TMNT Reviewed

TMNT. I probably wouldn't have loved it like I did if it didn't recall fond memories of my youth.

The fact is that it's a movie filled with regurgitated jokes, overused sight-gags, campy one-liners, and massive plot holes....

The writers of this one seemed intent on recalling the greatness of the original cartoon and movies, they also seemed to be trying to bring back some of the darkness and style of the old Eastman and Laird comics. The only problem is that they seem determined to cater to far too large of an audience, everyone from loyal fanboys to the 8 year olds who're watching the current iteration of the show.

Now, I'm more than willing to overlook a lot most of the time to enjoy a movie about something I like, and that's just what I had to do for this one. It seemed as though they weren't sure whether they were taking themselves serious or not. Now, the most important thing to mention is that this movie is still classic turtles. I was hoping for something a little more highbrow, but, overall it still harks back to the days gone by for me.

I will say that the CGI is spot on, it's beautifully done, of course, that goes without saying these days. I will say that everything is smooth and linear, and even though you're watching the impossible movements of mutant turtles and massive monsters you still believe what you're seeing.

The story is actually pretty good. I haven't really seen the current show, but I've the entire original series, all three movies and read quite a few of the comics, including the very first ones. This film seems to pick up, more or less, at the end of the second movie. Shredder is dead, Leonardo has gone into training far away from New York, so the three remaining brothers are getting by through various means. Donatello is now a one man IT service, Michalango is now a turtle party clown, and Raphael has taken to running around as a one man crime fighting machine. April O'Neil seems to be some sort of archaeologist, and Casey Jones is still a wisecrackin' vigilante. The story takes on a new challenge for our heroes. Leonardo comes home, but, it's not hugs all around. Raphael is still brooding, but more importantly, there's a bunch of 3,000 year old monsters running around the city.

I won't ruin everything for you, but, it's pretty decent stuff, though. The main problems that I have I've already outlined, and I won't go into too much detail at all. Just trust that this is flawed on many levels, but, for anyone who's a fan of the turtles, it's well worth the watch.