Finally, another movie about a slow, little guy that wants to prove everybody wrong! Turbo is the latest creation from Dreamworks that chronicles the quest of a snail's desire to be fast. The movie is part Ratatouille, part Cars, and part superhero origin story. The movie works better as an origin story than the other two.
Ryan Reynolds draws empathy as the voice of Theo a.k.a. Turbo. It's too bad the filmmakers step on his shell by manipulating us with various scenes to make sure we feel sorry for him. The rest of the cast is littered with famous voices that don't add much other than letting us see other snails with colorful shells and dull human characters bound by racial stereotypes.
The movie is meant to be breezy and fun for the whole family, but I was surprised at all the dry humor. The theater I went to was flooded with kids, and the dry stuff wasn't hitting with them or many adults. When a few slapstick moments happened, the big laughs came, but those are few and far between. Stronger punchlines and broader humor would have given this movie a jolt.
I enjoy underdog stories, and I'm not ashamed to write Turbo's determination to accomplish his dreams did move me"¦ a little. But what halted this movie from having a grand effect was its preposterous storyline that was only in it for the gimmick instead of dominating the track.
