Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

So this weekend, my girl and I went to see TMNT: Out of the Shadows.  And I have to say, this was a really enjoyable film.  No, it's probably not going to win any Oscars, and it didn't answer any questions for me about human condition.  What it did was bring me back to my childhood and let me live in a fun world populated by mutants and ninjas.  This was also an improvement over the first film I thought as well.  I'm not willing to say this is my favorite Turtles film after just one viewing, but it's contending for the title.  And for those that are still saying "it's just not (insert personal favorite iteration of TMNT here)" LET IT GO!!!  If we don't give these properties and characters chances to adapt and change slightly they will stagnate and die.  That doesn't mean all adaptations will be successful (please reboot Transformers without Michael Bay directing), but as fans we ought to give them a chance.  Coming from someone that grew up on the first cartoon, had posters from the first movies up in my room, and loved the 2004 reboot all the way to Back to the Sewer, this was a successful adaptation of TMNT that stayed true to the core of the characters and the story (I haven't gotten to see the new cartoon).  Some spoilers will follow but hey, it's a review.

One thing I thought was generally improved moving from the first film was the character designs.  The character designs in the first film were a bit hard to swallow initially.  This was in part due to a departure from the more traditional design of the characters, but the new designs felt a bit more completed than they had previously.  The costumes, and even the Turtles, looked cleaner and better developed.  Another big win for the character designs were in Bebop and Rocksteady.  I loved these two.  They made the film in a lot of ways.  But they looked great.  The same can be said for Krang.  The way they adapted his suit was great. I did not want to see a giant fat dude in red underwear and a yellow vest on the big screen.  Giant robot that looks like the guy and kicks a lot of butt, that was great to see.  And the head was perfectly executed.  However, there was one character that just didn't get the same upgrade the Turtles did, the Shredder.  The costume for the Shredder was just.. boring.  For all the complaining I heard about the giant robotic suit before the first film came out, when I finally got to see it on the screen it was awesome.  The suit felt like it was sacrificed for budget.  Like seeing a guy gearing up in a stormtrooper costume that forgot half his armor.

This film expanded the cast of characters as well.  In addition to bringing back everyone from the first film, we got introduced to the previously mentioned Bebop, Rocksteady and Krang.  On top of these three, we also were treated to Baxter Stockman.  His character is a bit less nuanced than I would have liked, though it could be I just am a bit tired of the "scientist who gets wrapped up in the science and doesn't expect his boss to be THAT evil" trope.  I do hope that we get to see him return though.  However, while Stockman felt like a little bit of a let down, Stephen Amell's portrayal of Casey Jones was great.  True, the character was a bit of a departure from some of his other portrayals.  However, I think this was a successful adaptation of the character into this film universe.  He's a little more intelligent than he is usually portrayed, a shift I am really okay with.  Hopefully we see more of Casey in the future.  His friendship with Raphael, particularly with him being a better balance of brains and brawn, should have some great point/counter-point moments.  And I'm also really hoping we get to see a romance develop between Casey and April.  When done well, that has always been a great portion of the mythos and I think Amell and Fox can pull it off. 

And that will bring us to the films only other weak point.  April was instrumental in the first film.  It was as much her story as it was the Turtles'.  But she felt really underutilized in this film.  She still has the "willing to take risks and ask questions that people don't want asked" attitude.  However, she isn't as big a part of the film.  There were a just couple of moments that I really wanted to see her say "fine, I'll do it."  She didn't take charge like she had in the first film, and I missed that.  I suspect it was just a matter of trying to balance a fairly large cast in a limited amount of time that caused some of this, though perhaps her being pregnant might have restricted her ability to do some other things.  Splinter is also relatively absent, in this film, but for some reason I didn't miss him as much as I did April, perhaps because he has often taken a backseat to his sons in other iterations.  I was really hoping they would give the Turtles the last name of Splintersan as a way to incorporate him again, just as another quick nod to how important he was to them.

So if you want to see a movie that is going to change your life, maybe skip this one.  If you want to see the movie so that you can whine about how the original was better because it came out when you were 7, do us all a favor and just pass.  But, if you want to see a fantastically entertaining film, a film that makes you feel like you're a kid getting to see their toys come to life then go see this movie.  If you want to see a film where the people that made it were clearly having a great time telling the a good story, then go see this film.  If you're just interested to see how the Turtles have evolved for the next generation, then go see this film.  If you liked the first one, or you have kids that are just now discovering the Turtles, then go see this film with the whole family.  I am really excited about the direction they seem to be taking with these films and I can't wait to see the next chapter, because the possibilities begun with the Technodrome (which had me giddy) are astounding.