Turbo

DreamWorks Animation can be hit or miss when it comes to their films, with Turbo being another shining example of a film that has great visuals but lacks a compelling story. Theo (Ryan Reynolds) is an average garden snail who dreams of going fast. After getting sucked into the engine of a street racer by accident, Theo’s dreams become reality when his DNA becomes fused with nitrous oxide. Going fast has never felt so slow, however.

With his newfound sense of speed, Theo finds himself in the presence an eccentric group of outcast business owners who race snails in their spare time, of which they have a lot of. Taco stand owner Tito (Michael Peña) takes a particular interest in Theo and believes that he could bring new customers to their ailing businesses. With a few model car parts and a little paint, Theo becomes Turbo and they embark on a journey to one of the biggest racing events in the world, the Indy 500.

Turbo features an abundance of cookie cutter characters, both human and snail, who are simply there to provide comedic one-liners whenever the time calls for them. The group of stunt snails Theo encounters in particular appear interesting from the onset, but don’t go anywhere. There’s the massive White Shadow (Michael bell) who likes to constantly say his name in a creepy tone, the fiery Burn (Maya Rudolph) who falls in love with Theo’s brother Chet (Paul Giamatti), the goofy Skidmark (Ben Schwartz), and the groovy Smoove Move (Snoop Dogg). Turbo only takes time to develop Theo, Chet, and their snail leader, Whiplash (Samuel L. Jackson). The other snails are out of the picture most of the time, except whenever they need filler material. The same can be said for their human counterparts in the film.

The cast is huge with Luis Guzmán, Bill Hader, Ken Jeong, and Michelle Rodriguez all lending their voices to characters in addition to those already mentioned above, but aside from a few of them, none leave a lasting impression. Turbo is fine for children who are looking to be entertained for an hour and a half with some light humor and story, but there’s little to grasp for young adults or parents, save for a few intense racing scenes towards the end.

Animated films have come a long way in recent years but Turbo feels stuck in the past. Flashy visuals will only get you so far and while that may be good enough for some, it doesn’t quite cut it for most. With Despicable Me 2 still drawing in massive crowds, I’m expecting a slow finish for Turbo.