By: Johnny Wellens
Honestly…it wasn’t terrible.
When you go to a movie that Michael Bay had a hand in creating you can count on two things. The first is that it will pretty much a non-stop ride. Very few chances to really sit and reflect on what you just saw. Because if you did you’ll start finding all of the flaws in it. And the second is that regardless of how good the movie is, you’ll have a fun time. And that’s exactly what you get with this film, it’s not a great movie it’s just a fun time in the theater.
Unlike the first TMNT movie this almost exclusively focuses on the Turtles. Yes April has a little side adventure and we see what the villains are up to, but make no mistake, this is about the turtle brothers. And if the first movie got anything right it was the turtle’s personalities which carries over very well. Leo doubts that he can lead his brothers when they cannot get on his same page. Raph constantly is fighting something whether it be his punching bag or the rules. Donnie buries his nose into his lab work and books. Then there’s Mikey…who is the only one I’m a little disappointed in. Michelangelo has always been my favorite because he’s the comic relief, he’s fun and witty and cool. But his humor in this movie doesn’t come from his slacker attitude or witty comebacks. He is just an idiot. So…yes he is still funny but for the wrong reasons.
Fans also receive a couple characters they have been wanting to see since the ‘90s cartoon with the introductions of Bebop and Rocksteady. Again it is exactly what it’s supposed to be. Does it make total sense? No. Do the character’s internally struggle with these sudden new changes to their bodies? Nope. They are not supposed to. They love being themselves whether they’re human or a rhino and warthog. It’s stupid fun! They don’t advance the story; they’re just supposed to be there.
Another character introduced that originated from the ‘90s cartoon show was Krang. (Yes I’m aware that Krang is in the comics but the version from the cartoon differs greatly and the movie took its inspiration from that source.) His character was ham-fisted in, it makes no sense and he’s only there so the filmmakers can say “Look we have Krang!” But again, that’s the point and it was really cool to see him.
Want someone else from the TMNT universe? The filmmakers thought you might so we also get Baxter Stockman…and he’s hilarious. This may be the first movie I’ve ever seen Tyler Perry in where he genuinely made me laugh. Stockman giggles throughout the entire movie, like he’s just happy that he was invited and nervous someone might notice he doesn’t belong. He serves as Shredder’s version of Donnie. He is less evil and more consumed by his lack of renown despite his brilliance. He just wants everyone to know his name and he’s willing to enslave humanity to do it.
Casey Jones! Yeah, he shows up too. I have talked to plenty of people who were worried that because it was Stephen Amell that Casey would be identical to Oliver Queen. Rest assured, he isn’t. He is cocky and arrogant, funny and good-spirited. This isn’t an established Casey, this is a first time being a vigilante Casey and it worked just fine. He doesn’t get a ton of screen time to really flex his Casey Jones muscles. But I’m sure that in the inevitable third movie we’ll see him a lot more.
Shredder and Splinter return as well but neither of them is really utilized. People hoping for a rematch between the Turtles and Shredder will be disappointed. And Splinter really does nothing, which is fine with me because I don’t really like this version of the Kung-Fu Rat. April is here…again…I still didn’t care. She meant nothing to me in the first movie and she still means nothing here. But I will say that, as one of the people who rolled their eyes of her dressed up as a school girl in the trailer…that scene actually made a little bit of sense. So well done TMNT crew.
There is an interesting subplot that deals with the Turtles feeling cooped up and still having to hide from the world. This upsets Raph greatly but obviously it affects Mikey the most. So when the turtles get their hands on some of the ooze used to create Bebop and Rocksteady there is a temptation to use it on themselves to become human. I was surprised that I was actually invested in this story element and I really wanted to see how it played out.
Look, the movie isn’t great, it lacks compelling story writing and is overstuffed with CG. The acting is decent but nothing to fawn over and the new characters definitely feel thrown in. It won’t win any Oscars or Academy Awards. But it’s not supposed to! I approach this series the same way I approach Transformers and the first 5 Fast & Furious movies. They’re just supposed to be fun. Grab your popcorn, snag a drink, go with some friends and just be entertained at the craziness this movie throws at you. Because all this movie strives to be is a fun time at the theaters.
Turtle Power!