Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Written by: Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec and Evan Daugherty - based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman
Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Pete Ploszek, Johnny Knoxville, Jeremy Howard, Danny Woodburn, Tony Shalhoub, Tohoru Masamune, Whoopi Goldberg, Minae Noji, Abby Elliott
Action/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy/Sci-Fi - 101 min
Written by: Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec and Evan Daugherty - based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman
Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Pete Ploszek, Johnny Knoxville, Jeremy Howard, Danny Woodburn, Tony Shalhoub, Tohoru Masamune, Whoopi Goldberg, Minae Noji, Abby Elliott
Action/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy/Sci-Fi - 101 min
I was in the correct age demographic when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles exploded in popularity in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The excitement I felt about the release of their first movie in 1990 is perhaps what kids feel today every time a new Avenger movie opens. I remember cafeteria conversations about who was the best Ninja Turtle and why. Hint, nobody ever said Raphael. Seeing the turtles on the big screen again is very nostalgic so I own up to that bias right away. I like the new turtles. They have teenage hormones, finally use their respective weapons, and are let loose to get involved in riskier situations than they did back in 1990.
The new turtle film is the first in the franchise to achieve a PG-13 rating and it is all the better for it. 25 years ago, parents complained about the turtles employing their swords and nunchuks against the bad guys. Us kids were forced to watch these ninjas fight with their hands and whatever blunt instruments were lying around even though they had access to deadly weapons right at their sides. It is no more violent to see Leonardo use his katana swords or finally witness Raphael use his sai than any other recent superhero film. They produce far less collateral damage than either Superman or Batman.
The new turtle film is the first in the franchise to achieve a PG-13 rating and it is all the better for it. 25 years ago, parents complained about the turtles employing their swords and nunchuks against the bad guys. Us kids were forced to watch these ninjas fight with their hands and whatever blunt instruments were lying around even though they had access to deadly weapons right at their sides. It is no more violent to see Leonardo use his katana swords or finally witness Raphael use his sai than any other recent superhero film. They produce far less collateral damage than either Superman or Batman.
The turtles also have a lot more hormones this time around. Michelangelo consistently refers to journalist April O’Neill (Megan Fox) as his girlfriend and points out how hot she is. This subplot never would have happened earlier. All of the familiar intra-turtle politics and stereotypes carry over though. Leonardo and Raphael still fight over group leadership. Michelangelo skateboards, uses ridiculous slang, and loves pizza. Donatello used to be a fighter who was also tech savvy and very adept at gadgets. Now, Donatello wears glasses taped together in the middle and seems to be a fighter second. None of the slight personality changes throw off what we are familiar with and it is refreshing to see new takes on older characters.
The updated turtles also incorporate 2014 visual technology. In 1990, they were stunt men in costumes; now, they are motion-capture CGI creations. You can tell the difference, but again, just because it is different, does not mean it is lesser. Actually, what is better are the main supporting characters. Splinter the rat looks much better through the animation process and bad guy Shredder comes off far more competent and ruthless now. Even when I was nine years old I could tell Shredder was sort of a joke as a villain.
The weakest part of the new iteration is the story. The bad guy scheme is somewhat similar to the Joker’s in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film; something about spraying the city’s population with poisonous gas. The human characters, just like in the earlier films, do not keep up with the turtles. Megan Fox is tough to believe as April; the girl from the Transformers franchise does not convey a fledgling journalist who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her sidekick, Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett, 2014's The LEGO Movie), acts more like a cartoon than pizza-chomping Michelangelo.
Produced by Michael Bay, the new turtles film is as loud as you imagine it will be and surprisingly, the 3D works. The 3D in Bay’s Transformers films is merely present to increase the ticket price. The 3D in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is used correctly, does not darken the image to unwatchable, and aids the best action sequence, a slide down a steep, snowy embankment, since last year’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Bay did not direct the new turtles which is most likely why it never takes the plunge overboard into absurd even though it has ample opportunities to.
I say welcome back to some old friends. The idea of anthropomorphic turtles trained in the art of ninjitsu by a rat is just as ridiculous now as it was so long ago, but I still enjoy the four wisecracking turtles. Here is a reboot I look forward to seeing more of down the road.
I say welcome back to some old friends. The idea of anthropomorphic turtles trained in the art of ninjitsu by a rat is just as ridiculous now as it was so long ago, but I still enjoy the four wisecracking turtles. Here is a reboot I look forward to seeing more of down the road.
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