Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

(voices)
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Chris Evans
Mako
Lawrence Fishburne
Nolan North

Directed by: Kevin Munroe

Hollywood is not adverse to trying to revitalize a franchise years after the toilet has flushed and the last remnants of what should have been just a bad movie pitch hit the new release shelf at your local video store (that was a vague Ninja Turtle reference, get your head out of the gutter). Superhero films from yesteryear are being re-imagined and updated for a new generation and it only makes sense that the “heroes in a half shell” from our childhood would follow the same fate. This film picks up after the second film made in 1991 and rather than the rubber suits and live action, this time around the Turtles and their surroundings are completely computer generated. The Turtles have defeated their arch nemesis, the Shredder. Without a major villain to defeat and Michelangelo in South America on sabbatical, the Turtles have gone underground and are learning how to live normal lives. Unbeknownst to the Turtles, the Foot Clan is back in action and an immortal over 3000 years old is working to bring a host of vile monsters to their little town. They must reunite and learn to fight as a team again in order to defeat the monsters and put everything back in order.

Initially, this film was marketed as a more adult version of the children’s cartoon and a more serious version of the original films. As of a week or so ago, the trailers have shifted to a more family friendly film, hoping to drag in a new generation of kids along with their gen X and Y parents, wanting to spend 90 minutes reliving their childhood. In doing so, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a film that tries to mix the nostalgia of the original films with a pretty cool movie mixed with a layered message that seems made for adults. The movie has the humor and jokes that we all remember and will certainly appeal to both groups and the CG film adds a magical element to the Turtles that even Cory Feldman couldn’t bring to the original franchise. The filmmakers made spectacular use of the CG technology, striking a wonderful balance between making things look real and keeping things in the cartoon world. For that I think this is a wonderful movie and is something to marvel at. Here is the rub. While the running time of just under 90 minutes may keep small children from squirming in their seats, it will keep adults from getting a fully fleshed out film. The first hour of the film fully fleshes out the premise of the movie and gets everyone reacquainted with the Turtles, leaving very little time to get to the meat of the story which leads to a mad dash to end the film, trimming drastically what should have been a really cool final battle royale and a smoother ending to the film. Overall though, I think this is a pretty nit picky complaint for a chance to see “the world’s most fearsome fighting team” in action once again. Grab your kid or someone else’s kid (not recommended without parental approval of course) and go check out this movie.
 

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