Turbo
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: July 17, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
12
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
85
Film.comLaremy LegelJul 16, 2013
Particular credit must be given to Samuel L. Jackson’s voicing of Whiplash and Paul Giamatti’s work on the voice of Chet. The chemistry between the two is awesome, hilarious even. Read full review
80
The DissolveGenevieve KoskiJul 16, 2013
There’s nothing remotely revolutionary about Turbo’s underdog-sports narrative, but that’s okay—it’s one of the sturdiest plots in film for a reason—and the film’s emotional beats are no less potent for being expected, thanks to the ground-level focus on the human-snail relationships that fuel them. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesNell MinowJul 17, 2013
The movie gets a bit slow, with too much time spent on the human characters, who are dreary and underwritten, compared to the big dreams of the little snail. But the film picks up when the racing snails come back onscreen, thanks to the adorable character design, with expressive use of those googly eyes, and especially to the voice talent. Read full review
75
New York PostLou LumenickJul 16, 2013
A fresh, fast and funny little fable. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJul 10, 2013
While there's no denying that the film is a harmless, wholesome, and heart-warming ride crafted with polish and skill, it's also so predictable that you'll see every twist in the story driving down Fifth Avenue. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJul 17, 2013
In the end, Turbo is an unambitious movie about a very ambitious character, but it has an infectious sense of fun. Don’t expect too much from it, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyJul 17, 2013
A series of strong emotional crosscurrents tied to the notion of winning and losing are in the hands of a very eclectic and capable cast. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeJul 10, 2013
Here, the laughs come not from the silly voices but a blend of snappy editing and clever character bits, including a recurring joke about an inappropriately named sidekick who calls himself White Shadow (Michael Patrick Bell). Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenJul 17, 2013
By the time Turbo reaches the finish line, this new iteration of the fable about pursuing one’s dreams no matter how unlikely they seem joins the winner’s circle without quite nabbing the trophy. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Jul 16, 2013
For all its chronic familiarity, the movie has its minor pleasures, many of them visual. Though at this point it's basically a given that a new studio-animated movie will look good, Turbo often looks downright exceptional. Read full review
65
NPRTrey GrahamJul 19, 2013
Turbo is harmless good fun — and impressionable kids could take worse lessons away from the multiplex. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJul 17, 2013
Turbo is just strange and lively enough to make you wish it were better. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigJul 16, 2013
Has some appealing characters, a few laughs and then devolves into a predictable Tortoise and the Hare spinoff. Read full review
63
Washington PostJen ChaneyJul 16, 2013
A derivative but nevertheless good-hearted movie that’s peppered with enough clever touches to engage adults as well as moviegoers of the smaller, squirmier variety. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTom RussoJul 16, 2013
Turbo makes an entertaining go of it by borrowing very liberally from the “Fast & Furious” franchise — Michelle Rodriguez even voices a character — and sticking a slime trail onto “Rocky” for the rest. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreJul 16, 2013
While small children may be enchanted by this little gastropod that could, adults will be more sorely tested. For all the horsepower Turbo boasts about, the movie tends toward the sluggish — as in slow as a slug. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineR. Kurt OsenlundJul 16, 2013
As a film about social issues, and simply being yourself, it's commendably progressive, going so far as serving as a kind of coming-out story. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyOct 24, 2013
Rather than bionically enhancing all its characters, a better movie might have found ways to celebrate their sloth and slime. Read full review
60
Total FilmKen McIntyreOct 21, 2013
Paul Giamatti shines as Theo’s pessimistic brother Chet, and the uplifting message never smashes you over the head. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonAnna SmithOct 15, 2013
Kids should be game for the ride, and the colourful characters offer humour and poignancy: Paul Giamatti’s cautious snail Chet shares a sweet friendship with reckless Turbo. Comparisons with Pixar’s ‘Cars’ are easy to make, but that’s no bad thing. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierJul 16, 2013
Families who have already raced to “Monsters University” and “Despicable Me 2” will find Turbo an acceptable third-place finisher. A sort-of escargot-meets-“Cars” adventure, it has some sharp vocal turns and remains fun even when its inventiveness runs out of gas. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 16, 2013
Competent, pretty funny in places, awfully nice to look at, that sort of thing. There’s just not a lot of excitement, though. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerDavid HiltbrandJul 17, 2013
Let's face it: Kids aren't a very demanding audience. If there's color, movement, and a high quotient of silliness, they're happy. Read full review
50
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJul 16, 2013
This is such a generic endeavor — not a poor effort, just one that doesn't attempt to do anything besides splash a screen with color and movement. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJul 16, 2013
It is interesting to note that a movie strenuously preaching the virtue of being different should be so fundamentally — so deliberately, so timidly — just like everything else of its kind... Still, even in the absence of originality, there is fun to be had, thanks to some loopy, clever jokes...and a lively celebrity voice cast. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJul 12, 2013
An attractively designed but narratively challenged, one-note film. Read full review
40
EmpireNick de SemlyenOct 14, 2013
If you want to see Paul Giamatti as a snail - and who doesn't - you've come to the right place. If you don't, wait for Cloudy 2. Read full review
40
Village VoiceNick SchagerJul 16, 2013
Content to be merely cheerfully clichéd, it's an assembly-line kids' film that, unlike its daring protagonist, risks little, and thus reaps only modest rewards. Read full review
40
Time OutDavid FearJul 16, 2013
All Turbo does is give Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson and Snoop Dogg the easiest paychecks they’ll ever make, and its corporate overlords the chance to sell a few toys. Read full review
25
The PlaylistDrew TaylorJul 17, 2013
One of the more disappointing big studio animated features this year, a movie can't even muster the energy to be visually engaging, let alone give you anything to care about story-wise. Read full review
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