The Ninja Turtles are back in a sequel that no one really asked for. Michael Bay brought another childhood cartoon to life and will no doubt receive the typical amount of backlash for it. People hate the guy for the sake of hating. The Transformer's franchise is not as horrible as you think. Make no mistake, this is not even close to Captain America: Civil War or X-Men: Apocalypse. It is not supposed to be. The biggest complaint from movies based off of cartoons is the fact that they are nowhere close to the cartoon. If you need proof, I offer you Jem and The Holograms. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of The Shadows is the cartoon you remember brought to life. That is why you will probably hate it.
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The TMNT are trying to find their place in a city that would fear and persecute them. April O'Neil stumbles on a plot from the Foot Clan to free Shredder from prison with the help of evil genius Baxter Stockman. Krang, a bad guy from another dimension, comes to town and helps create bad mutants to fight the heroes in a half shell. Things get dire and with the help of Casey Jones, the turtles are called upon once again to save New York City.
This movie is the cartoon you remember. It has pizza, skateboards, the Turtle Van, and a bunch of other things pulled straight out of animation. Krang is over the top and the design is cool for what it is. A villain like Krang should be over the top. Consider the source material. X-Men and The Avengers have villains that work in comic form, but wouldn't translate to their movie universes. Turtles clear doesn't share that burden.
When you take a cartoon and bring it to life, you can recreate some fan favorite characters. Bee Bop and Rocksteady are the comic relief of the movie. It's hard to take a mutated rhino and wart hog seriously. You don't have to. They are simply hear to be enjoyed for what they are.
Stephen Amell seems to draw mixed reviews as Green Arrow. Personally, I think he plays a fine super hero and is great with his fans. His take on Casey Jones is different than what most will remember, but he does have the hero quality on stage. I did miss the bag of sports weapons that the character is famous for, but we do get the hockey mask. I am not sure why they can give him a wig for Arrow flashbacks, but not here. I am not dwelling on it though. He is one of the bright spots of the film.
Shredder is unfortunately not a bright spot. He is the turtles greatest enemy and is once again not done any justice. It's a shame. If you have ever read one of my reviews, you know that I appreciate a good villain. In a movie where everything is larger than life, Shredder is too small.
The movie is the cartoon brought to life and why people will hate it. You can tell the cast was having fun making it. They didn't take themselves too seriously and so we shouldn't take the film seriously. Walk into a theater with XD, grab popcorn, and enjoy the show. It is the TMNT you remember from the cartoon and that is the problem. You were not thirty something when you used to sit in front of the T.V. before or after school watching TMNT. The things we loved as a kid sometimes are considered annoying when we are adulting. So for anyone who wanted to see the cartoons they remember brought to life, be careful what you wish for.
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