Turbo
(2013/Fox/DreamWorks Animation Blu-ray w/DVD + Digital Copy)
Picture:
A-/B Sound: A/B Extras: C+ Film: B-
After
a host of out of this world, imaginative CGI tales from Pixar,
DreamWorks, and other studios; there have been some less than stellar
productions as well. Turbo
is
the tale of a snail (thanks Dr Seuss!) who has the need for speed
(and again with the rhyming!).
Theo
(voiced by Ryan Reynolds) is the snail and wants nothing more than to
speed around the earth like his favorite racer Guy Gagne (voiced by
Bill Hader). Based (somewhat) in reality Turbo
adheres
to the rules that snails are, well…slow. So unfortunately for
Theo, being a high speeding, gas guzzling racer are not in the cards
for him. In reality Theo can't even get himself across the yard fast
enough to partake in a yummy tomato the garden community has been
enjoying. Then (seemingly out of nowhere) a wonderfully odd accident
gives Theo the powers he has desired for so long; flinging him into
the world of high speed racing, blinking lights and all. Sadly for
Theo his speed comes with a price and after destroying the main vine
of a tomato plant his community centers around; Theo and his cautious
brother (Chet; voiced by Paul Giamatti) are cast out from the
suburban garden and into the streets of Van Nuys.
In
Van Nuys Theo is captured by Hispanic taco truck owner Tito (voiced
by Michael Pena) who puts him in a snail race with some astounding
results. The snails and Tito alike are impressed by Theo's skills;
Tito thinking that Theo may finally be the floundering strip malls
salvation. Barely scraping by Tito and his family (along with other
strip mall shop owners) are in dire straits, in need of cash and a
miracle. Just as Theo has his cautious brother Chet, Tito has his
brother Angelo (Luis Guzman) who is more than content slinging tacos;
a life without adventure. But with big dreams and inspired by Theo,
Tito packs up Theo and heads for the Indy 500. Tito figures since
there are no rules explicitly stating NO SNAILS in the Indy 500, then
why not?!
I
am all for strange, oddball, creative tales; but in my humble opinion
Turbo
was a
bit too silly
and in the end missed the mark? It is certainly imaginative, with
solid animation and voice acting with the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Sam
Jackson, Paul Giamatti, Luis Guzman, and many more to back it up; but
in the end the film was a far cry from other DreamWorks and Pixar
ventures that are already at this time all time classics. The story
is the age old premise of the underdog coming out on top, but the
follow through is average at best. Sadly, Turbo
doesn't
manage to leave the competition in the dust but is fun enough with a
degree of creativity and solid artistry that is sure to entertain
some; certainly a gripping tale for younger audiences.
Whereas
I may have found the premise of Turbo
a bit
underwhelming, the visuals and sound quality are anything but. The
picture is presented in a 1080p 2.39 X 1 digital High Definition that
is stunning from beginning to end with crisp, clean animation, bright
colors and fine details and textures. The 2D picture quality (a
Blu-ray 3D version was issued separately from our set here) is
dazzling to say the least and is near perfection as the
lighting/shadowing, ambitious color pallet and all that is in between
remains visually pleasing beginning to end. The sound is up there
with the picture as the 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track lights
up the entire speaker range with solid panning effects that truly
bring this racing film to life. Dialogue is crisp, clean, and clear
that prioritizes in conjunction with other atmospheric elements,
mixed down nicely from its best Auro 11.1 and Dolby Atmos 11.1
theatrical screenings.
The
included DVD and Digital Copy are merely downgrades of the already
stellar Blu-ray release.
The
extras are plentiful, though I was not thrilled with any in
particular as they are all too short without much detail. Extras
include:
-
Michael P. Dougherty II
