Bluelitespecial

One other thing, I thought Judith Hoag (the original April O'Neil) filmed a cameo, but I didn't see her anywhere. This was a fan service type of movie, That was fun to see.

Mike86

I'm still on the fence with this one as I really don't care for the 2014 film at all. I'll wait to read a few more reviews.

Orbi-Wan Techno

From my review on Facebook at Orbi-Wan Goes To The Movies:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows (PG-13) - Goofy, silly fun for those who care

If you did not grow up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or did not raise kids who were into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, save your money. This movie is not for you. There is no deep philosophical message or thought-provoking meaning here.

What there is - this is pretty much a straight-forward live action version of the 80s/90s cartoon (and possibly the current Nickelodeon series, as well). Out Of The Shadows embraces the absurdity of shell-backed vigilantes fighting evil on the streets of New York, and all the craziness that involves.

In addition to regulars Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April, and Vern, we are introduced to Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) and his hockey mask. Bad guy Shredder is back, along with the Foot Clan, with giggly, giddy scientist Baxter Stockman and bumbling henchmen BeBop and RockSteady (in full warthog and rhino glory) along for the ride.

The various plots involve the Turtles pining a bit for recognition for saving New York in the first reasonably enjoyable movie and wanting to be accepted for who they are, and Shredder’s ill-advised alliance with the gooey, tentacled Krang, an inter-dimensional being that apparently lives in the stomach region of a large robot.

Best moments in the film are actually the quiet ones where the Turtles’ individual personalities are given a chance to shine, and a few over-the-top action sequences such as an insane mid-air plane-to-plane jump and fight. The final showdown between the Turtles and Krang gets a little confusing, and has the dodgiest special effects.

There are some actual laughs in the movie too, including a couple of Arrested Development gags that I am sure only I got, and Jones’ encounter with Master Splinter. Like the first movie, I was reasonably entertained, and I enjoyed the interaction between the Turtles, whose emotions and expressions were more subtle now than in the last movie.

For parents, there is some PG language primarily during the big chase scene that introduces the Turtles’ Battle Truck. The violence is barely PG-13ish, nobody dies, and pretty much everyone recovers quickly from injury. Otherwise, this was as close to watching a TMNT cartoon as you can get without it actually being a cartoon.

I am giving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a solid 3 out of 5 - an enjoyable, silly, and goofy time for those who can appreciate what’s going on here.

dex14

I agree with a lot of points in this review:



But I will say...if you did like the first you'll still like this.

A-aron

Not great, but no bad. The action scenes were fun, but I just wasn't feeling Amell's Casey Jones. I guess growing up with the original films and Koteas' Jones it just seemed uninspired.

One question regarding an event in the end

Mike86

I thought it was better than the first but still not great. I felt like this one balanced the story and action a bit better but something about it still felt off.

I liked how Bebop, Rocksteady, and Krang were handled but Shredder felt pretty wasted. Casey Jones I could take or leave this version of. He wasn't too terrible but I wasn't quite feeling this interpretation and it's a tad irritating that he pretty much doesn't even wear the mask. April and Vern I can take or leave (although Arnett does provide some fun moments).

The Turtles themselves are still a mixed bag for me. I still don't like how they look and while their personalities are there sometimes they feel too forced.

Overall I don't think it's a bad film but there's still a lot of room for improvement.

Bluelitespecial

That was a quick scene that I didn't quite get either, I though this movie would have had more discussion here since its the only big movie this weekend.

stingermck

Saw it and enjoyed it. Wasnt the best movie ever, but seeing Krang and the technodrome on the big screen was a treat

resinrats

To me, the end reminded me of the original series, final episode of the pilot miniseries where Krang, Shredder & the Technodrome got sucked into Dimension X.

CaptainMarvel

I saw this over the weekend. It was a mixed bag, but since I went in expecting that, I wasn't disappointed.

The turtles looked better this time. They were more physically distinct, and they didn't seem as cluttered. (It's always funny to me how in the old games, Raphael was the quick-but-weak one, while Donatello was the slow-but-powerful one. Now Raphael is the bruiser, and Donatello is the least powerful.)

There was plenty of geek fan service (Technodrome, Krang, van-that-launches-manhole covers), as well as fan service of a different kind (Megan Fox, especially the "disguise" scene). Bebop and Rocksteady were both entertaining and nice to finally see on the big screen, although I could have done without some of the lowbrow humor (e.g., fart jokes).

I like Amell (and I enjoy him despite how terrible Arrow has become), but he was kind of awful here. Bad acting, and he really didn't make a convincing Casey Jones (Plus, I always liked that Casey Jones used equipment from multiple sports, and here he was just 100% hockey guy). Shredder was utterly wasted.

The story was ridiculous (but less ridiculous than the last one, somehow). There was an incredible amount of cheese (e.g., . It's a mindless, idiotic movie, but at least it doesn't forget it's trying to be fun. It's worth a matinee or a rental.

TheHive08

Yeah, there was a ton of fan service, which was completely okay by me. IMO, Bebop and Rocksteady stole the movie. The turtles were more fun than in the previous installment, and I enjoyed seeing Krang and the turtle van on the big screen. The human characters are all so dull that whenever the movie concentrates on them, it loses a lot of steam. I always enjoy Will Arnett, and his scenes were usually okay, but April and Casey Jones were a bore.

Draven

Saw it with the kids last night. Fully agree that it's better than the first (and I liked the first). I think CGI is really the way to go with the Turtles and they are surprisingly emotive, especially in close-up. That tech is really impressive. BeBop and Rocksteady were actually far less annoying than they were in the cartoons - I actually thought they made good adversaries for the Turtles.

I was never a huge fan of the cartoon series (I loved them from the comics first) but it was neat to see things like the Technodrome's "eye" and the Turtle van in action.

Megan Fox continues to be ridiculously hot and she looks like she has fun with these movies.

And I too was trying to look around Krang's frozen prison. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Usagi Yojimbo

Mike86

I thought the Technodrome and the whole finale were a bit meh to be honest. Probably one of the weaker aspects of the film. It felt like it just started but not much really happened. It was assembling itself and there's what feels like a fairly brief scene with the Turtles fighting on it but it and it was just kind of underwhelming I thought.

Spiderbite

The family and I saw this last night at the local Liemax in 3D.

I will go against the grain here and be one of the only ones who preferred the previous movie over this one. The last one seemed more enjoyable and funny. Mikey and the camera man actually made me laugh in it. This one seemed like they were trying too hard and the humor just fell flat the majority of the time.

The effects were fantastic and the turtles looked great. I was a little old for TMNT when it hit its zenith on TV so I never have been a fan of the old cartoons, the original trilogy or even the comics. But having a kid, we have viewed the last three movies in the theater (includes this new one).

Maybe that is why I felt detached. It seemed like a bad cartoon episode and the movie didn't really stand on its own. Rock Steady and Bebop were more annoying than anything else though the plane scene was really good. I didn't care for the Arrow guy. Linney (the police chief), seemed embarrassed to be there. Will Arnett seemed bored with what he was given. Megan Fox's face doesn't move the entire film (which is by far the creepiest effect in it) and Shredder was wasted.

The good was the effects, the action scenes, the 3D, the sound. And the voices of all the turtles do a great job and seem to be enjoying their roles.

So I didn't hate it but didn't love it either. Just kind of Meh.

My rating: 2.5 out of 5

The last one I gave a 3.5 out of 5 (after us rewatching it the other night in prep for the new one)

DaveyJoe

Viacom Says Financial Performance Hurt By ‘Ninja Turtles'

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