The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back…and this time it’s only cool to refer to them by the acronym TMNT. This new reinvention in the theaters is fun, but definitely not without faults.
The turtles have all moved on with their lives after defeating their arch enemy Shredder. Leonardo is in South America getting leadership training while Raphael fights crime alone at night in New York City. Michelangelo is doing birthday parties and Donatello is your neighborhood IT guy. But set 13 monsters on the loose in the city and the turtles are back in action. Oh how I wish the plot was that simple. Unfortunately it involves some back story (that looks eerily similar to 300) about an immortal and his brotherhood and a curse. Did I also mention that April is a ninja now?
The CG animation is great, but nothing groundbreaking and at times a little over the top with its use of motion. Not necessarily a bad thing unless you prefer more realistic camera movements. There is a fantastic fight scene involving Leonardo and Raphael that is the highlight of the movie.
Overall it stayed pretty true to the turtles of the previous movies and cartoons. If you are looking for a close replication of the comic book however you will be disappointed. The writers here stuck with making this a kid’s movie, so expect some cheese.
Simply put, the turtles win and as briefly mentioned above, even April and Master Splinter are involved in the fighting action. Most intriguing, although not surprising, is a hint that Shredder will return. This scene is quite possibly the most ridiculous dialogue in the film, but still gets it’s “there will be a sequel” point across.
