Page 1 of Turbo Kid

There's a chance this one mauy have passed you by, but it recently won the Audience award at this year's SXSW, and having watched it last night I can honestly say it was richly deserving of much, much more.



Set in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of 1997 Canada, it tells the story of the Kid, a comic-book fan who idolises Turbo Rider, the main character in his comics who may or may not have been a propoganda device to get more people joined up in the war that ravaged the planet. Teaming up with the gorgeously bonkers Apple, as well as the enigmatic arm-wrestling cowboy, they team up against Zeus, the head bad guy, and strive to defeat him because he's a meany-head who kills people.

It's not a massively complicated movie, but by jiminy, it's a lot of fun. It's patently aimed at big kids like me, born early enough to remember the ten-a-penny 80's movies set in the future that led you to believe the world would be a festering craphole within  a decade (the opening of Demolition man
is set in the same year). Fossil fuels are a thing of the past, so everyone gets around on BMX bikes, and there's no water (well, there's a bit, but you don't want to know where it came from).

Apart from Michael 'absolutely loving his part' Ironside, there's not many names in this you'll recognise, but everyone is amazing, taking the movie seriously enough to maintain the suspension of disbelief throughout. Munro Chambers & Laurence LeBoeuf as the Kid & Apple respectively are wonderful, and you revel in watching their relationship grow.

Also of note is the soundtrack by Le Matos, which is mainly bespoke synth with a couple of 80's tracks thrown in. Very, very Vangelis, but different enough to stand out on its own

One final point, aside from all the nostalgia points, this movie is gory to the point of slapstick. Jetting arcs of blood fill the screen, severed limbs and circular saws in the chest cavity are the order of the day, and it's all the better for it. Nothing too visceral though, we're not talking Saw or Hostel, more Monty Python or Bottom.

It's on Amazon and iTunes, and i wholeheartedly urge you to seek it out.
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Writer`s Release

So is this straight to DVD?

It had a good run at the festivals, but probably isn't commercial enough for a chain cinema release.

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Writer`s Release

This item was edited on Thursday, 24th December 2015, 21:11