TMNT

by: Average Joe 1 year, 8 months, 1 week, 4 days, 5 hours, 22 minutes ago

Release Date:

3/23/07

Company:

Warner Bros.

Series:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 

I just got back from seeing any early showing of director Kevin Munroe’s TMNT and on the ride home I was trying to think of a funny and clever way to express my feelings about the Turtles and their latest big screen incarnation, and to be quite honest with you the best I can come up with is “awesome!”

Ever since 1993’s less than stellar Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III our heroes have been absent from movie theaters, but not from die-hard fan’s hearts. Apparently hearing the cry of millions of turtles fans everywhere, Warner Bros snatched up the film rights once New Line Cinema let them go and hired writer/director Kevin Munroe to resurrect the four reptilian brothers for a new generation.

Opting to go more of the Superman Returns way, and less of the Batman Begins way, Munroe decided to present the turtles in the same continuity as the other films (from my best guess TMNT takes place after the events of the third film as evident my the magic scepter in Splinter’s “trophy room") using the wonders of CGI. And for that I thank him. TMNT not only looks beautiful, but does an impeccable job of bringing the mannerisms of our heroes to life both as individuals, and as a family. I can remember the first time I saw the turtles come to life in 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was mesmerized as I sat there and watched a quartet of walking, talking turtles do battle against the evil Shredder and his Foot Soldiers. 17 years later (with no shame) I can say I felt that same feeling again sitting in the theater surrounded by an audience that ranged from 3 to 40.

I have to hand it to Munroe, as he really showcased the “united we stand, divided we fall” aspect that is the very foundation of the turtles. Throughout the film we’re shown each turtle as they learn to adapt to their newfound roles in life. Leonardo traveled to Central America on the wishes of Master Splinter in the hopes he would return a more confident leader. Michelangelo works children’s parties as “Cowabunga Carl.” Donatello continues to use his intellect as an IT phone specialist, and Raphael moonlites as the mysterious vigilante known as “The Nightwatcher.”

Although the plot’s not incredibly complex, it does the job of presenting a threat to the World, and reuniting our heroes to stop it. Before Master Splinter gives his blessing for the turtles to return to the surface and get back to doing what they do best, they must first overcome their greatest challenge yet: learning how to become a family once again.

As I said before, the animation is gorgeous, and the design of the film and it’s characters borrows heavily from the angular look from the original comics. For those of you not familiar with the look of the original books (again, shame on you) let’s just say it has a similar design to Disney’s The Incredibles. As much as I loved the original films, I can now safely say THIS is the way the turtles should be done from now on.

The fight scenes in the film are sure to make even the harshest critic stand up an applaud. Once scene in particular shows us the fight we’ve seen coming for over 20 years as Leonardo and Raphael square off against one another on top of a roof in the rain...it really is a stunning scene to behold. While I won’t tell you the outcome of the scene, I can tell you the the planning, and choreography is just as good, if not better than anything you’ll see in live action.

Aside from the beautiful animation, the voice cast is where this film really shines. Featuring the talents of Patrick Stewart (X-Men) as Max Winters, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) as April O’Neil, Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) as Casey Jones, Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger) as Karai, and the late Mako (who the film is dedicated to) as Master Splinter, this is one of the most well cast, and best acted animated films I’ve ever seen. Even Morpheus himself, Lawrence Fishburne lends his vocal talents to the film as it’s narrator.

I’d also like to give special mention to the four actors who portray our heroes in the film. While they may not be household names to most of us (unless you’re like me and follow voice acting) James Arnold Taylor (Leonardo), Mitchell Whitfield (Donatello), Mikey Kelley (Michelangelo), and Nolan North (Raphael) really do an outstanding job of properly portraying each turtle and their own unique personality. I loved the way each one of them sounded.

While I found the film to be a bit on the short side, I really have little to complain about. The dialogue is great, and actually had me laughing during several parts, and the story, although lacking one of the series’ major characters, works just fine. If you’ve ever been a fan of the turtles, collected the toys, sang the theme song, or used the word “cowabunga” then TMNT is the film for you. If you’ve never done any of those things, then at least take your kids to see it because you were obviously born before the big “turtle-boom” of the 80’s....I mean come on, who doesn’t love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles??