Monday 24 November 2014

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles



Director: Johnathan Liebesman

Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Pete Pioszek, Johnny Knoxville, Jeremy Howard, Danny Woodburn, Tony Shalhoub.






When a kingpin threatens New York City, a group of mutated turtle warriors must emerge from the shadows to protect their home.













When the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was announced I have to admit I was excited, I have always been a fan of the turtle and even enjoy the original movie to a degree, so the prospect of an updated version peaked my interest, even with the heavy involvement of Micheal Bay.

Overall the movie is a bit of a mess, the plot is a bit boring and the turtles themselves look a bit weird (but you get used to this). For the most it is fun and the action is big and bold, as you would expect given Bay's involvement. 

I was quite entertained as I sat in the cinema, nostalgia for days spent watching the cartoon creeping in as the turtles did their thing on the big screen, but then my brain began to pick at it a little and it wasn't until afterwards that I really began to think about it. And this wasn't good for the movie, because, the more you think about it the worse it gets.
Firstly is the plot, I cant understand why they deviated from the original plot and origin of The TMNT so much. Don't get me wrong, I have no issues with update and tweaking a story line but when you twist it to the point that it no longer makes sense then whats the point.


OK, be warned spoilers ahead..........

The turtles origin itself was not tampered with, they were turtle exposed to mutagen and abandoned to the sewers. 
But then comes Splinter, and this is where they lost me. So Splinter is simply a mutated rat that leads the TMNT into the sewers, becomes intelligent and wise in martial arts through some books he finds and becomes a master in order to train his 'sons' in the same arts. And as he was never human to begin with, he has no ties to Shredder and therefore has no reason to have Shredders wrath. This omission doesn't make sense!!! 

And then we have the Shredder himself, who looks a little too much like a transformer for my liking, and seems to defy the laws of physics by being ably to perform martial arts maneuvers in a suit that has weigh he better part of a ton!!

The TMNT themselves take a bit of getting used to but actually look pretty decent but not amazing, and when it comes down to one of the action highlight set-pieces of the movie, a chase and shootout in the snow while hurtling down hill, they fail to show off the TMNT by having rapid cuts and shaky cam. This should have been their opportunity to show off the effects but alas they chose the easy way out. 
And Aprils origin, as the original owner of the Turtles (pre-mutate) was just a plot point too far and completely unnecessary. 
What I did like about the Turtles themselves is that they were believable as teenagers, attitude and voices fit the spirit of the turtles, and the individual personalities really shone through bringing all of them to life realistically.

Oh and I cant for the life of understand why they show up in the turtle van at the end, when it could have been used earlier and kept fans happy!!


Overall, the movie was fun but doesn't stand up to too much examination. I enjoyed the movie while it was on, the Turtles were believable and the action was fun is not some what forgettable, but the plot is weak, and was just a little boring at times. 
I will probably watch this again but possible late at night, as a bit of fun, over several beers!

Rating: 2.5/5






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