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| Title: | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
| Director: | Jonathan Liebesman |
| Starring: | Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Alan Ritchson, Johnny Knoxville, Tony Shalhoub, Noel Fisher |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure/Comedy |
| Runtime: | 1 Hour 41 mins |
| Music: | Brian Tyler |
| Studio: | Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Pictures |
| Certificate: | US: PG-13 UK: 12A |
| Release Date: | USA: August 08 2014 UK: October 17 2014 |
| See If You Like: | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) |
We’ve seen many, many, incarnations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ from the classic cartoon which debuted in the late ‘80s, the brilliant 1990 live-action movie (as well as its two sequels), and a string of cg animated films and new animated series’; but now the heroes in a half-shell are back on the big screen in a big way; thanks to a Michael Bay (Transformers) produced movie which is far better than expected.
Transformers’ Megan Fox stars as the iconic reporter, and Turtles’ best-friend April O’Neil (yellow jacket and all), and spends the film tracking down her big news break; which just happens to be masked vigilantes attempting to stop a huge New York crime syndicate (known as the Foot Clan); otherwise known as the Turtles. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to be exact; 6-foot tall, pizza-loving freaks of nature with a martial arts habit, a desire to do good, and a fondness for all things skateboarding, and surfer lingo.
The main plot itself is pretty absurd; not the mutated crime-fighting reptiles (that’s something we can all get behind), but the rather ham-fisted plan the bad guys have to screw-over New York City (NYC); and side-plots take the same route (tying April to the Turtles’ origin story was a bit of a stretch, and not entirely necessary). Making events very corny, simple, and instantly forgettable.
Script-wise Turtles’ isn’t exactly fantastic, because as well as the iffy plot, there are a number of hugely corny lines which simply do not work, and the whole film is not only filled with generic and corny dialogue, but feels rather generic in itself. In an age where superhero movies are dominating the Box Office another superhero origin film, with a forgettable plot, and questionable dialogue, could easily get lost in the mix, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles luckily keeps its head above water, thanks to both the nostalgia factor, and it’s enduringly likeable foursome.
While the musclebound beasts we see on screen may not be the cuddly characters we remember from the ‘80s (the new design is actually pretty rad, provided you can let go of the past), Leonardo (mo-capped by Pete Ploszek, and voiced by The Last Stand’s Johnny Knoxville), Raphael (Alan Ritchson, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Donatello (Jeremy Howard, Galaxy Quest), and Michelangelo (Noel Fisher, Lawless), all stay true to the characters we remember so well (and thankfully haven’t been reimagined as space aliens); Leo’s the stoic leader (though his personality does get lost a little, and swallowed up by Raph’), Don is a complete tech-nerd (and plays that angle beautifully), while Raph’s full of attitude, and Mickey’s comedic outbursts keep him swaying over the line between funny, and annoying; just as you remember them.
April however becomes a bit of menial damsel in distress (though in that respect Megan Fox was a perfectly fine choice; basically headlining the film herself, and proving the naysayers wrong), and while the Turtles’ mentor Splinter (mo-capped by Mirror Mirror’s Danny Woodburn, and voiced by Monk’s Tony Shalhoub) is an acceptable father-figure, he’s not only far less likeable than in previous iterations, but brought to life with noticeably poor design/CG work. Shredder however is the mirror opposite to Splinter; the suit (whilst far too OTT) works, yet he’s completely devoid of all character and personality; being a mere one-note bad guy with no reason behind his evil actions whatsoever.
Yet some of the best moments come from further supporting stars; Arrested Development/Lego Movie star Will Arnett (starring as April’s cameraman) is both brilliant and funny as always, Ghost‘s Whoopi Goldberg is well placed in her minor role as April’s boss and, although somewhat wasted and clearly not having enough material to work with, William Ficthner (Drive Angry) always delivers, and makes the most of his criminally underdeveloped bad -uy persona.
Jonathan Liebesman (Battle Los Angeles) also does a fine job of directing the movie, the lighting for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is fantastic (every single shot is beautifully lit), jokes about other superhero films are well placed (and let you know this isn’t too serious a film), and there’s plenty in here to please fans of Turtles past; including not only staying relatively true to the characters, but including numerous jokes from the old films/cartoon, and a few striking visual references which are sure to put a nostalgic grin on any fans’ face.
It’s clearly flawed; there are poor examples of CGI and character design, a weak script with next to no plot, and awful/non-existent character development in places (not to mention a soundtrack which pales in comparison to the John Du Prez score, and Partners in Kryme theme song, we enjoyed back in 1990); but it’s also pretty damn fun.
Senseless, over-simplified, guff with little substance, yet still somehow miles better than any Transformers movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an easy watch, immensely family friendly, and sure to please almost any Turtles fan. Granted, it’s nowhere near the heights of the fantastic 1990 movie, but given the stars, the jokes, the giant Turtles, and the well-shot action, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an enjoyable superhero film for the whole family; far better than expected, and a recommended watch.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was viewed in The Regent Cinema, Newtown.
