Will this critic celebrate the rebirth, or dine on turtle soup?
Featuring the Voices of:
Sarah Michelle Gellar: April O’ Neil
Chris Evans: Casey Jones
Mako: Master Splinter
Kevin Smith: Diner
Patrick Stewart: Max Winters
Laurence Fishburne: Narrator
Ziyi Zhang: Karai
Mitchell Witfield: Donatello
James Arnold Taylor: Leonardo
Mikey Kelly: Michelangelo
Nolan North: Raphael/Nightwatcher
Written/Directed By: Kevin Munroe
Release Date: March 23, 2007
Running Time: 87 minutes
Rated PG for animated action violence, some scary cartoon images and mild language.
As a kid, I was obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I had all the toys. Each and every action figure variation, the underground sewer lair, the vehicles, and more. Many times when a VHS tape would show up in stores, I would try to get my parents to buy it for me. In other words, this foursome was a substantial part of my childhood, and it is exciting that I have the chance to review a new film featuring the popular “heroes in a half shell”. This is the fourth installment for the turtles on the big screen. I have seen all the live action adaptations, and for the most part, enjoyed each one, but a lot of time has passed since I last revisited them. Now, our favorite turtles are back in stylish CGI. However, it is not a return that will be welcomed with open arms, but rather with mixed reactions.
The turtles are not the inseparable bunch they once were. Leonardo has been sent to another country to refine his leadership skills, while the rest of the gang are busy with random jobs back in New York City. Donatello is a computer technician, Michelangelo dresses up for parties, and Raphael sleeps during the day only to become the Nightwatcher at night. No one knows that he goes out after dark to rid the city of criminals. Splinter has forbidden fighting on the surface. The group has no direction, and seems all but lost. At the same time, industrialist tycoon Max Winters is doing everything in his power to resurrect several ancient stone soldiers. He has the help of the foot clan, led by Karai now that Shredder has been defeated. When Leonardo reluctantly returns, he must restore the chemistry and unity the group is missing, and save the Earth from destruction.
I observed no extreme aggravating flaws during this adventure. All the regular characters make appearances, except Shredder, and all in all, this is an entertaining new chapter in the turtles’ saga. That being said, my main issue with this film lies with the fact that Writer/Director Kevin Munroe has not explored any new territory with the four heroic turtles. They are the most important facet of this experiment. The same personalities are present, but literally nothing new is attempted with the characters, and that is a problem for the now adult followers that grew up watching the animated series. Make no mistake, young viewers who will be experiencing this gang for the first time will have a ball, but loyal fans will leave the theater with blank expressions.
At times, TMNT feels like simply an exercise in CGI, but I ignored that since it was executed in a most brilliant fashion. The only original aspects, the villains, are terrific looking stone monsters with red symbols that light up. The foot clan isn’t complaining because they are being led by the sneaky female Karai, but this group of masked martial artists still can’t fight for their lives. I really didn’t mind the stone men. What did bother me was the dozen or so other wicked monsters that Max Winters wants to gather for his plan. They are poor imitations of creations that fans would see on the cartoon show like Beebop or Rocksteady. I got the impression that since all parties involved agreed Shredder would not be included, those same people could not decide on a set number of villains. Hence, any other proposed idea for a creature was then accepted and eventually displayed in the final cut of the film.
The voice work department was absolutely wonderful with Sarah Michelle Gellar as the ideal choice for April O’ Neil. April is more attractive in CGI. She and Casey are living together. Casey’s character might not have his likable mean streak, but he is adequate nonetheless. Mako performs the work of the wise rat Master Splinter, and he was also a very appropriate selection. He died shortly after finishing his duties on this project. Patrick Stewart is exceptional as Max Winters, and Laurence Fishburne adds a brief amount of dialogue at the beginning as narrator to introduce the group for newbies. All the unknowns that step into the voices of the turtles carry out the task extremely well as well.
My favorite character of the whole team has always been Raphael. Each one has qualities I connected to, but the rebellious Raphael intrigued me more than the rest. He is the most complex, yet profound of the lot, and his traits leave the most room for fascinating storylines, but after 14 years he has still not reached his full potential. Regardless, I still enjoy his role in any form. Leonardo is still the strong leader, Donatello remains the brains of the operation, and Michelangelo continues to goof off and eat pizza. I wish they had kept those familiarities, while also going in different directions that we are not used to.
First timer Kevin Munroe took on some heavy weight here, and I applaud him for many of his gambles. One of which is the updated darker noir atmosphere instilled into the turtles’ New York City night life. The rooftops and alley ways have slightly more edge to them this time around. Unfortunately that sinister alteration sucks almost all the zany humor that was so “tubular” years ago. His approach is too serious and traditional. He should have spent more time fine tuning the script, and less time meticulously designing the CGI. The computer generated effects should have been secondary, but they were the main priority I believe. If the rumored future CGI version of Ghostbusters does not learn from this lesson, they will be met with the same opinions.
I realize that this review is largely negative, but I did have fun with this revival. Children will have a blast watching this, but the mature moviegoers will notice something missing. What is lacking is enthusiasm. What is great is that I predict this will be a big hit on DVD, and will most likely age well as the additional sequels roll off the conveyor belt. As I sit here writing this review wishing for a decent treatment of the original series on DVD, I have the catchy theme song stuck in my head. The level of geek I am at is higher than you think, but I still know a proper restoration of a franchise when it lands in front of me, and this just barely misses the bar. I can bet that TMNT is charming enough for most people to firmly state that this is respectable. That may be, but wait a week, a month, and tell me what comes to mind when you think of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This film, or the animated series? By the way, I miss Shredder. Cowabunga dudes!
The 411: I’m not sure how I feel about this title yet, but I am certain on how I feel about this movie now that it is done. It was entertaining, but bland. The comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird have returned in a more pristine CGI form, but they are same green guys we knew before. Despite solid voice work, satisfactory action sequences, and unique villain concepts, I just cannot in good conscience give this a definite recommendation. Until Shredder inevitably makes his comeback, I will admire my collection of Nintendo games, lunch boxes, school supplies, and Pez dispensers that I begged my parents to buy me. It is astounding to look back at how crazy popular this series was. Hopefully the sequel will undergo some much needed adjustments, and turn out to be superior to this.
