Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
Before Stranger Things brought back the 80s as Steven Spielberg envisioned it, in 2015 Turbo Kid it brought back the 80s as Troma envisioned it. The low-budget independent film left audiences in awe in 2015 with a plethora of action packed with a love of 80s action packed into one amazing film. Thankfully, the bloody, gory adventure is now streaming for free on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Amazon Freevee.
Turbo Kid is the Hero You Always Wanted
Turbo Kid takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with scarce resources under the control of brutal warlords. The Kid (Munro Chambers) is a teenager trying to pass as a gangster while collecting all the jokes he can from his hero, Turbo Man. After her new friend, whether she likes it or not, Apple (Laurence Leboeuf, in an excellent Harley Quinn performance that isn’t Harley Quinn) is taken by the warlord Zeus (SeaQuest DSV’s Michael Ironside), The Kid discovers the real Turbo Man. Or at least his remains. Taking up the armor and weapon of a hero, The Kid sets out to save Apple and restore hope to his world.
It turns out, saving the world means killing a bunch of bad guys. In true ’80s movie style, Zeus’ second in command is a superhuman named Skeleton with a signature weapon that every kid thinks is cool, but Hollywood never films because of things like “realism” and “realism.” Skeleton shoots chainsaws with a wrist-mounted gun. They’re not mini saws, the kind that can rip a person in half and dismember limbs without even trying. Turbo Kid follows the law of coolness.
No Budget, No Problem
Ten years later, and nothing like this Turbo Kid. The budget obviously went to the special effects, which still look low-budget and messy, but that’s a big part of the film’s charm and why it works so well. Toxic Avenger and less Avenger.
Everyone involved understood the assignment, which is why Michael Ironside chewed up a good place like Sunday dinner. Even the synth-filled soundtrack is a throwback to the 80s. Deep bass beats and a deep voice telling us “This is the future” is how every entertainment film should start. In a world where we no longer have voice-overs for trailers and original songs are being replaced by “awesome” covers, it’s therapeutic to go back to a decade when the original still existed.
If you haven’t heard Turbo Kid before, it is because in 2015, we were living in an amazing time of Marvel superhero movies, which we are looking forward to Batman vs. Supermanand the Canadian/New Zealand independent production, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, flew under the radar. After grossing less than $100,000 in theaters, the cult classic found an audience among die-hard cinephiles and superhero fans who craved something different from the usual blockbusters from the Big Two.
Turbo Kid may not be for everyone with its high blood pressure levels. The post-apocalyptic superhero leans more towards comedy than horror, but it’s still not for the squeamish. Thankfully, if you want to catch it, the fast-paced underground cult is available on Pluto TV, Tubiand Amazon Freevee.
