Summary:
In New York City, the evil Foot Clan led by the menacing Shredder is terrorizing its citizens with crime and fear. Hotshot reporter April O'Neil (Megan Fox), unsatisfied with her low reporting jobs, tries to attain her big story when she witnesses something that changes her life forever: vigilantes fighting back against the Foot Clan: Leonardo, Rafael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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In the history of pop culture icons that have endured to this day, I can't think of any with a sillier premise than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It started out as an independent comic book made in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that parodied the dark and gritty comic book stories coming out at the time and was a success. It eventually became a cartoon in 1987, and from there it was launched into worldwide and pop culture history. The four Ninja Turtles, their master Splinter, reporter April O'Neil, and the sinister Shredder became household names and became well known among children, alongside a cast of wacky and crazy characters. Since then there have been other comic book stories, tons of toys, three separate TV incarnations in America, had their own version made in Japan...
SERIOUSLY
...and as of 2014, five movies. Three of them are a trilogy made during the 90's, the fourth was a CGI movie made in 2007, and the most recent one that is the subject of today's review.
Personally, I'm not that big a fan. While I am aware of some of the more famous characters and the popularity of the TV shows and movie franchises, I'm just not into TMNT like I am with other shows. Heck I wasn't even into Ninja Turtles when I was a kid and only got into it fairly recently. As such I'll give a basic run-down on a few things:
Favorite turtle: Donatello
Favorite villain: The Shredder (2012 version)
Favorite show: The 2012 version
Favorite movie: TMNT 2007
My first exposure to Ninja Turtles was the special "Turtles Forever", which led me to watching the 2012 show, and the only movie I watched until just recently, the 2007. The original Turtles trilogy I've heard mixed things about, and someday I may watch and review them. But for now, this newest movie, with an infamous name known to many attached to it as producer...Michael Bay.
Michael Bay is easily one of the most loathed directors/producers in Hollywood right now. Ever since Transformers he has gained a vocal hatred for a number of things, including but not limited to: being incredibly racist, having an obsession with filling his movies with shallow female characters, obsessing over explosions, hard-to-follow action sequences, and weak movie scripts & dialogue. So naturally when it was announced he'll be attached to this, hardcores were utterly outraged, and could be described as:
Personally I don't care that much, but I will admit that those problems are what put me off the Transformers movies after the second one. This new TMNT movie also got under fire when Megan Fox was cast, and there were other problems that abounded. With so many problems, you would think this movie is a massive bomb...
...and for me personally, it wasn't. Originally I wasn't even going to watch this movie, but the amount of hatred this movie seemed to get among critics and other fan circles really got me curious. So a buddy of mine and I saw it and we were pleasantly surprised. There were problems in this movie to be sure, but it was very enjoyable. It's certainly not "Best Movie of the Year" material, but it is still a fun film. I really do not get why people are really hating on it that much. But whatever, opinions. The movie had a fairly strong group of main characters that was offset by average villains, an easy-to-follow story that was offset by hard-to-follow action, nice production design that's offset by horrendous CGI designs, and fun character interactions that were offset by stupid moments. There are also aspects of this movie that really seemed superfluous, and could've been cut with no problems. In short, it's a rather unbalanced movie that could've been more. But for what we did get, considering who is attached to this, it's not that bad. It has problems, but it's not the total train wreck that some seem to be labeling it as.
The first thing to talk about is Megan Fox as April O'Neil. Considering her past experiences with Transformers you would think her character would be a total tool, nothing but over-sexualized eye-candy. I was surprised to find that she was an engaging character, staying true to her character's previous incarnations. Some may be put off because it doesn't focus on the Turtles instead but I didn't mind. And April's an important character in the franchise's history anyway. Her acting could've been better at times, but it could've been worse. Another strong point is the Turtles themselves. When they are on screen they really make a big presence. True to form each of the Turtles personas shine: Leonardo is the stoic leader, Rafael is the nutcase loner, Donatello is the science guy, and Michelangelo is the party animal. Their brotherhood is completely believable, and they actually do act like teenagers. I can honestly put that aspect of their portrayal over some of the other Turtles incarnations I've seen. Splinter (Tony Shaloub, Monk), the Turtle's father and Sensei, was also OK, acting stern, wise, but also caring and loving. I really like the angle they did with April inadvertently being the cause of their existence during the movie's past and makes it more connected. This angle is one not seen in the past, and it's welcome.
The side characters and the villains unfortunately, as said before, really offset that. Vern (Will Arnett, The LEGO Movie) was just...there. He had his moments and was funny at times but was just there. Whoppi Goldberg's character wasn't in there for very long, and might as well not have existed. And then we have the villains. While The Shredder looked really cool with a sort of mechanized look that was not often seen in the past, he felt rather generic. His backstory and motivations are rather unclear too, with just him wanting to rule New York...because? This is further supported by the character of Eric Sacks (William Fichtner, The Lone Ranger). He is apparently Shredder's student or something? And he handles the business side of things while Shredder does all the muscle work? And when Shredder succeeds with his plan, he gets rich? His actor did a good job with it, but again, cut him and nothing would've been lost. Heck if he wasn't there to begin with Shredder might've been a stronger villain. It's a shame because The Shredder is really the big baddie and archnemesis of the Turtles, and while he certainly did some badass stuff in the movie, he didn't have any personality or moments with just him planning and scheming. Disappointing.
The story is simplistic, understandable, and fun in a goofy, TMNT sort of way. April wants a scoop, meets Turtles, finds conspiracy, Turtles get captured, rescue them, stop the Shredder.As said previously though the evil plan is rather haphazard: Rule New York and get rich. The execution of the plan is nice, but the thought process behind it is rather weak. So then where does that leave the action? And this is where I'm really mixed. It's not until the second half of the movie where I was at the edge of my seat and acting like a kid again. Until then though it's mostly exposition that, while interesting, doesn't lend its way to engaging action. And the action we got in the first half was hard to follow because of the shaking camera and nauseating speed. The highlights of the movie for me are everything after the fight in the Turtles's HQ, where we really got to see the characters shine interact, have tons of funny and stupid moments, and see some high octane action. The snow scene in particular deserves mention because of the creativity, allowing for 10 minutes of some of the most exciting action sequences so far this year. The climactic battle between the Turtles and Shredder atop the Sacks building is also exciting, but not much to talk about. I'd say, if it wasn't for the snow scene, this movie would've gone down a ton of notches for me, because all the other action is just there, and hard to follow.
The overall look of the movie is nice, capturing that feel of New York that's both inviting and repulsive, and the design of the Turtles's lair looks very homegrown, as expected from a bunch of mutated animals living away from society. It's very haphazard and cobbled together from so many things, from multiple-sized screens to pizza-box furniture. The CGI though...oy vey. I'll give them credit for at least making the Turtles really different and distinguishable from each other by their designs and muscular structure, but those FACES...
Usually I'm not one to talk about special effects, but uuuuuuuuuuuugh. Utterly horrible face designs. What were they thinking? Even taking aside comparisons to past TMNT movie incarnations, that is just horrendous! If they want to aim for realistic...is there ANYTHING about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that is realistic? Then there's Splinter's design.
Still looks ugly, but much like Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, I praise them for the details. The CGI everywhere else like action scenes is OK. It's just...those designs. WHY? Eventually you get used to them but it still doesn't deny the fact that the faces of the Turtles look like garbage.
The interactions with the characters deserve mention. At least the interactions among the Turtles. April doesn't do much when she is with them, but when the Turtles are together, swapping banter, cracking jokes and other aspects, they are really great and cement that they are brothers. There are TONS of funny and stupid moments in the movie, and adds that cheese that TMNT is sometimes known for. Unfortunately I think they really overplayed it at times. Moments like tempting Michelangelo with pizza, the first appearance of the Turtles, the snow scene, and the Turtles when they were younger were all great and funny, but other scenes like Michelangelo hitting on April, beatboxing in the elevator, and hiding on the bra of a Victoria's Secret advertisement was just too much and really padded out the movie.
And that leads one of my big complaints: padding. On its own I think the movie is good to an extent and fun, but if you shave off some elements and make other aspects stronger, it could've been a lot better. Cutting out a few stupid scenes, the side characters, some of the villains, and other things probably would've made this very good, possibly even great. But alas, it just barely makes it into OK-decent-not bad.
Final thoughts:
On the whole, this new Ninja Turtles movie is very enjoyable if you're willing to give leeway on a lot of things. When it's good, it's very good, but when it's bad it's bad. It's a very "extreme" movie in a sense that the good moments really shine through, but it is offset by the bad elements that make it way too obvious. I'm glad I watched it, and I'm glad it's not a total trainwreck. But at the same time, it could've been really good if they just attached a much better person to it besides Michael Bay. While I'm not happy with the amount of money this movie is making, I'm glad a sequel is coming out in 2016. Maybe they can have time to iron out a few creases, make a better script, add more characters, etc. You really got a feeling that they were playing it safe with this movie, and it shows. I liked it and thought it was good though. I recommend it to those looking for a movie to sit back and relax to, as well as any Turtles fan who wants to broaden their horizon beyond the incarnations you grew up with.
My score: 3.1/5
Trailer thoughts:
The Equalizer-Pretty standard with a retired military guy jumping in one last time to save a troubled soul from some evil men. Looks like nothing all that special.
Annie-Still really weirds me out. Why is this set in present day? Why is Annie and Mr. Warbucks Black? Why is Cameron Diaz playing Ms, Hannigan? Why is this even being made? I like the original well enough but it has so many elements about it that make it work. Translating these elements into present day...doesn't make it work, to say the least.
Disney's/Marvel's Big Hero 6-As said previously, I'm MASSIVELY excited for this one. Frozen has put Disney back into the limelight for me and I think others, so I eagerly await Disney's next big animated movie. Plus, it's a Disney movie based off a Marvel comic. What's not to love?
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day-I remember reading the book this movie is based off of, and while it looks funny, I don't see how this premise can lead to a full length movie. Heck the message "Always roll with the bad days to appreciate the good days even more" is already given in the trailer, so I can't see what else can happen in this besides wacky hinjinks with Steve Carell.
The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water-No...no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Why make another Spongebob movie? I have nothing but apathy for this character and his show because it ruined Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I'll give the movie this for having a more interesting premise than the first movie, but still...no.
The first thing to talk about is Megan Fox as April O'Neil. Considering her past experiences with Transformers you would think her character would be a total tool, nothing but over-sexualized eye-candy. I was surprised to find that she was an engaging character, staying true to her character's previous incarnations. Some may be put off because it doesn't focus on the Turtles instead but I didn't mind. And April's an important character in the franchise's history anyway. Her acting could've been better at times, but it could've been worse. Another strong point is the Turtles themselves. When they are on screen they really make a big presence. True to form each of the Turtles personas shine: Leonardo is the stoic leader, Rafael is the nutcase loner, Donatello is the science guy, and Michelangelo is the party animal. Their brotherhood is completely believable, and they actually do act like teenagers. I can honestly put that aspect of their portrayal over some of the other Turtles incarnations I've seen. Splinter (Tony Shaloub, Monk), the Turtle's father and Sensei, was also OK, acting stern, wise, but also caring and loving. I really like the angle they did with April inadvertently being the cause of their existence during the movie's past and makes it more connected. This angle is one not seen in the past, and it's welcome.
The side characters and the villains unfortunately, as said before, really offset that. Vern (Will Arnett, The LEGO Movie) was just...there. He had his moments and was funny at times but was just there. Whoppi Goldberg's character wasn't in there for very long, and might as well not have existed. And then we have the villains. While The Shredder looked really cool with a sort of mechanized look that was not often seen in the past, he felt rather generic. His backstory and motivations are rather unclear too, with just him wanting to rule New York...because? This is further supported by the character of Eric Sacks (William Fichtner, The Lone Ranger). He is apparently Shredder's student or something? And he handles the business side of things while Shredder does all the muscle work? And when Shredder succeeds with his plan, he gets rich? His actor did a good job with it, but again, cut him and nothing would've been lost. Heck if he wasn't there to begin with Shredder might've been a stronger villain. It's a shame because The Shredder is really the big baddie and archnemesis of the Turtles, and while he certainly did some badass stuff in the movie, he didn't have any personality or moments with just him planning and scheming. Disappointing.
The story is simplistic, understandable, and fun in a goofy, TMNT sort of way. April wants a scoop, meets Turtles, finds conspiracy, Turtles get captured, rescue them, stop the Shredder.As said previously though the evil plan is rather haphazard: Rule New York and get rich. The execution of the plan is nice, but the thought process behind it is rather weak. So then where does that leave the action? And this is where I'm really mixed. It's not until the second half of the movie where I was at the edge of my seat and acting like a kid again. Until then though it's mostly exposition that, while interesting, doesn't lend its way to engaging action. And the action we got in the first half was hard to follow because of the shaking camera and nauseating speed. The highlights of the movie for me are everything after the fight in the Turtles's HQ, where we really got to see the characters shine interact, have tons of funny and stupid moments, and see some high octane action. The snow scene in particular deserves mention because of the creativity, allowing for 10 minutes of some of the most exciting action sequences so far this year. The climactic battle between the Turtles and Shredder atop the Sacks building is also exciting, but not much to talk about. I'd say, if it wasn't for the snow scene, this movie would've gone down a ton of notches for me, because all the other action is just there, and hard to follow.
The overall look of the movie is nice, capturing that feel of New York that's both inviting and repulsive, and the design of the Turtles's lair looks very homegrown, as expected from a bunch of mutated animals living away from society. It's very haphazard and cobbled together from so many things, from multiple-sized screens to pizza-box furniture. The CGI though...oy vey. I'll give them credit for at least making the Turtles really different and distinguishable from each other by their designs and muscular structure, but those FACES...
Usually I'm not one to talk about special effects, but uuuuuuuuuuuugh. Utterly horrible face designs. What were they thinking? Even taking aside comparisons to past TMNT movie incarnations, that is just horrendous! If they want to aim for realistic...is there ANYTHING about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that is realistic? Then there's Splinter's design.
Still looks ugly, but much like Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, I praise them for the details. The CGI everywhere else like action scenes is OK. It's just...those designs. WHY? Eventually you get used to them but it still doesn't deny the fact that the faces of the Turtles look like garbage.
The interactions with the characters deserve mention. At least the interactions among the Turtles. April doesn't do much when she is with them, but when the Turtles are together, swapping banter, cracking jokes and other aspects, they are really great and cement that they are brothers. There are TONS of funny and stupid moments in the movie, and adds that cheese that TMNT is sometimes known for. Unfortunately I think they really overplayed it at times. Moments like tempting Michelangelo with pizza, the first appearance of the Turtles, the snow scene, and the Turtles when they were younger were all great and funny, but other scenes like Michelangelo hitting on April, beatboxing in the elevator, and hiding on the bra of a Victoria's Secret advertisement was just too much and really padded out the movie.
And that leads one of my big complaints: padding. On its own I think the movie is good to an extent and fun, but if you shave off some elements and make other aspects stronger, it could've been a lot better. Cutting out a few stupid scenes, the side characters, some of the villains, and other things probably would've made this very good, possibly even great. But alas, it just barely makes it into OK-decent-not bad.
Final thoughts:
On the whole, this new Ninja Turtles movie is very enjoyable if you're willing to give leeway on a lot of things. When it's good, it's very good, but when it's bad it's bad. It's a very "extreme" movie in a sense that the good moments really shine through, but it is offset by the bad elements that make it way too obvious. I'm glad I watched it, and I'm glad it's not a total trainwreck. But at the same time, it could've been really good if they just attached a much better person to it besides Michael Bay. While I'm not happy with the amount of money this movie is making, I'm glad a sequel is coming out in 2016. Maybe they can have time to iron out a few creases, make a better script, add more characters, etc. You really got a feeling that they were playing it safe with this movie, and it shows. I liked it and thought it was good though. I recommend it to those looking for a movie to sit back and relax to, as well as any Turtles fan who wants to broaden their horizon beyond the incarnations you grew up with.
My score: 3.1/5
Trailer thoughts:
The Equalizer-Pretty standard with a retired military guy jumping in one last time to save a troubled soul from some evil men. Looks like nothing all that special.
Annie-Still really weirds me out. Why is this set in present day? Why is Annie and Mr. Warbucks Black? Why is Cameron Diaz playing Ms, Hannigan? Why is this even being made? I like the original well enough but it has so many elements about it that make it work. Translating these elements into present day...doesn't make it work, to say the least.
Disney's/Marvel's Big Hero 6-As said previously, I'm MASSIVELY excited for this one. Frozen has put Disney back into the limelight for me and I think others, so I eagerly await Disney's next big animated movie. Plus, it's a Disney movie based off a Marvel comic. What's not to love?
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day-I remember reading the book this movie is based off of, and while it looks funny, I don't see how this premise can lead to a full length movie. Heck the message "Always roll with the bad days to appreciate the good days even more" is already given in the trailer, so I can't see what else can happen in this besides wacky hinjinks with Steve Carell.
The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water-No...no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Why make another Spongebob movie? I have nothing but apathy for this character and his show because it ruined Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I'll give the movie this for having a more interesting premise than the first movie, but still...no.
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