Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Tonight, on Paramount+, I checked out the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which came out theatrically in August and on Paramount+ in the middle of September, and I will let all the dudes know how this movie is.

Since their creation over 40 years ago, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have seen their brand of hilarious, family-targeted action all over six feature films (in three separate timelines) and countless television, comic books, and video games. Despite everything, and each respective creative honoring their spin, the younger, more appropriately teenaged years of the four have rarely been given the main focus.

Peter Gray said in his review, “For Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, director/co-writer Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. The Machines) and producers and co-writers Seth Rogen (Superbad) and Evan Goldberg (This Is The End) have embraced this adolescent mentality, with both the film’s humour, coming-of-age narrative, and exciting, unorthodox animation all expressing this very temperament; the almost scrapbook-like look of the animated renderings bringing to mind the aesthetic of the recent Spider-Verse films.”

When the film starts, we’re thrown into the action almost immediately, and mainly it looks like “Mutant Mayhem” will hit the ground running, barely giving us enough time to catch up. Thankfully, once Leonardo (Nicholas Cantu), the leader, Donatello (Micah Abbey), the tech expert, Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), the comic relief, and Raphael (Brady Noon), the hothead of the group, return home from their latest escapade – which includes forgetting their grocery chore to catch a late-night viewing at an outdoor movie theater (the live-action inclusion of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” making for a nice visual touch) – the film takes a moment to slow down, introducing us to their father figure, Splinter (Jackie Chan) and let us in on their mutated history as animals that were all enhanced by the same chemical ooze.

Splinter doesn’t want the turtles roaming around the city due to his rancor of the human race – we’re told in a flashback regarding how he was treated when he first found the Turtles – so when they befriend high school reporter April O’Neill, voiced by Ayo Edebiri, they know they have to keep this a secret. April's not entirely scared when looking at them is one thing – her being an outcast at school means she’s sympathetic to their feelings – but the rest of the population making nice is another, but the Turtles believe that if they can publicly stop the actions of the criminal mastermind currently wreaking havoc in the city, then the adoration they want will come as their reward.

The criminal mastermind is Superfly, voiced by Ice Cube, a mutant fly who, as Gray describes, “proves to not quite be as shoo-able as the Turtles envisioned.” Not only is Superfly a threatening presence, but his motley crew of fellow mutated animal allies – which includes Bebop (Seth Rogen), Rocksteady (John Cena), Leatherhead (Rose Byrne), Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd), and Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress) – are equally as dangerous as they are tempting for Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael to consider joining a group that they can relate to.

The idea of the Turtles trying to find their place in society is a relatable story for the teen audience “Mutant Mayhem” is mainly targeting, but it will easily sit with any age group as it speaks to one’s confidence and learning who your group is. Gray noted, “It’s also to the film’s benefit that the Turtles themselves are voiced by teenaged talent, allowing each character to individually shine through believable banter; to call their chemistry organic would be putting it lightly.”

Gray continued, “Furthering its colouring-outside-the-lines personality with a 90s-leaning soundtrack (a fight sequence to the tune of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” is a highlight), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an exciting take on the familiar.” Though occasionally dark and improving a sense of humor that the older crowd will appreciate, Rogen and crew have still intelligently made an action film that speaks to so many ages, without sacrificing any of its truth in the process: it’s so good that we don’t even mind it submits to the now-usual mid-credit sequel tease because, if this is anything to go by, further sequels under these creatives will be welcomed with a loud “Shell yeah!”

All I can say dudes that it has been a while since I have gotten into a TMNT movie. This one should be seen by everyone if they have a Paramount+. I think everyone will like it, and critics have been calling this the best TMNT film. I might agree with them since I enjoyed the action, the serious moments, and the comedy made me laugh every time. See this film to know what I mean. Maya Rudolph is in here voicing another villain.

Thank you for joining in on this really righteous review. Stay tuned this Friday to see what I will review for this year’s “Halloween Month.”

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie

Today, I saw “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie,” which came out on Netflix last month, and I will let you know of this film. Bear in mind, I only saw the premiere with my brother, and we thought it was fine, but said it did look like it would be a good show. Just not something we wanted to watch every week.

Despite their popularity spike long before most of today’s teenagers were born, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles never really faded out. Michael Nordine said in his review, “We’re only six years removed from the most recent live-action film based on the pizza-loving reptiles, and it was just two months ago that a new TMNT video game was released.” Ant Wart and Andy Suriano’s film is based on the animated series that aired on Nickelodeon from 2018 to 2020. Despite doubtfully bringing any nostalgic fans of the series from late 80s, early 90s in the park, this film is a serviceable – if also forgettable – entry in this franchise.

Nordine noted, “It would be difficult to overstate how obsessed with ninjas and martial arts children were in the ’90s, with the franchise riding the same wave as “Mortal Kombat,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and the “3 Ninjas” movies. (That almost all of this was cribbed from Japanese pop culture didn’t occur to those of us who were kids at the time, of course.)” Most of the franchises continue, though the obsession they’re trending now is one of nostalgia – which, looked at from a certain angle, might be the most profitable and universal genre in existence.

Nordine mentioned, “To say that the plot of “Rise” borrows liberally from “The Terminator” would be putting it lightly; to assume that the film’s intended audience knows or cares would probably be wrong.” It starts in the war-torn New York City of 2044, where Masters Leonardo (Ben Schwartz) and Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith) are so close to being murdered by an alien race known as the Krang that they do something desperate: open a portal and send longtime ally Casey Jones (Haley Joel Osment) back in time so that the disaster they’re facing can be stopped before it starts.

The problem with this isn’t that it’s unoriginal. It’s that, if only by benefit of being different from the wide range of “TMNT” franchise we’ve already seen over the last 30+ years, the future timeline is more compelling than the one we get. Nordine said, “Michelangelo and Leonardo have advanced abilities we’ve never seen from them before, laser blasts and explosions blanket the battlefield, and there’s an immediate sense of urgency that the rest of the film is sorely lacking. It’s downright apocalyptic, in fact, and feels moments away from utter ruin. “Middle-Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles” might not roll off the tongue as easily, but it probably would have been a better movie.”

That wouldn’t leave much time for fan service, however. What little we know of this future timeline tells us that there’d be no pizza for the ninja turtles to eat, not to mention few moments of humor when “radical” and/or “bodacious” would be appropriate to say. Nordine said, “The catchphrases and fun-loving air of these heroes in a half shell is a large part of their appeal, and “Rise” is careful not to deviate from a formula that’s kept the franchise at least semi-relevant for decades.” For the children this continuation of the Nickelodeon show is clearly targeting, that’ll probably be enough – never mind that it feels less like an actual movie and more like a “very special episode” of the series.

However, there are some differences that carry over from the show. Here, the brothers have actual mystic abilities along with their ninjitsu skills. Nordine noted, “they’re also more visually distinct from one another than usual, with Raphael (Omar Benson Miller) being much larger than his siblings and the ever-erudite Donatello (Josh Brener) donning a full face covering while bringing up concepts like the grandfather paradox to help his brothers understand time travel. But none of that prevents “Rise” from feeling samey. A longtime devotee such as myself would never suggest that it’s time for the ninja turtles to go away, but it might be time for them to grow up — if only just a little.”

Some of the differences here didn’t sit with me, but then again, changes happen with each installment. Raphael is apparently older than Leonardo, and is now the leader, since Leonardo is cocky, arrogant, impulsive, and too quick in reacting. Old school fans remember Leonardo being the eldest and having the leader qualities and Raphael being the hot-head, but this one seems to change it around. Still, I think this film was fine for what it was. If you’re an old-school Ninja Turtles fan, you may not get into this, but if you have kids who watched “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” then you can put it on for them.

Thank you for joining in on my review tonight. Stay tuned next Friday for the continuation of “Starship Troopers Month.”

We Wish You a Turtles Christmas

Alright everyone, it’s time to review another holiday stinker that all of you should avoid around the Christmas season. If you guys remember last year when I reviewed “The Star Wars Holiday Special,” I had mentioned the Ninja Turtles special, “We Wish You a Turtles Christmas,” a direct-to-video 1994 special. I just finished watching this 25 minute abomination, so now I will let all the TMNT fans know why you should avoid this one at all costs.

First off, just look at the Turtles. They look horrifying. It looks like the costume designers gave them one of the worst turtle’s costumes ever. The permanent smiles on their faces look scary, the heads keep looking like they’re going to fall off, and even the shells look like they are going to break. Also, the lip-syncing is one of the worst ever. Either the mouths don’t move in-sync with the voice or they keep moving after the lines are done. Even the Brooklyn accents sound over-exaggerated.

The songs they give the turtles are just full of 90s cheese. When they sing Deck the Halls, why is Leonardo, played by Ronn K. Smith, doing a Jamaican accent? Isn’t that offensive? Maybe he just didn’t care. Next, Up From the Sewer is a horrible rip-off of Over the River and Through the Woods, which is a classic Thanksgiving song. IT DOESN’T FIT HERE!!!

Now the story to this is that the Turtles (Smith, Eric Anzalone, Alfredo Miller and Florence Reymond) go out shopping for a gift for Splinter (Jack William Scott). If you grew up watching the TMNT cartoon from the '80s, like I did, you would remember that the Turtles always went out on the streets in a trench coat and fedora. Why are they not wearing that in here!? And how come the kids on the streets are perfectly fine with four turtles just roaming the streets? Are they not the least bit frightened? Because I would be!

When they are singing Gotta Get a Gift for Splinter, how come Leonardo pushes a rollerblading kid, played by Zach Grenier, off screen? That kid’s parents should file a lawsuit for that! And why all of a sudden does Michelangelo decide to sing opera in front of a Christmas tree!? Raphael decides to steal the bell from the poor Santa, played by Ethan Lipkin, for a split second, but I don’t know why. There's even a moment where Donatello and Raphael are going to pick Michelangelo up, but they don't. Probably because they thought either he was too heavy or the costume was going to fall apart. Either one wouldn't surprise me. Donatello looks at his watch as to say, “HURRY UP MIKEY, WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME!” Raphael keeps wiping his face with his mask, maybe to wipe away the tears of being in this torture. I do sympathize with Leonardo when he puts his hands over his ears. Also, how come at first Raphael says there are two hours left, but after Michelangelo sings his opera song, there’s only one hour left? Did the singing of Oh Little City of New York take up one whole hour!? Because it clearly was like 3-5 minutes!!

You got to be shocked when they do Wrap Rap, a rap song where they’re wrapping presents. To go from opera to rap is quite a stretch, guys! If you thought Ninja Rap was bad, get a load of this song, which is "far" worse.

Splinter looks like a coughed-up fur ball that was purged out of a cat. The voice sounds like he is wheezing every single time he talks. It’s like he doesn’t like the film, which to his credit, I wouldn’t blame him. He even goes through the entire 12 Days of Christmas song, which is painful. In fact, THIS WHOLE SOUNDTRACK IS PAINFUL!!! The person who came up with this put no effort into it whatsoever!! The songs are just bad that your ears will be bleeding. Finally, when did they decide to let kids into the sewers!? The Turtles never did that!! I thought the whole thing with the Turtles is that they stay hidden in the shadows, like Batman. Even making them sing the We Wish You a Turtles Christmas song is just painful torture for those poor unfortunate kids (Natasha Cresap, Alicia Manta, Anthony Manganiello and Yaniv Segal).

When the credits roll, the Turtles don’t shut up. They talk about some of their favorite songs, which is like, “ENOUGH ALREADY!! HAVEN’T YOU TORTURED US ENOUGH WITH YOUR HOLOCAUST OF A SPECIAL!?!?!?”

If you’re a TMNT fan, like me, do yourself a favor and never look this up and watch it. You will be in pain the whole time you’re watching this. I didn't know anything about the live-action TMNT stuff until my cousin introduced me to the TMNT live-action film trilogy from the 90s. Because before that, I was only familiar with the '80s cartoon and video games. Then James Rolfe did some TMNT live-action leftovers, which I had no idea they existed, and this Christmas Special was one of them. Thank goodness I wasn't "that" hardcore of a TMNT fan that I saw everything that had their names on it. People like to say that “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” was the worst thing that was TMNT related. I would like to say that if you ever see this, which came after that movie, you will wish that you were watching “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” instead of this horrible Christmas special. This Christmas special is the worst thing to have the TMNT name on it. With the amount of times it fades to black, it’s like it was made-for-TV instead of direct-to-video. James Rolfe is right when he said this is on par with “The Star Wars Holiday Special.” I don’t agree with the Nostalgia Critic when he said he recommended it for some fun entertainment because I don’t see entertainment in this monstrosity at all.

Oh boy, what a relief. Well, Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings online readers. Hopefully everyone had a Merry Christmas. Stay tuned tomorrow when I review a spin off on the “Cars” movies that aren’t Pixar related, but I feel I need to talk about.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Good news dudes: last Thursday, I went with my cousin to check out the new Ninja Turtles movie, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” which came out at the beginning of June. Today, I will give my review on this awesome sequel.

Eric Snider started his review out by saying, “Well, it took 26 years and six attempts, but they finally made a “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie that I enjoyed! Which is magnanimous of them, since I wasn’t the target audience and never expressed any interest in being part of it. But “Out of the Shadows,” the sequel to 2014’s loud, dumb reboot, at last achieves the goal the franchise has been reaching for all along: It’s made for 12-year-olds without “made for 12-year-olds” being meant as an insult.”

Snider goes on to say, “Often, that designation means a movie is shallow and lazy, or that it panders to a juvenile sense of humor, or that it’s full of plot holes and incoherence that the filmmakers assume kids won’t notice or care about. In truth, “12-year-olds” is often shorthand for “idiots.”” This film, on the other hand, is lighthearted, easy-going, and occasionally funny. Everyone has clear reasons and goals, and the fights (and energetic action scenes) make logical sense, arising out of character and not out of machine. The Turtles are shallow, but not annoyingly or mindlessly so, and they’re skillful of serious conversations about important things. Like a good comic-book sequel, the story brings back old villains, introduces new ones, and continues the established mythology. Snider credited, “It’s a better, more lucid superhero movie than “Batman v Superman” was, not that that’s saying much.”

Snider mentioned, “You notice almost immediately that the film wants to be straightforward and un-confusing, like the Saturday morning cartoon it should have been.” Right away, the four Turtles are reintroduced by name, along with their essential character traits – Leonardo (Pete Ploszek) the leader, Raphael (Alan Ritchson) the muscles, Donatello (Jeremy Howard) the brains, and Michelangelo (Noel Fisher) the comic relief. Later in the film, they introduce themselves to a new friend, corrections officer Casey Jones, played by Oliver Queen/Green Arrow from the DC show on CW, “Arrow,” Stephen Amell, successfully retelling the cast for audience members who might otherwise have difficulty telling the almost-identical Turtles apart.

Main dialogue and plot points are repeated a lot. When the Turtles find out that associates of Shredder, played by Brian Tee, the main antagonist they arrested in the last movie, are planning to help him escape from prison (among the associates is his daughter, Karai, played by Brittany Ishibashi), Donatello says, “They’re gonna break him out! He’ll be free again!” In the next scene, Donatello says the same line almost verbatim to his Master Splinter, voiced by Tony Shalhoub and motion-capture done by Peter D Badalamenti, who then says it again in a different way, with the addition of along the lines of how Shredder will be back to his old job of reigning terror. Snider said, “Most of the dialogue is declarative like that, a quality that makes me roll my eyes or sigh with boredom when it’s in an adult movie, but which is perfectly suitable for one intended for kids. (An even better movie would do this without being obvious about it, but we’re taking baby steps here.)”

The villains, as well, keep repeating their mission in laymen’s terms. (Snider said, “Like 37% of all films, this one is about an effort to collect the mystical artifacts required to open a portal to somewhere.”) Besides Shredder, there’s Krang, voiced by Robert Barone from “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Brad Garrett, an intelligent, creepy alien who, described by Snider, “looks like a cross between an octopus and a brain and who resides in the chest cavity of a powerful robot that does not always obey his instructions. Krang seems like something out of “Futurama,” which is fine with me.” When he assigns Shredder to get the artifacts so Krang can conquer Earth, Krang also gives Shredder purple ooze that can turn people into mutated animals. Shredder uses it on two unenthusiastic fellow convicts, Bebop (comedian Gary Anthony Williams from “Whose Line is it Anyway?”) and Rocksteady (WWE Wrestler Stephen “Sheamus” Farrelly), who become giant warthog and rhino, respectively – and they love it. Bebop and Rocksteady (the movie makes sure to keep saying their names together like that, “Bebop and Rocksteady”) “love” being powerful mutants who destroy things. Their passion is enjoyable.

Donatello actually hypothesizes, after a small experiment, that the purple ooze could also make the Turtles look human. As a result, they wouldn’t have to hide in the sewers and let useless cameraman Vern Fenwick, reprised by Will Arnett, take all the credit for their heroics (which does sound radical, if you think about it). The Turtles disagree among themselves based on this idea, leading to a split – a huge issue for a group that is dependent on unity and teamwork. Snider said, “When Splinter tells Leo that “it’s the different points of view that make the team strong,” I realized with astonishment that his statement makes sense because the Turtles are actually four distinct individuals this time, rather than being interchangeable.” Leonardo’s on a bit of a control freak as the team’s leader, Raphael is short-fused and narrow-minded sometimes, Donatello has a crush on April O’Neil, reprised by Megan Fox, who is overtime getting better at acting, and Michelangelo is somewhat of the sweet, carefree turtle.

All of this is at odds with the film’s messy, brainless prequel (which I thought was tubular). Dave Green is the new director, but two of the three screenwriters, Josh Appelbaun and Andre Nemec, are the same. Snider said, “Maybe we should blame the 2014 film’s badness on its third writer, Evan Daugherty, who wasn’t involved this time? Let’s see, Daugherty’s credits also include “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Divergent.” So yeah, I’m comfortable with that.”

Snider goes on to say, “I don’t mean to suggest that “Out of the Shadows” is excellent.” The human characters are not completely interesting (although actor, producer, director, screenwriter, playwright, author, and songwriter Tyler Perry’s Baxter Stockman, clearly inspired by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, is close) and everything to do with Casey Jones and police chief Laura Linney is clichéd. (She doesn’t believe his story about the Turtles trying to stop Shredder’s escape, even though it happened during a high-speed freeway chase that must have had quite a handful of witnesses). Although Jane Wu as Jade is quite the eye-candy. It’s also another film where the climax has parts of New York City being destroyed by the Technodrome being assembled in the sky. However, it treats its silly heroes and story just seriously enough for us to get into it without getting “too” serious, which makes a huge amount of difference.

Here’s what I say: maybe the rest of you dudes learned how to tell the Ninja Turtles apart years ago, which is really righteous. Snider admitted, “Maybe the cheerful, slightly off-beat tone of the movie is how the comics or TV cartoon always were. Or maybe it’s a betrayal of those things! Maybe true TMNT fans will hate this. Don’t know, don’t care. I had fun with it.” I agree with him on this because I thought I had a cowabunga time with this.

In the end, I think this movie is an improvement over the first one, but I don’t think a lot of people will like it, although I think this is an enjoyable popcorn flick, like the first one. It's not as good as the live-action trilogy from the 90s, but I like them still, in their own way. All of the characters are enjoyable, each turtle gets used equally, the action is great, and it was nice to finally see Shredder, Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady in a movie together. The good news is that the four actors who play the turtles and Megan Fox have signed on for a third film. Tyler Perry will also be back in the third film, so we’ll see what kind of Turtle Power they are going to give us in that one.

Well, thank you for joining in on all my reviews in June. There’s one other film I want to see in theaters, which I might see this weekend, although I’m not sure. If I don’t see it before the month is over, then stay tuned next month of another great month of reviews.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Alright dudes, the wait is finally over. I finally saw the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie today, which was released last month, and now I will let you all know what I thought of this awesome movie.

Nearly 25 years after the original Ninja Turtles film was released in theaters, this reboot, which grossed $125 million, is the start of a new franchise when you look at the production values.

Kirk Baird of The Blade said in his review, “The turtles look great, move gracefully on screen, and exhibit character and reptilian charm.”

With director Jonathan Liebesman as the leader, it’s surprisingly a lot of fun. You might think this film is mindless and silly, but I don’t think so, and like I said before, it’s a lot of fun, with the main parts of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” there.

April O’Neil, played by one of the hottest actresses, Megan Fox, is a TV reporter who just wants to cover all of the crime stories all over New York City. She crosses her fingers that with all of the research she has been doing on the Foot Clan (who Baird says, “a name derived because these evildoers step on everyone good in the city”) will boost her career.

Vernon Fenwick, played by Will Arnett (who you might remember as Gob Bluth on “Arrested Development”), is her cameraman, whose understanding for her difficulty is driven mainly by desire.

Eventually April comes really close in her story before the turtles come to save her. Unless you have forgotten the turtles’ names: Leonardo, played by Pete Ploszek and voiced of Johnny Knoxvill, wears the blue mask and is the leader of the turtles, who is normally calm. Raphael, played by Alan Ritchson, wears the red mask, is the strongest of the four and has the shortest temper who often likes to compete with Leonardo. Donatello, played by Jeremy Howard, wears the purple mask and is the smartest of the four, with a forte in technology that helps the turtles out when they are fighting crime. Michelangelo, played by Noel Fisher, wears the orange mask and is the comic relief, the simple and most laid-back of the turtles, and has a crush on April.

The turtles are all about six-feet tall, have an immense ability of ninjitsu and acrobatic skills along with super strength, and their shells protect them from a stream of bullets.

If you all know the basic, the turtles like to crack jokes, eat pizza, and fight crime.

They also live in the sewers, where they’re taught by a rat who they consider their father, Splinter (Danny Woodbury and voice of Tony Shalhoub), a rat who was mutated, along with the turtles, in a laboratory through the experiment of scientist and affluent corporate leader Eric Sachs (William Fichtner). The turtles’ arch-enemy Shredder, played by Tohoru Masamune, who is also the leader of the Foot Clan, wants the ooze that mutated Splinter and the Turtles for an evil plan.

You might be trying to make sense of all this, but should you really make sense in a bodacious Ninja Turtles movie.

Baird said in his review, “Liebesman was a director on the rise based on the trailers for 2011’s Battle Los Angeles, but the film tanked, and 2012’s Wrath of the Titans — a minor improvement over 2010’s Clash of the Titans — didn’t do his career any favors.”

Liebesman quite possibly is trying to start a radical franchise, now heavily on our nostalgia for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” that was once insanely popular, and since this film was released in August, that is usually a dead zone for films.

This is why this film works. Liebesman notices that he’s got nothing to lose, so he puts in everything, holding just about nothing back. A dizzying down-the-snowy-mountain chase scene which has all four turtles, a truck, and bad guys in their SUVs, for instance, is adrenaline rushing and exciting. Don’t be afraid of missing anything. Baird noticed that, “here’s also a more than passing resemblance to Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) in the film’s quirky camera shots, dark tone, and even several plot elements.”

As director, Liebesman looks like the perfect dependent of Michael Bay. Since Bay produced “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” this pairing makes sense.

You will know that there are significant differences between the two.

Liebesman’s action sequences are far more contained and with far less sounding chaos around them than in a handful of Bay’s work. Unlike the “Transformers” movies, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’” cartoonish combat helps the story out rather than trying to replace it.

Even though this isn’t a great, tubular movie, it’s not a bad one either.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is meant for the fans of the turtles’ franchise: the original comic books, the animated shows, the video games, and even the previous films.

Other cast members include one of the funniest comedians, Whoopi Golberg, as Bernadette Thompson and Minae Noji as Karai.

In the end, I’m happy that I saw this film, although I will admit that it’s nowhere near as good as the original. Still, it’s worth checking out, in my opinion, so you should check it out while it’s still in the theaters. It’s funny, action-packed, and has a lot of drama that will hold your attention, unlike the “Transformers” movies.

There was one part where near the end when the Turtles go into the building and they think they found an elevator but it's only a huge batch of Foot Soldiers, one of the kids in the back of the theater said, "Dang! They ran into a whole army." I cracked up laughing at that remark.

Good news is that they are planning on making sequels to this movie, so we should hopefully see more familiar characters from the show soon, like more of the Channel Six crew and the other villains. Turtle Power to that!

Well dudes, I hope you enjoyed my review on all the TMNT movies as much as I have reviewing them. Thank you for tuning in on all my reviews of the films and thank you for your patience for my review on the remake. Stay tuned this Friday for the finale of "3 Ninjas Month." COWABUNGA!!!

TMNT

For those of us who grew up watching “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” remember it very fondly and hold that very close to our nostalgic memories. The animated series, which ran from 1987 to 1996, gave us a live-action trilogy, a successful video game franchise, a handful of action figures, and sadly a live concert tour before the marketing was ruined in the late 90s. However, they were brought back with another cartoon series in 2003, which Jason Zingale described as “in the shape of a new animated series that more closely resembled the Kevin Eastman/Peter Laird comic book on which the original cartoon was loosely based.” You probably would have guessed that Hollywood would eventually think of bringing our four friends back on the big screen, which they did in a CGI film that no one would have expected in 2007, simply titled “TMNT.”

This film apparently takes place after the events that transpired in the live-action trilogy, with Shredder successfully killed, and the Turtles are now doing their own separate thing. Leonardo (James Arnold Taylor, who also voiced the titular character, Tidus, in Final Fantasy X) is now in Central America after Master Splinter (the late Mako Iwamatsu, who also did voice work in the hit cartoon series, “Avatar: the Last Airbender,” and “Samurai Jack”) advised him to go there to continue his training, Donatello (Mitchell Whitfield) is now working as a computer support operator, Michelangelo (Mikey Kelley) works as a mascot for kids’ birthday parties, and Raphael (Nolan North) continues to fight crime at night as a masked vigilante known as The Nightwatcher. Sounds like a sidekick that belongs in the Batman comics, doesn’t it? Even April O’Neil (the hot Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the titular character in the TV Show, “Buffy: the Vampire Slayer”) and Casey Jones (Chris Evans) have slowed it down, but when tech-industrialist Max Winters (Patrick Stewart) teams up with Karai (Zhang Ziyi), who is now the new leader of the Foot Clan, and begins to raise crime in the city, the Turtles get back together to give us radical action sequences.

Now I don’t think I have to say this, but the CGI Turtles looks awesome. Forget about how they looked in the animated series or even in the Jim Henson costumes from the live action trilogy, this is how I believe the Turtles should look if they were to resemble how they were drawn in the comic books. Even though they still wear their color-coded masks that were given to them in the 1987 cartoon, their appearance is far rougher than usual. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the human characters, which don’t really look as good as the Turtles. I do think it was a smart idea for the studio to call in A-list actors like Gellar and Stewart to voice the human characters in this film, because Jason Zingale says “they're a little too cartoony.”

Unfortunately, not all of the Turtles have equal amount of screen time. Just like in the first live-action film, Raphael is the main focus (with Leonardo given plenty of screen time as the yin to Raphael’s yang), while Michelangelo and Donatello are demoted to playing secondary roles. Still, despite these little drawbacks, I don’t think this film will disappoint Turtle fans. The story is a lot darker in this film and is even reasonably complex, perhaps too complex for kids, while the same silly humor that has been a basis of the cartoon since its first episode is still there. Final verdict: it might be a little too mature for children and too silly for adults, but for teenagers and people in their twenties that grew up watching Ninja Turtles, eating their cereal, dressing up like them for school or Halloween, I think they’ll enjoy this tubular CGI film just fine.

Only complaint that I had on this movie was the plot. I heard that this film was a spin-off of the 2003 cartoon, so for people who are familiar with that cartoon could follow it just fine, but I couldn’t since I never watched the cartoon. However, that didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy this movie, because I did. I just embraced my inner child that is still a fan of the Ninja Turtles and I loved watching this film from beginning to end. Sadly, I didn’t get to watch this really righteous movie in theaters, but I did watch it online when it was available.

Also, I just wanted to apologize for posting this late. I had gotten started on this review before I was called to do some stuff.

Now I have to pick a day to watch the latest movie, which hopefully I will before I post the finale to Ninja Turtles Month next week. Stay tuned dudes to find out what I thought about it. All there is left to say is: Cowabunga and Turtle Power.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

Well dudes, it’s time to talk about “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III,” released in 1993. Before I start the review, I would like to talk about when I watched this movie. If you remember in my review of the first movie, I said that my cousin lent me his VHS copy. I probably recall him saying that he also had the third one on VHS, but I never asked him if I could borrow it. Even my friend, who owned all three movies on VHS and I saw the second one at his house, I never got a chance to see the movie the next time I went over his house. It wasn’t until years later when I saw Angry Video Game Nerd’s critical thrashing on the movie that my curiosity got to me. I was thinking, “Is the movie really this bad that AVGN called this the worst movie he’s ever seen?” Even after seeing The Nostalgia Critic’s review on all three movies did I really want to see the movie. I asked the same cousin who lent me his copy of the first movie if I could borrow his copy of the third movie, but he could not find it. Thankfully, someone had uploaded the whole movie on YouTube, so I checked it out there. Now that I got that out of the way, let’s get started on this really righteous review.

This movie is less violent and more scenic than the last two movies, since the Turtles are taken out of the sewers and are transported back in time to feudal Japan. There, they go native while saying “Whoa!” and “Check it out!” and everything that makes them stay within their own roots, which is a good thing.

This film, written and directed by Stuart Gillard, has a straight action plot involving a samurai named Lord Norinaga (Sab Shimono), his son Kenshin (Henry Hayashi), Kenshin’s girlfriend Mitsu (Vivian Wu), and cowboy Walker (Stuart Wilson). Adult viewers will not be surprised but at least it will hold their children’s attention. The story is unremarkable, by time-traveling standards, that it would be hard for you to realize that the Turtles have hard shells and green, spotty heads. The casual humor, said by the Turtles and Elias Koteas returning as Casey Jones, I found to be funny.

The story starts when April, reprised by Paige Turco, the Turtles’ loyal friend, switches places with Kenshin through a scepter she bought, and the Turtles travel back to 1603 Japan to rescue her. Janet Maslin said in her review, “It's worth mentioning that Paige gets to fight alongside her friends and deliver scorching wisecracks, or at least lines that 5-year-olds in the audience will find funny.” Through the standards that Hollywood has set, she is almost given one of the best women’s roles.

Even the Turtles are better-natured in this one, and are made calm. They usually just joke around until the last fight sequence, which involves them kicking and using their weapons. (Maslin cautioned, “Young viewers should be kept away from kitchen knives when they get home.) Count on the Turtles making pop-culture references like Clint Eastwood, Wayne’s World, Geraldo Rivera, pizza, Frisbees and so on. Even when they are in the 17^th-Century, it’s like they are still home.

Leonardo is played by Mark Caso and voiced by Brian Tochi, Michelangelo is played by David Fraser and voiced by Robbie Rist, Donatello is played by Jim Raposa and voiced by Corey Feldman, Raphael is played and voiced by Matt Hill, and Splinter is played and voiced by James Murray.

My thoughts on this movie are that it’s not as bad as everyone says it is. I agree it’s the worst in the Turtles trilogy, but not one of the worst sequels. There are other sequels that are far worse than this one, like Spy Kids 4, Jaws: the Revenge, and Free Willy 3 to name a few. Also, it’s not one of the worst comic book adaptations. Other comic book movies are far more painful than this one, like Superman 4 and Batman & Robin. Finally, I wouldn’t even consider this one of the worst movies ever made, or even “the” worst movie ever made. For AVGN and Nostalgia Critic to say something like that is a “real” stretch. There are movies that are far worse than Ninja Turtles III. From a comment that I remember reading under AVGN's video, this movie was supposed to show how the 80s cartoon went downhill with the last couple of seasons. Shredder was in Dimension X with the rest of the main villains, and the Turtles were fighting General Dregg, the Turtles were mutating into Hulk versions of themselves, and having a new ally named Carter. That could be the case, since the series ended in 1996. Also, there are some good things in this movie, like Michelangelo falling in love and Raphael teaching one kid, Yoshi, played by Travis A. Moon, how to control his temper. In any case, I know that I already stated that I like this movie and everyone else hates it, but dudes, give this film a chance and have a bodacious time watching it.

Alright dudes, stay tuned next week when I talk about the radical and tubular CGI movie. COWABUNGA!!!!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

Dudes, I want to apologize for posting this late. I was out having a radical time at the Otakon convention for the first time that I was not near a computer for a good majority of the day. But enough about that, you’re probably wondering what I thought of the tubular 1991 sequel, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.” Well, I didn’t know that they had made a sequel to the movie until I was 11 when I was over a friend’s house and he showed me the movie. I only got to see the first half of the movie and didn’t get to finish it until the next year when we got cable and the movies were on the movie channels a lot. Here’s what I thought of it:

Traditionalists will complain that the Turtles fight less, goof off more and distant too far from their beloved sewers. However, for other people these are explicit improvements, just like the more varied settings, changing the actress of April O’Neil to Paige Turco, David Warner as Professor Jordan Perry, an actor that parents will be able to recognize, and how the Turtles fight scenes that look like playful dance sequences, which they essentially are. If the Turtles maintain on being a mainstream box-office movie, at least they now have the courtesy to make a mainstream movie.

There is a reasonable argument that Michelangelo (puppetry done by Mak Wilson and Michelan Sisti, voiced by Robbie Rist), Donatello (puppetry done by Rob Mills and Leif Tilden, voiced by Adam Carl), Raphael (puppetry done by David Greenaway and Kenn Troum, voiced by Laurie Faso), and Leonardo (puppetry done by Robert Tygner and Mark Caso, voiced by Brian Tochi) represent everything that has messed up Western civilization. It begins with the Turtles’ fascination with junk food, moves on to the delight they take in gathering big tabloid headlines, and ends with the fact that they were given names from a Renaissance art book that their mentor Splinter (puppetry done by Rickey Boyd, Kevin Clash and Sue Dacre, voiced by Kevin Clash), the world’s most famous man-sized rat, one found in a gutter.

Janet Maslin of the New York Times said in her review of this film, “Of course, these streaks of adolescent anarchy are also what make the Turtles so bodacious, as they themselves might put it, and such irresistible role models for anyone too small to know better.” Capitalizing on their own greatest qualities, the Turtles this time also throw in rap music (done very poorly by the dumb rapper Vanilla Ice), references to pop celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, a complicated disco kung fu sequence, and a friendly nod to the competition. Maslin commented in her review, “Bart Simpson's likeness is seen on a glass filled with a foul-smelling antidote to toxic waste.”

Dedicated to the memory of the great Jim Henson, this film shows that the Turtles are still staying in April’s apartment. Like everything else in this second installment, April looks better, largely due to the fact that she is portrayed by a different actress and makes no attempt to look like the previous actress. Maslin noted in her review, “The audience, however avid, is not expected to have much of an attention span.”

April is still friendly and forgiving, but her patience is being tired by the skateboards, comic books, pizza cartons and other accumulation scattered around her apartment by these fun-loving turtles. “The is the cleanest one,” she moans, thinking of Splinter, who also moved in. Maslin stated in her review, “Whiskery and damp-eyed as ever, he is the one exception to the now-looks-better rule.”

This story, written by Todd W. Langen and directed by Michael Pressman, takes the Turtles back to their roots, which is the ooze. When April reports on an attempt to move a toxic landfill, she accidentally bumps into the same ooze (look at the subtitle) that turned the Turtles from small green pets to world-famous movie stars, and onto the part that this ooze is given to Shredder (played by François Chau, but voiced by David McCharen), practically invisible inside the same metal helmet with shingles, the Turtles’ main enemy.

These developments, which have the predictable effect of making the Turtles fighting furious, also make them thoughtful. It’s depressing, one tells Splinter, to think their special powers are no more magical than the substance of the canister. "Do not confuse your origins with your present worth," advises Splinter, sounding very much like Mr. Miyagi. Regardless of what the people might think of his syntax, you can see a reasonable message.

The Turtles, when not fighting the Shredder or giving Vanilla Ice the subject of his rap song, joke around in very enjoyable ways. They clean April’s apartment while doing a dance number; they talk in football huddles; they try out new words (“Ec-lectic!”) to replace the traditional Turtle saying, for those who don’t know, it’s “Cowabunga!” Anyone who did not know that will probably not care to find out in this movie.

Also in this film are two monstrous villains known as Tokka (puppetry done by Kurt Bryant and Rick Lyon, voiced by Frank Welker) and Rahzar (puppetry done by Mark Ginther and Gord Robertson, voiced by Frank Welker), who were at first respectively a snapping turtle and wolf. I watched both the Nostalgia Critic and Angry Video Game Nerd's review on the Ninja Turtles movies, and they both called Tokka and Rahzar Bebop and Rocksteady. I understand they were attached to the cartoon series, but when I saw this movie, I kept calling them Tokka and Rahzar because I also played the video games a lot. On the human side of the tale, Ernie Reyes Jr. does well as a pizza delivery boy whose job is the film’s karate kid. Professional wrestler Kevin Nash plays Super Shredder and Toshishiro Obata reprises his role as Tatsu. They can undeniably be found at the toy store as well as the big screen.

Despite the fact that the violence was toned down, the Turtles not saying “darn” (I’m using the replacement word), and not being as good as the first, this sequel is still enjoyable to watch if you embrace the inner child in you. Like how “Batman Forever” became more child-friendly, this film did the same thing. If you liked the first one, give this one a chance because you should say that this film will be enjoyable, through the eyes of a child.

You want to know how the third film in the live-action series was? Stay tuned next week to find out dudes.