I am a huge Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles fan. I grew up watching the Ninja Turtles cartoon every day it was on. I
had t-shirts and action figures and even Ninja Turtles – shaped cereal
bowls. I
used to tape record the episodes on my red portable cassette tape recorder and
bring it to school and listen to the episode again at recess. I have a Ninja Turtle
nickname (Johnatello). I had a Ninja Turtle themed wedding, with cake toppers
and photo booth to boot. I own all the episodes of the series on DVD and still
have my action figures and action figure carrying case, along with blankets,
cups, water bottles, lunch boxes, puzzles, posters and many other Ninja Turtles paraphernalia.
I wanted to be a Ninja Turtle. After reading the book “The
Indian in the Cupboard” I wanted to put my Ninja Turtles action figures in the
cupboard so I could hang out with them. For Halloween growing up, I was a Ninja
Turtle a few years, until I grew out of my authentic looking mask that they don’t
make anymore because it’s not child safe (Ha). After years of trying to peek
into manholes on the street, hoping to get a peek of the turtles, convincing
myself that the only reason I didn’t see them was because they were in New York
and not in Sacramento, I realized that they would always be a big part of my
life. I’m a big kid still, I know. |
| This is why they won't let me have a dog. |
A few years ago, hearing that
another Ninja Turtles movie was being made was like winning the lottery for me.
When I first heard that Michael Bay was directing, it didn’t worry me that much,
because I liked the first Transformers movie, which cartoon I also enjoyed as a
child, and have enjoyed many other Michael Bay movies. Then the sequels were
made, and it worried me that he might corrupt my beloved Ninja Turtles. There
were rumors he was going to completely change the origin story to make them turtle-aliens
instead, and so, I started to worry. Then I heard that I was not the only one
who worried and that they decided to scrap the alien idea. Good thinking.
I remember when I went and saw the
first Ninja Turtles movie as a kid in the Drive-In Theater and it was a double
feature with the Jetson’s movie. I was so excited when the Ninja Turtles movie
started. Even though they didn’t have the theme song from the cartoon, they had
the logo. It was very different from the cartoon. When Raphael said a bad word,
it was a little shocking and disappointing. The disappointment didn’t last long,
because the rest of the movie made up for it. The sequel I liked even more. I
still sing “Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go!” in my head all the time. Although, in the
second movie, when they didn’t have Bebop and Rocksteady, and had Tokka and Rahzar
instead, it bugged me as well, but I got over it. I watched those movies many
times growing up.
 |
| Bebop & Rocksteady |
Also, for most of my life, I have
been an avid movie watcher. I own a large movie library. I received another
nickname of “Movie John” at one point in college because I would let people
borrow my movies with no other obligation than that of payment in cookies if
they didn’t return the movie within 5 days. I took a film class in college that
changed the way I looked at movies. I had to re-watch many movies after that. Luckily,
it has been a tradition in my life to watch one of the Ninja Turtles movies on
my birthday. If one was not available, then I would watch Bill & Ted’s
Excellent Adventure. After watching the Ninja Turtles movies again, I realized
that there was a certain aspect of character development that made a person watching
love the Turtles. This was something that I find important in a good movie.
After seeing the previews for the
new Ninja Turtles movie, I got a little weirded out by the look of the turtles.
It took a little getting used to, but I realized that it would make sense that
they would look that way. It fit their personalities. After hearing about bad
reviews and thinking too hard about what Michael Bay might have changed, I got
a little scared. But pizza and a supportive wife easily made the feeling go
away. I was ready to see the movie.
Let me tell you right now that,
overall, I liked it
Michael Bay doesn’t disappoint here
if you’re looking for an action packed movie, but he needs to work on
developing the characters and story a little more, as seems to be his norm
these days. I think that the relationship of April O’Neil and the turtles was
probably the part they seemed to focus on the most, with the change of the
origin story sealing that bond between them. The character development of the
turtles and the relationship between them and Splinter could have been further
expressed in a more playful, fun way. The scene with the pizza was good. The
theme seemed to be about family, but also seemed underdeveloped. I think Shredder
was pretty hardcore and I was pleased with that. The Turtles could kick some
shell pretty well and were fun to watch fighting, but, to me, needed to be more
playful. The movie ended well, but it seemed to come too quickly without the aforementioned
developments.
I liked the story and main plot
idea, although they seemed underdeveloped as well. The movie would have been better
for all with another 30 minutes of development and less of Megan Fox. April O’Neil
was a big part of the cartoon, so I was okay on the change in the origin story
that included her. I’m also glad they brought Vernon in the picture because he
was a big part of the cartoon, and in it, you just love to hate him because of
his stupidity. Will Arnett was a perfect choice for that character. The voices
of Michelangelo and Donatello were teenager-sounding enough and worked well,
but Johnny Knoxville as Leonardo was hard to swallow. Raphael sounded too dark and not teenager
enough as well. Tony Shalhoub as the
voice of Splinter, as much as I love Tony Shalhoub, was a little distracting. His
voice lacked the warmth and wisdom and his face needed more fur. When I think of Splinter, I think of a firm,
but playful, furry, yet full of fury master and father to the turtles. I can
see they tried to portray that, but it felt forced. I did love how Splinter
kicked butt though. The use of his tail is what the other Ninja Turtles movies
lacked, in my opinion, so that was a good choice.
I know I’m a hard one to please
when it comes to my beloved Ninja Turtles, so don’t let the things that
bothered me have an effect on your opinion. It was a good action-packed movie
with a lot of laughs. It was definitely a PG-13 movie, mostly for violence. It
had Raph saying another bad word, which fits his character, but not the Ninja
Turtles in general. It was a cartoon for kids first. Just like with the issues
I had with the first Ninja Turtles movies, I’m sure I’ll get over the issues
with the new one and learn to love it, but only after multiple times watching.
My advice to anyone making a remake
of any childhood cartoon would be to consult the fans. If you are not a fan
yourself, don’t attempt it. I’m looking forward to the sequel so they can work
on more of the sibling dynamic and sensei/pupil, father/son relationship. I
love the old movies, and if you are not as critical as I am with this movie, I’m
sure you’ll love it. As for me, I just like it… for now.
