Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

  TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

 

 by Frederick William Springer III

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Release Date:  08 August 2014                                                             Runtime:  101 Minutes              
Review Date:  21 October 2014                                                             Rating:  5 (of 6)

    As an adaptation of the original 1987 show (I admittedly haven't seen the later 1997, 2003 or 2012 incursions or the initial 1984 comic book source material), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is pretty decent.  The elements and the essence are all there.

     Here the origin story of the turtles and Splinter are again altered, as they were in the 1990 film, but it doesn't differ too greatly.  (Though, the mutagen being as powerful as it was, it seems odd that Donatello would need to wear corrective eyewear). 

     However, linking April to the backstory à la the new Peter Parker backstory is not only unbelievably coincidental but becoming overdone theatrically, at least in this very parallel way.  How Splinter learns ninjutsu is a little farfetched and the delivery method coming into his possession highly coincidental again.  Megan Fox doesn't strike me as a natural fit for April O'Neil.  And the Foot Soldiers are kind of lame.  But, as parts of the whole, these things can be easily overlooked.

     The writers, Evan Daugherty and partners Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec, were able to implement things from the cartoon without them feeling forced or overly corny, as well as sow the seeds for the future of the franchise in a very subtle fashion.  For instance, in a throwaway line that could be missed if one wasn't paying attention, the word "alien" was uttered in a context which could imply Kraang.

     With (weakly) introduced science entering into the picture, I do question the creation of the Sacks character.  I believe Daugherty, Appelbaum & Nemec could have taken things a step further by replacing him with another character from TMNT canon beginning with that letter "S"--Stockman.  Baxter Stockman.  After all, both are scientists and Sacks says that one of his motivations for his nefarious plans for the future is to become "stupid rich"--judging by his mega mansion and huge property, this feels hollow as he already appears just that--which can easily be passed off on anyone, the link between Sacks and the Shredder not really that important.  This way they could have smoothly built to his transformation down the road, rather than force it in one film.

     I was pleasantly surprised to see Will Arnett finally growing just a little as an actor.  In the past, it seemed he couldn't shake his Arrested Development persona, every character from the center piece in Running Wilde to Brent in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret a Job redux, making him seem like a one trick pony.  But not here.  (Granted, it's no Academy performance either, but just enough of a change from the old.)

 

     The only real disappointment here was that they opted to turn my favorite turtle as a child, Michelangelo, into this hip hop dude.  While he maintains his comical sense, I wasn't really digging his new musical sensibilities or lifestyle.  I got over it though and, perhaps over zealously, award this flick a 5.