TMNT
This is the restart of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise for you folks out there who don’t remember when the comic book heroes were big back in the late ’80s, early ’90s, and can’t figure out that “hip” acronym. I enjoyed the turtles to an extent- though I seriously don’t remember ever watching any of the movies, I did have toys and the Nintendo game (not an easy one)- but when I first saw the trailer for this new animated adventure for brothers Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Rafael, I gotta say, I did get kind of stoked. The deal was further sealed by news of the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patrick Stewart, and Kevin Smith providing voices, though from what I’ve heard of the original comic, and saw of the stylized animation (by CG house Imagi on a budget that wouldn’t pay Pixar’s catering), the film’s PG rating didn’t instill confidence.
Oh well. While there’s not a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to the drama of the story, there’s enough good will in terms of the characters themselves (performed by talent that brings the personalities to life; Gellar as April, Chris Evans- Johnny Storm in “Fantastic Four”- as Casey Jones, and Patrick Stewart as villain Max Winters standout in a solid cast, and I thought that was Laurence Fishburne as the narrator), and enough strength in the film visually, to pass as agreeable entertainment. At the very least, writer-director Kevin Monroe- a newcomer to films after previous work on video games (“Freaky Flyers”) and TV (“Donner”); his visual sense is strong, but he may want to consider a seasoned collaborator in the writing department in the future- has laid the foundation for a possible franchise that’ll hopefully push a little further into darker territory than this one does. The silly stuff in this movie just doesn’t gel with the story- which follows the turtles trying to fight as a family again after Leonardo has spent over a year in the jungle training to be a better leader, leading the rest of the brothers to find other ways to occupy their time while Master Splinter (their rat mentor voiced by the late Japanese actor Mako) awaits his eldest’s return. The stupid comedy is very funny in that “so bad it’s good” way at times (especially a line Michaelangelo has near the end), but there’s just not a good blend of it to go with this story; like I said, a seasoned writer next time around could be a plus to the film.
It also might help give weight to the drama, which engaged me because the core personalities are so well defined, but felt cartoonish and lacking in real tension (a similar problem that I had with “300,” which is a better film overall but this was the better entertainment). But give the film points for style, because the action sequences are well-executed and the movie just looks freakin’ great. The characters have a distinctive look that’s not hard to admire (and that’s saying something at a time when CG-heavyweights like Pixar and Dreamworks continue to raise the bar on character animation), and the stylized CG pops off the screen with the liveliness of a comic book (which the Turtles debuted as in 1984) and the imagination of the great film universes, most especially for me “Dark City” but also “The Fifth Element” and “Blade Runner.” But if the movie’s look borrows from earlier films, it has a resonance all its’ own. And though my fellow Yahoos- whom I saw the film with in celebration of one of ours’ birthday- felt the rain during one particular sequence wasn’t as well-executed as it could of been (and has been in earlier CG flicks), I for one appreciated the way it seemed to flow with the rest of the film’s visual sense. This is the type of cinematic fantasy that one can’t help but smile about. Is it a great film? Hardly. It is a decent entertainment, though, and a worthwhile new visual universe to lose yourself in for 80-plus minutes. Now let’s see a story onscreen that makes Turtle fans really want to shout “Cowabunga, dudes!” at the end. Sorry folks; you know I had to say it once.
Disagree with my review? Fair Enough. If you want, feel free to check out the listing for the soundtrack album over at Amazon.com.
