Released: June 2016
Director: Dave Green
Run Time: 112 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Composer: Steve Jablonsky
Genre: Action
Cast:
Megan Fox: April O’Neil
Will Arnett: Vernon Fenwick
Stephen Amell: Casey Jones
Noel Fisher: Michelangelo
Jeremy Howard: Donatello
Pete Ploszek: Leonardo
Alan Ritchson: Raphael
Brian Tee: Shredder
Tyler Perry: Baxter Stockman
Stephen Farrelly: Rocksteady
Gary Anthony Williams: Bebop
During the 80s and early 90s, there was a kind of golden age of cartoons. We had Transformers, Spider-Man, X-Men, Bravestarr, and Thundercats. Kids these days really have no clue what really good cartoons are. One of the best cartoons that I grew up with was actually based on a rather dark comic book: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(from now on, only known as TMNT). The cartoon followed the adventures and misadventures of four mutated turtles and their master who was a rat. Given the names of historical artists, the show was about Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael going up against the nefarious and evil Shredder and his dreaded Foot Clan. It was a phenomenal cartoon with interesting characters, great animation, and a theme song that was amazing. In 1990, we got our first live-action Ninja Turtles movie. It was surprisingly dark and gritty. But it was a hell of a lot of fun. This was before CG really took hold, so they actually had people in costumes to play the turtles. They were actually there. TMNT would get one half-decent live-action sequel, a rotten second sequel and an animated film. Then, Michael Bay got his hands on the franchise, and the rest is history.
I’m not even going to get into the film’s story at this point, mostly because there’s really nothing tying anything together. The film was produced by Michael Bay, and as such, you really can’t go to a movie like this for the story. Instead, I’m going to go over the amount of fan service that was basically thrown into the movie. If you’ve ever seen the trailer, then you know that the bumbling duo of Rocksteady and Bebop are in this. They start of as humans, but are mutated into a warthog and rhino, respectively. They got the look right, and it’s kinda cool when you see them, but they are so over-the-top it’s cringe-worthy. They made Shredder an actual human being, and the Foot Clan are actually NINJAS, not street thugs. They brought in Baxter Stockman, who has been a staple of TMNT since the comics, so there’s that, but I’ll get to Tyler Perry’s “performance” later. There’s the Turtlemobile, which actually fires manhole covers, like the cartoon and toys did. Awesome! They also brought in Casey Jones….but I’ll discuss him later. Thrown into the mix is the Technodrome and Commander Krang from Dimension X. I’m not going to lie, it was cool to see all these things thrown in here…..BUT, without a strong story and plot-line to hold all these things together, All you’ve got is a bunch of pretty pictures and mindless action. I know they were trying to do better than the previous TMNT film, but it’s a narrative wreck.
Shredder is one of the most iconic villains ever. In the last movie, they basically made the character a kind of robot. In Out of the Shadows, they made him an actual human being and when he puts on his helmet, he IS Shredder. Brian Tee does a pretty good job with what he’s got. He makes the character extremely sinister. Here’s the problem: Outside of giving orders, Shredder is basically pushed to the side when Krang enters the picture. I’m not saying the Krang was a bad idea, but I am saying that making Krang the main villain for the turtles to fight WAS a bad idea. Speaking of Krang, they got the look of the character right, but they got the wrong voice for him. They should have gotten Pat Fraley from the original cartoon. HE was the voice of Krang. However, Krang is just not that compelling or threatening as a villain. He never has been. I’m going to say this right now: Tyler Perry is NOT a good actor. His performance as Baxter Stockman was god-awful. I just wanted to punch him in the face. Megan Fox as April O’Neil? Still a bad idea. They slutted her up pretty good here with that opening scene with her trying to get access to Stockman’s phone. Fox was NEVER a good choice for the character, even in the last TMNT. I can forgive them for not having her in a yellow jumpsuit, but April was always a red-head. Megan Fox has no real acting talent whatsoever and her performance is just….flat.
The mask-wearing, hockey-stick-wielding Casey Jones was one of my all-time favorite characters from the cartoon. Elias Koteas did a phenomenal job as the character in the first live-action film in 1990. I’m just not buying Stephen Amell’s performance as Jones. He’s essentially a security guard who is tasked with transporting Shredder to a maximum security prison. Just…no. Casey Jones is a crazed vigilante out for justice. That’s all we need to know. Amell’s performance is just too over-the-top and whiny to really take seriously. I realize that Rocksteady and Bebop were already bumbling dunderheads from the comics and the cartoon, but here they are even more so and they are IRRITATING. Sorry, fans, you’re nostalgia’s been betrayed.
What TMNT: Out of the Shadows DOES have going for it are several things. One: The Foot Clan are actual ninjas wielding swords. Just like the did in the cartoons and the 90s movies. They also moved and fought like ninjas. That’s a definite positive. The real stars of the show, however, are the turtles themselves. I know people had issues with the way they looked in the previous movie, but I liked their new look. They’re more refined this time around, with each one having their own unique personality. These guys are supposed to be brothers and they act like it, but like brothers, they also but heads from time to time. I really like the more down-to-earth moments between the characters when they’re not fighting and you get to see the relationship between the four. It works very well. So for these guys there IS character development and it’s pretty solid. When these guys really move and get into the big fights, the film really kicks it into high gear. It’s visually spectacular, especially when they’re trying to get to the Technodrome. This also has to be said, the end credits for the movie are freaking awesome! You’ll have to see the movie to understand.
This is going to be a great time for kids. If I was a kid born in the past 8 or 9 years, I would LOVE this movie. I think a lot of kids will. But for those of us who grew up with the Turtles, there’s just too much here that went wrong. It just feels like the film-makers were saying, “Look at this, and look at that! Pretty cool, huh?” All the movie really has to offer is a ton of fan service, and most of it is not that great. While I don’t particularly hate TMNT: Out of the Shadows, and I’ll pick it up on Blu-Ray at some point, this is not a good movie. Is it a step in the right direction? Not really. It’s more like a step to the side. Thank god for 5 dollar Tuesdays, though. My final verdict is a 6/10.