfect genre flick.
The film sets the tone immediately as we watch The Kid
scavenge the lands for anything worthwhile, with a killer 80's track that
sounds like it was lifted from a John Carpenter movie playing in the
background. The filmmakers are telling us right out of the gate what we are
going to get as we watch The Kid traverse the barren lands on nothing more than
a cruddy BMX bike, the preferred vehicle of this apocalypse. These guys didn't
want to remind you of the films you loved as a kid, they wanted you to relive
them. Turbo Kid looks, feels, and is a movie from the past that will do so much
more than remind you of the good ol' days. This movie is proof that just
because we live in a world of gorgeous VFX and big budget blockbusters that a
movie can't be made the old fashioned way. With fantastic practical effects,
buckets of blood, amazing costume design and a plot that feels like an
extension of George Miller's brain this film transcends time.
This is a movie set in 1997, released in 2015 that appears
to be from the 80's and for this to be possible they needed a lot to go right.
Starting with the art direction, set design, and special effects, without these
this film is just another wannabe throwback that cashes in a generation of nostalgia.
Thankfully that is not the case here as they nailed the look and feel of this
flick. The set and costume design lay out the tone of the film in a blatant
manner with guys and girls dressed in ridiculous get-ups with even more
ridiculous attitudes. They look like a cartoonish version of the characters of The Road Warrior, the outfits tend to
match the true personality of the people wearing them. This all complimented by
the gallons of blood spilled throughout the film, often times when you are
least expecting it. When blood is shed, things get messy and no one in this
world is stopping to say they are sorry.
To bring all of these wonderful visuals together and give
them purpose the world needed to be populated with memorable characters and
actor performances. Turbo kid uses a
great cast to do just this with impressive outings from Munro Chambers,
Laurence LeBoeuf, Michael Ironside, and Aaron Jeffrey. Although these are
mostly undiscovered and up and coming actors you may recognize Michael Ironside
who is a veteran of the eighties genre scene portraying roles in such classic films
as Total Recall and Starship Troopers. His presence as Zeus
adds a layer of familiarity to the film that reminds you what kind of movie
this is supposed to be.
Making a movie like this takes some serious brass, it could
have easily turned into a flop B-movie that no one would care about but instead
they have created one of the cooler films of 2015 so far. Rather than play with
our nostalgia and love for the past they created a film that is from a time
that movie geeks claim can never be recaptured thus proving them all wrong. Turbo Kid shows us that if a filmmaker
desires to do so, they can make a film the old school way and be rewarded for
doing so. You can find this movie streaming on all major VOD outlets and in
select theaters. I had to rent it but if you have the opportunity to see this
on the big screen take advantage. This is a one of a kind film nowadays and it
deserves every ounce of respect it has been getting.
As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches
Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!
