TMNT

'TMNT Totally Tubular'

I must admit, thinking back on it, this movie had a LOT going against it. It is a very popular franchise that has several iterations, two cartoon shows, an old live action movie franchise and a thankfully canceled live-action tv show. Not to mention all of the comics and weird Japanese takes on the series. The fact that the newest film was in CGI didn't help to really rouse my interest as it didn't seem to be a continuation of the old movie series nor of the old cartoon show, both of which I liked a lot more than the modern cartoon show. However, after having now watched the movie, there are a lot of problems but in the end, it does capture that great feeling of the first Turtle movie and should please all fans of the series while introducing new ones and as any director who has ever tried to create a film like that can tell you, that might just be the damn hardest thing to do. Well done Kevin Munroe on your first film. Keep up the good work.

The film's story is done quite well. At first it is really hard to get into because everything has changed. Leonardo is off in the jungle? Michaelangelo is doing parties? what the hell happened? What the crap is this movie based on?!!! This is perhaps the biggest question and the answer is everything. Technically, the film is based off of the Movie franchise of old with some ties to the comics and current cartoon series in the tone and themes of the movie. For example, it mentions that Shredder is dead, which means it could be after the second turtle movie. Online, all that is known is that it is definately after the first movie and possibly after the second and third, although honestly, I will be quite happy to find out that it is a reimagining of the third since that film might just be the worst film I have ever seen. So just go ahead and consider this film the fourth film in the series. Either way, because of the wide range of ties, the changes can seem abrasive but a lot of the same old seem to be in place. The characters and their reactions and emotions are all together. The hard parts for me to get over were the premise and beginning of the movie, the new Foot leader Karai, and the fact that April is not a reporter but a antique finder/ in training for being a ninja. In fact, that bit about April might have been the most disturbing because I am so used to her being nosy but helpless, a very different take at this point. If you look online, some of it gets explained by the filmmakers such as April's new ninja skills and the weird beginning with the turtles broken up is well explained, especially the bit about Raphael as the knightrider. I loved that bit of storyline and I almost wished I had a whole movie dedicated to Raphael and his own travails. What might be the most interesting is the fact that the movie is about family and what it means to be a family. While the Turtles struggle to reunite as a family, so does Mr. Winters struggle to reunite with his former comrades. Now, I'm not saying that the screenplay is brilliant because honestly it has a lot of twists and turns that seem slightly kiddish or at least done to create the feel of a good comic. The real mastery of the movie is that it is able to maintain the feel of a great Turtle experience while tying in all the various influences of the several incarnations and still making it a film that children and adults can both see. Some have claimed that the movie is darker than the previous films and maybe it is slightly character-wise, but honestly nothing has ever beaten the dark ending of the first movie where Shredder was crushed by a friggin dumptruck. The biggest difference between this film and previous ones is its lack of talking down to people and simplification. One reviewer I read claimed the movie stunk because it had something like 16 plots happening at once and none of them tied together or made sense and made the film too diluted for her...wtf? That is what made this film great except the plots all tie together and do make sense. Could be hard for an ADD kid who grew up on japanime but it should still work fine.It also doesn't waste too much time on the cheese factor. No Vanilla Ice here, and not as much cheese as Michaelangelo puts out usually, but it has its moments and they are some good ones. I think this movie is a great reintroduction to the franchise and brings the promise of more great sequels to come. They already essentially told us their would a sequel and it would have Shredder! Hells yes!

As a director, I have to admit that I am impressed with Munroe. Not only does he stay true to the franchise feel and good things about the series, but he also creates an excellent story with new baddies and interesting twists. His best accomplishment is the realization of TMNT as a CG movie. Apparently it was necessary because the studios all felt that the franchise was dead and didn't want to devote the resources necessary for another live action film on this scale, but they would help with a CG movie that would allow for much more movement and flexibility on Munroe's part for a cheaper price. I have to admit, the CG in this film is really well detailed and looks amazing. Pixar needs to grab this guy and add him to their director roster. All of the lighting and placement of objects are well designed to create certain moods and at times I forgot I wasn't watching the old movies. I also noticed the nice camera angle/shot from the old arcade game as well and it was a nice throwback. The characters themselves move believably as the turtles did and reveal that Munroe did his homework well. The bad part about the move to CG is the whole mouth thing. It's true that the Turtles and everyone are more expressive, but the eyes and teeth of the turtles feel slightly too cartoonish for my liking. The great thing about the use of CG means the fights are much more versatile and awesome. To be completely honest, I doubt the old franchise in live-action would have worked anyway. It only worked the first two times because of the Jim Henson Muppet Shop and this film has way too many creatures for such an undertaking. Another great thing about this director is he gives you what you want. The turtles are more ninja like than in any other film before and the showdown between Leonardo and Raphael is riveting. Unfortunately none of the original cast return which is very hard to get used to since I have an iconic idea of how the turtles, April, and especially splinter should sound. Sadly, if they do another film, Splinter will have to be recast again since Mako, the actor who did his voice for the film, died shortly after recording his dialogue for it. Munroe is an excellent director and proves it with his first and hopefully not last take on this franchise.

Conclusion:
Although the film is slightly hard to place and seems jarring at first, it quickly moves beyond that to be a film about it's protagonists. Despite some grumbles about CG and the loss of the original cast and no Shredder, Munroe quickly makes up for it by including some great battle sequences that fully use the capabilities of CG. Plus the new baddies are awesomely hardcore and prove early on to be a tough challenge. I, as a Turtle fan, am proud when I say that the Turtles are back and I'm hoping they will stick around for a long time to come. Definately keep on eye on Munroe and his next project which is a movie version of Gatchaman. Also, if you have any doubts about seeing this film, I saw it in a crappy stained theater for 8.00$ which ticked me off beyond belief and yet when I left I felt very happy and satisfied for having paid that much for essentially a movie shorter than an hour and a half. A good quick time that leaves you wanting more? Definition: Great film.

3.8 out of 5

Wannabe