Turbo Kid

Released Aug 28, 2015

1 hr. 35 min.

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Comedy

List

91%

55 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, an orphaned teen (Munro Chambers) must battle a ruthless warlord (Michael Ironside) to save the girl (Laurence Leboeuf) of his dreams.

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Critics Consensus

A nostalgic ode to kids' movies of yesteryear, Turbo Kid eyes the past through an entertaining -- albeit surprisingly gory -- postmodern lens.

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Allan C

I love how this film is not a loving homage to the Mad Max films like DOOMSDAY was, but is instead a loving tribute to the many low-budget ripoff films, like EXTERMINATORS IN THE YEAR 2000 or BATTLETRUCK or my personal favorite WHEELS OF FIRE. I loved these moves as a kid and love them just as much today. Author Brian Keene had a great observation that these warriors-of-the-wasteland films offer the same sort of wish fulfillment to Gen-X that westerns offered Baby Boomers, with a man alone in a lawless world finding their way. This film taps into that more than any other by making the main character a teenager and somehow manages to be a film you could describe as "sweet" which is not how you would describe almost every other Mad Max ripoff, which were nearly all decidedly pretty rough. Anyhow, this film is an unbelievable treat for anyone who loves these types of films. Below is my review from the first time I watched TURBO KID in 2016. 5-14-16 Turbo Kid (2015) **** A love letter to 80s post-apocalyptic films is kind of "Mad Max" meets the "BMX Bandits," though I think this film was likely more honoring goofy post-apocalyptic films like "Solarbabies" or "Hell Comes to Frogtown" than "The Road Warrior." Regardless, this tale is set in the distant future of 1997 when acid rain makes drinkable water a scarce resource, our teen hero finds a special red outfit and decides to become a superhero of the wastelands. He meets a cute girl named Apple, who then gets captured by the evil Michael Ironside, who plays Zeus (in a very similar role to what he played in "Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone" as Overdog). The film is slickly made and presents a beautifully shot acid rain-soaked wasteland. Probably best of all is a terrific 80s-style score by Le Matos, which I plan to listen to repeatedly (and that theme song is 80s AMAZING!). My main complaint about the film is the unneeded gore. I consider myself a bit of a gorehound and quite enjoy some Tom Savini or Rob Bottin special effects now and then, so it isn't that I'm opposed to a gory movie, but the tone of this film was so light and silly (very nearly a family film) that the blood and gore seemed very out of place, even when it was done in a very comic Peter Jackson over-the-top sort of way. Also, most of the warriors-of-the-wasteland films to which this movie is paying homage were never all that gory. Yes, they were violent, but they were rarely what I would call gory. Still, that's a minor quibble considering warriors-of-the-wasteland post-apocalyptic films of the 80s are probably my all-time favorite subgenre, anytime a film is wanting to revisit this unique setting, I'm all for it! I can't wait to see what comes next for writer/directors François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell (which apparently is a short film called "Ninja Eliminator 4: The French Connection").

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

James J

I saw that it had a 'critics review' score of 91%, and so decided that I had to watch it. The positives are: it's nostalgic. The soundtrack is really nice - with deep, throbbing electronic keyboards. It reminded me a bit of Muse's 'Simulation Theory', in places. And there are lots of references to 80's toys, which was also nostalgic, and almost seem like little Easter eggs to watch out for. The girl robot was quite funny/cute. You can watch it when you're high, and it'll still make as much sense to you as it does sober. Negatives: The acting is as cheesy as an 80's B-side movie, and about as convincing. I get that this might be intentional, but I've got to have something to engage with beyond the toys, music and the urge to get stoned. The plot is...I've no idea what the plot is. You can compare the plot to playing with your 6-year-olf kid/niece/sibling, and they make up the story as they go along. You WANT to like it and feel really involved, but can't help getting bored within 30 minutes, as much as you try. That's Turbo Kid. Get high and watch it, it'll be much better.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/08/24

Full Review

Attila G

A rare gem spiced up with nostalgia. + awesome soundtrack!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/23

Full Review

Vincius S

I didn't know The Kid Laroi starred in movies.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/15/23

Full Review

David W

Hah, hah. What the hell did I just watch?? Looks like an ode to live action kids TV series of the 80's/90's but the gore levels are surprisingly high. I couldn't decide if the acting was deliberately stylised or just plain bad but it's was without doubt very bizarre. It's strangly watchable though despite being a low budget, Mad Max styled, post apocalyptic, retro sci-fi, comedy mash-up, curiosity of a movie. Very, very weird.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/11/23

Full Review

shelley s

Whoever gave this such a high rating, needs to be beaten with a baseball bat that has a gnome duct taped to it and word "Stupid" written all over said bat in permanent marker so that every time the bat makes contact they see the word " Stupid" flash before their eyes. I feel like my brain has been violated with idiocy , poor writing, cheesy graphics, and mindless gore that did little to move the plot along. Wow..just..wow. (Wha, wha, whaaaaaa)

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Anouk Whissell

Director

François Simard

Director

Yoann-Karl Whissell

Director

Munro Chambers

The Kid

Laurence Leboeuf

Apple

Edwin Wright

Skeletron

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Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

"Turbo Kid" isn't really more mature than its raw generic parts, nor is it clever enough to disarm viewers who want to regress to childhood without feeling guilty for that naive impulse.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 28, 2015

Full Review

Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

Made for ironicists, Turbo Kid, in its endearingly goofy way, says good things about the power reserves of our childhood - an inner superhero we can call upon when needed.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 28, 2015

Full Review

Soren Andersen

Seattle Times

The whole thing looks like it cost its writer-directors, Franois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, oh, maybe $1.98.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 27, 2015

Full Review

Shikhar Verma

High on Films

Turbo Kid is a completely stupid, over the top, action-comedy with a heart. It's enjoyable if you are one of those who don't need their stories to make a whole lot of sense.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 23, 2020

Full Review

Brent McKnight

The Last Thing I See

Turbo Kid has the makings of a perfect midnight movie, and will be a nostalgic blast in the face for those of us old enough to remember, or at least those who have developed an affinity for, the cheap Mad Max knock offs of the early 1980s.

Rated: B+

Jul 4, 2020

Full Review

Jeremy Jahns

JeremyJahns.com

It's strange stuff, but there is an endearing quality to it. What the movie lacks in budget, it does makes up for in imagination.

Jun 9, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, an orphaned teen (Munro Chambers) must battle a ruthless warlord (Michael Ironside) to save the girl (Laurence Leboeuf) of his dreams.

Director: Anouk Whissell, François Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Executive Producer: Jason Eisener, Patrick Ewald, Shaked Berenson, Michael Paszt
Screenwriter: Anouk Whissell, François Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Distributor: Epic Pictures
Production Co: Epic Pictures
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.0K

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