TMNT Review

TMNT is a good ninja turtles film. That’s the best thing about it, and it is easily a large improvement upon the horrible last film that appeared. However it leaves little for people other than fans. Its main draw is to induce nostalgia into its older fans that grew up with the original cartoon and film series. It may be entertaining for the kids and fans, but it is nothing to those without a hint of interest.

The film is already steeped in fan lore and it makes no effort to appeal to any other audience. Only a few fleeting references to the previous films exist, as it drives forward with its plot which is half-hearted. The main area of problem for TMNT is its story and villains. With The Shredder out of the picture, the film is left with an ambiguous bad guy (Patrick Stewart on autopilot) and his family of stone warriors, who to be honest are a bit boring. Their mission is to return 13 monsters to another dimension after they were released over 3000 years ago by the same bad guys. Leonardo has also been away training for a year and not everybody is happy when he returns to lead them as a family again. Not the most interesting of plots. Although it does get some points for having the villains tie into the film’s theme of family, but it doesn’t feel as strong as it could have been.

Although the story is the weak point, the rest of the film delivers as it should be expected. The animation is breath-taking at times and could rival Pixar. The human characters look a little cartoony, but realistic looking animation hasn’t gone down well as Final Fantasy: Spirits Within proved. The level of detail is incredible including Casey Jones’ subtle stubble. The turtles themselves are particularly well designed and animated, although they do look a little rubber sometimes.

The turtles themselves are decently characterized, with the exception of Donatello who remains in the background of the film and is the least seen. Leonardo and Raphael are pushed to the forefront and keeps up with various incarnations with Leo as leader and Raph as the moody, rebellious one as usual. Their opposing personalities come to a head during a fight scene in the rain which does impress with its amount of detail. Michelangelo is the same as he always is; the younger, corny, skate-boarding brother and nothing more can be expected from him.

The voice-work is good overall, although a few times the mouths don’t match the voices. Chris Evans suitably performs as the dopey Casey Jones, even though Jones is supposed to be a tough vigilante. Sarah Michelle Gellar is alright as April O’Neil, but doesn’t really bring much to the role. The various voices of the turtles are the best, probably due to them not being voiced by known actors. The oddest is Mako’s as Splinter, who is a bit hard to accept at first. He is more deep and grumbly compared to the old soft-speaking Splinter fans are used to. However, by the end of the film you can’t really think of him as speaking any other way than with Mako’s voice. Made all the more tragic by his death last year.

The action is what really makes the film rather than break it. There is a humorous fight in a kitchen between Raphael and a little monster, a fight in the rain between Leo and Raph, which is most impressive and is the centerpiece scene of the film. As usual, there is also the climactic final battle which does feel a little lackluster, although it is entertaining enough. The action scenes are the best parts of the movie and they should be considering it concerns ninja turtles.

Overall TMNT is a good attempt at restarting the film series, yet it is let down by its flaws in storytelling. Hopefully a sequel will improve upon this and with the film’s promise of a “return of a face from the past,” it will prove a bit more interesting story-wise. All things considered, it’s a welcome return to the big screen for the TMNT, and the fans will go wild.

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