Director: Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell, François Simard
Writer: François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Romano Orzari, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright, Orphée Ladouceur, Steeve Léonard
For those of you who are old enough, remember going to your local video store and renting what seemed to be an action-packed sci-fi adventure, only to get a “film” made on a shoe string budget which looked it was filmed in someone’s backyard?
Well some of those so-called B-movies resonated with me and I still enjoy them a whole lot more than the CGI blockbusters of today. Those shoestring B-movies were made with ingenuity, perseverance, and a whole lot of heart. Some of them had that “magic” or that je ne c'est quoi ?
A good friend of mine said she stumbled on a film like that recently and said that I should give this Turbo Kid a try. Let me tell my inner child had a blast with this gem of a film.
Turbo Kid is a 2015 Canadian action-adventure comedy superhero film written and directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell. The film stars Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Edwin Wright, Aaron Jeffery, and Romano Orzari.
The film follows the adventures of The Kid, a teenage comic book fan turned superhero in the "Wastelands", an alternate 1997 Earth where water is scarce. He teams up with a mysterious girl named Apple and an arm-wrestling cowboy named Frederic to stop the tyrannical warlord Zeus.
Turbo Kid is such a fun watch and needs to be seen with a few friends. The film delivers on all fronts with solid performances, practical special effects, low budget ingenuity, killer soundtrack, numerous eighties references (Nintendo Power Gloves and The Legend of Zelda to Walkmans and View-Masters), and of course the one and only Michael Ironside.
if that doesn’t put a smile on your face, then the Mad Max-inspired chase scenes where souped-up cars have been replaced with BMX bikes is totally bizarre, goofy and hilarious all at the same time.
Again, as I mention the performances are all solid, but Laurence LeBeouf completely steals the show here. Her portrayal of Apple is so vibrant and sincere that it’s impossible not to fall in love with the character.
So if you love camp , nostalgic driven films made with a whole lot of heart, then get a few of your closest friends and witness the new cult classic , Turbo Kid.