Showing posts with label Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Show all posts

Monday, August 5, 2019

Blu-ray Review - Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I'm a huge Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan, but the idea of them crossing over with DC or Marvel characters never seemed like a good idea. The first comic book mini-series this film is based on was pretty disappointing. But Amazon had the rental on sale, so I thought, "What the hay?"

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2019 direct-to-video action superhero film featuring the DC Comics hero Batman (created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger) and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird). It is rated PG-13 for language and violence and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good


Story and Pacing. This movie had a solid story that made sense, wasn't contrived, and moved logically from one scene to the next. The pacing was deliberate and slow enough to develop the story but fast enough to never become boring.

Animation and Art Direction. While this wasn't my favorite look for the characters, it worked really well for the story and the movie.

Action. The fights were so fun and so well done showcasing so many characters and most of their abilities and unique traits. It was fun to see Batman and Shredder so evenly matched and such a long struggle to fight each other without a quick resolution.

Titles. The titles were gorgeous with black and white cityscapes and colored characters in front. The end credits with famous comic book covers recreated with Batman and the Turtles were also very clever.

Fan Nods. There were a lot of easter eggs and nods to the fans as well as references to previous incarnations both in film and print of the characters that really made the world rich.

Voice Acting. All the voice casting choices were new, but they felt classic.

The Bad


Violence and Swearing.
 I get this movie is meant to appeal to an older audience, but the action and sophistication of the story would have done that. The extreme violence and cussing actually detracted from the film.

Science of Ooze/Mutagen. The fact that the ooze works instantaneously and can only be cured within a short window makes absolutely no sense. Everything else was well thought out and well considered. The major McGuffin of the story not being well considered was kind of strange.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the Batmobile had been a cooler design.

Overall


Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the best animated films I've ever scene. The story is solid and well considered, the action is fast and fierce and showcases each character's unique abilities, the voice casting sounded classic, and the titles were gorgeous. Even though this film was targeted to an older audience, the amount of violence and harsh language detracted feeling contrived and forced. I give this film 4.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.


   

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles




I've been a Ninja Turtle fan since I first saw the cartoon and the toys in the store in the 80s. What a fun, fresh, yet classic concept. Eastman and Laird wrote and drew some memorable issues, and the Fred Wolf cartoon and toy line made them legendary by introducing elements that are still considered canon today. Nickelodeon bought the rights to the characters and has relaunched them as a successful new comic book series published by IDW that takes a fresh approach to the mythology while including and paying tribute to all previous incarnations, a cgi television series that's less successful, and a movie that won't be causing anyone to wax nostalgic in twenty years.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a two hour action, science fiction show that attempts to reboot the franchise. There is action, mild language, and intense, over-the-top stunts that is appropriated for tweens and up.

The Good


Plot. The movie actually had a pretty tight, linear plot that was easy to follow and yet interesting enough to keep one from getting board.

Pacing. The movie moved at a nice pace and never seemed to drag or move too quickly.

Vern. Vern is the comic relief, but unlike the typical stereotype appearing in most movies, he is fairly intelligent, brave, and competent. It was a refreshing change from the usual dopey, screw up klutz we see in most movies.

Character Designs. The character designs of the Turtles were actually pretty nice and worked well on the big screen. They were different enough from anything that's come before to feel unique, and yet still retained enough of the classic look to not alienate long-time fans.

The Bad


Characterization. Other than Michelangelo, everyone was very flat character wise and uninteresting. No one had much personality. A mad scientist who was a trusted childhood friend is the bad guy, and he was one of the more interesting characters.

Origin. They made changes to the origin following the IDW comic book series' take, but forgot to include the reincarnation that made it work. It really made the Turtles feel less special and purposeless.

The Shredder. The Shredder basically looked like a giant Transformer, had no personality, and was little more than a hired good for the evil scientist mastermind. I've never seen this character interpreted so weakly. The Shredder is supposed to be a brilliant yet ruthless leader. Not here. He's the obedient muscle with no strategy. And that armor was ridiculous, even for a Michael Bay movie.

The Ending. The ending was so over-the-top and silly that there was no sense of peril. I understand wanting something big, but you have to have some credibility, some believability to make the audience feel, and it just wasn't there. The Turtles saved the day so easily with no real sense of peril that the victory felt very hollow and meaningless.

Overall


The new Ninja Turtles movie is no classic, but the plot was pretty tight and the movie enjoyable enough that is isn't a waste of time either. This movie won't be causing anyone to wax nostalgic in twenty years. You'd be well advised to wait for it to come on TV or wait for your roommate to rent it. I give it three boxes of popcorn out of five.