Turbo

Yet another 3D film has made it into theaters. It's called Turbo, the first of two films this week starring Ryan Reynolds.

In Turbo, Reynolds is Turbo.

OK, who is Turbo?

Turbo is a snail. He spends his days with his brother Chet (Paul Giamatti) munching on a local tomato plant. Turbo wants to live life faster than any snail before him. One night, he goes off on his own onto the local highway. One thing leads to another and before he knows it, Turbo gets sucked into a drag racer and immersed in Nitrous Oxide.

When he gets out, Turbo is a living car. He has headlights, a radio and most importantly, speed!

Turbo's super speed gets the attention of Tito (Michael Peña), one of the "Dos Bros" of the local Taco stand. His business hasn't been good, but Tito decides to save it by entering Turbo in the Indy 500. Turbo's more than willing to enter, for he'll get the chance to race against his favorite racer, Guy Gagne (Bill Hader).

It's the directorial debut of David Soren, a regular storyboard artist at Dreamworks. It's bright and colorful enough to enjoy aesthetically. Its best use of artistry is its colorful snails and the various automobiles. On the writing side, it's got a few funny, if not morbid, running gags. And of course, the big Indy Race was a suspenseful climax.

Still, a lot of the characters didn't stand out that much. A lot of them were kind of "been there, done that" type. The ones who did stand out included Turbo, Gagne and Kim Ly (Ken Jeong), the elderly manicurist.

Turbo is the kind of film that'll entertain kids on a matinee. For the rest of us, it's an OK ride, but nothing spectacular that would merit the Animated Feature Oscar.