Saturday 9 January 2016

Turbo Kid: Mini Review...

What's it about?
An apocalypse, ravaged by acid rain and pollution, has obliterated much of the human race, with those still left alive reduced to scavenging and bloodthirsty combat. The year is 1997. The Kid (Munro Chambers), a lone teenager scrabbling through the rubble for the plastic relics of the 1980s, and all-round comic book obsessive, one day stumbles into Apple (Laurence Leboeuf), a curiously manic pink-haired waif whose previous best friend is a festering corpse. As he teaches her about the rules of the wasteland - which is ruled over by the monocular Zeus - he finds the mysterious remains of his hero: Turbo Man - arm blaster included - and takes on the mantle of 'Turbo Kid'...

Click "READ MORE" to continue the review...
Who would I recognise in it?
Michael Ironside.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
If you're a fan of Jason Eisener's "Hobo With A Shotgun", then you'll know what to expect here with Quebecois filmmaking trio RKSS' hectic dose of VHS era craziness. It's "BMX Bandits" meets "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" by way of a pale-skinned youth spent locked inside with a stack of exploitation flicks rented from the local video store. Littered with blood-gushing geysers of gore (think "Shogun Assassin"), the inventive splatter gags punctuate what is otherwise a sweet tale of a young boy facing his fears and impending adulthood after being pulled away from his playground by a sexual awakening. The plotting could use a little tightening here and there, but this brisk debut feature - populated by colourful characters ('Skeletron' among them) - proves to be a thoroughly enjoyable affair. Silly, sugary, and just a little bit psychotic, "Turbo Kid" is a perfect match for anyone who laid on their bellies, propped up on their elbows, and delighted in the stunningly O.T.T. madness of countless 80s trash fests. Do yourself a favour - go in sight unseen (don't watch the trailer and spoil the surprises) - and you'll dig it even more. Good.

N.B. Extra points to the particularly charming disc menu screen, styled after the text and symbols you'd see on a VCR, and with a 'VHS trailer' of the movie playing - complete with traditional copyright warning, tracking fuzz, and fast forward/rewinding.

For more info about RKSS visit their Vimeo page HERE.

No comments: