TMNT Review Thread

[Matt]

April a ninja? The turtles literally trample over hundreds of foot member? Come on now. Don’t get me wrong I love the turtles and have been a fan since the original comics. This movie was not perfect but still great none the less. One thing that just bothered the h ell out of me was April She is not a fifth turtle she is a reported! Or at least a good friend who is a link to the outside world for them. Her being this 5th turtle reminded me of the abomination “The next mutation” with Venus De Milo (shivers). The other thing that really bothered me was the fact that in the end where the turtles sneak into the tower and have to go trough hundreds of foot members, they didn’t even get a scratch on them!! I know they are masters of ninjitsu but so is the foot. At least April could have gotten a good cut or two (or die). She is not that good! The foot clan is made up of elite ninja masters not chumps who fall over from one punch. However, there were many good aspects to the movie. I was a good revival o the franchise, the animation was spectacular, and the grittiness of Raphael was there with his rivalry over the order of Leo. This movie could have taken a bit of a darker tone but for a PG movie it was pretty good. I was just expecting more of a nod to the old black and white comic, I don’t know if that will ever happen though. It would be cool if Leo lost a hand though. I would give this a 7/10. Hopefully the next installment will be more sinister, and let’s see some blood!

Well to be fair

A) It is a children's movie.

B) With the downfall of the Shredder the quality of Foot recruits has probably declined.

 

[terry78]

I hate to denounce all the turtle fans of old, but April O'Neil was only a reporter for the 1980's cartoon and was carried over to the 1990 movie because of the show's popularity. She wasn't a reporter originally in the comics.

 

[bsquad]

not to mention it was supposed to highlight how determined and bad ass they all were as they were trying to save the day

plu this isn't the only medium April knows how to fight in. That's the direction her character has been going in for a while in the most recent incarnation of the characters if i'm not mistaken. makes sense to, if you were tight with a family of trained ninjas who were in the habit of saving the world from everything from ninjas and aliens--wouldn't you end up picking up a few tricks, most likley from them, as a means of protection and back up

 

[LastSunrise1981]

On first viewing, I give it a 7.5...what we got was great, I simply just wanted MORE! It was wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too short. The characterizations and voices of the turtles were spot on and the fight scenes were pretty tight.

My favorite scene however was the part where Raph hears Leo's scream as he gets captured and Raph tries to go back and rescue him...that was kind of an emotional scene.

Oh and regards of the attendence...FULL HOUSE BABY! Whoever said the TMNT was a has-been franchise don't know what they were talkin' about. t:

That was an emotional scene. Watching Raph run with everything he has to save him and slams his fists/sais on the ground after Leo is captured made me tear up.

I hope we see more of that though. If a sequel is made I'd love to see more emotional issues between the turtles.

 

[bsquad]

maybe the foot are good---but the good guys were just better

 

[Carnotaur3]

I got to see it last night, fortunately. And I liked it alot. Second only to the original.

My only gripes are:

1. Too short.

2. April, Casey, and Donny (maybe Mikey, but he is and was the comic relief type) didn't get enough screentime or character development.

3. Too much damn music. There were times when they went silent and just had the acting play out, and I was like "Yeah that's more like it." But then it started back up again needlessly. They really need to figure out when you need a film score and when you don't. They have to balance that out in the sequel better.

 

[The Shredder]

Saw this baby last night, and I have to say I absolutely loved the film. I felt it did it's job well in establishing a "new" era in the TMNT franchise that some people might have missed by not watching the 2003 animated series, and only being familiar with the original "Turtles" cartoon back in the day. The place was more crowded than I was truly expecting to be honest, and the majority I would have to say was in the 18-30 age range. Which I suppose shouldnt come to any surprise. Again, I have to say that the film was very well done (it certainly exceeded my expectations which were fairly high to begin with), and the people involved should be proud of the work that they accomplished with this movie. And heres to seeing more of Karai in the sequel!

8/10 (which may go up after a second viewing)

 

[AssMan]

This is how you do a team movie FOX yeah thats right Im talking to you FOX

 

[cyborg ninja 14]

Enjoyed the movie, but didn't enjoy the lack of at least one solid COWABUNGA!

 

[Hellstormer]

Ok just saw it and...WOW! This is quite possibly one of the best movies this year. The story is so deep and the fights and animations, and and it was just amazing. the Nigh****cher persona was so badass and the crummy jokes were still present but in moderated amounts. But I just gotta ask if this movie was suppose to take place before the 3rd why was the weird lantern thing in the trophy case at the end?

Other then that, amazing film. Nigh****cher pwns!

 

[hitmanyr2k]

I saw it this afternoon and while I was entertained the movie left me underwhelmed. The execution of TMNT reminded me a lot of Superman Returns actually. It moved a bit too fast and jumps all over the place in the beginning and assumes the audience knows the history of the characters already. I did like the intros for each of the turtles though. The story is basically told at a first grade level...not much development for anyone not named Raph or Leo. Speaking of those two, their fight was honestly the only good fight scene in the whole movie. I got goosebumps during that scene. If only the rest of the fights were like that one instead of just throw-aways I would have left the theater satisfied. Michelangelo (my favorite) and Donatello got the shaft as far as screentime goes and I can't remember any kind of fighting they did which says it all. Didn't see one damn nunchuka scene. I was hoping they would let him go Bruce Lee on someone at least once

And watching April look like a master swordsman really took me out of the final battle. It was ridiculous how they made her look like she was on par with Leo as far as skill goes. And the running on top of guys heads...blah. Overall it gets a 6/10 for me. I don't feel the urge to see it again like I thought I would.

 

[AssMan]

why was the weird lantern thing in the trophy case at the end?

Maybe they go back in time on vacations

 

[ninjaspyder13]

[SIZE=-1] I just saw the new TMNT movie. It was the most fun I've had in a long time. TMNT was in a word, awesome, despite what you read from the critics -- and I'll briefly give my theory on why there were so many awful reviews.

WHY THE CRITICS DIDN'T LIKE IT
The majority of the professional reviewers out there are disappointed that the movie is not in the spirit of the old silly cartoon. The movie is actually more in the spirit of the original, darker TMNT comics, but most reviewers are painfully ignorant of the other TMNT incarnations. Most refuse to go in with fresh eyes; they only compare the new movie to the old ones, which to me is a narrow-minded (incorrect) way of judging any film. Others assumed the movie was nothing but a cheap money-making shot, which I know to be false because I've seen/heard the direct talk about TMNT. This movie was made by a "hardcore" fan, for all fans of the ninja turtles. He didn't want money. He wanted to make a good TMNT movie.

The majority of critics who don't spend their time whining that they didn't see the goofy Bebop and Rocksteady or thoughtlessly concluding that this was all about money criticized the absurdity and technical "shortcomings" of the movie. Now, when I say awful reviews, I don't just mean negative. I mean they didn't convince me one way or the other of their reasons for hating the film. It's almost like, no matter what, the review was at a loss of what to say and

The reason is that in film analysis, the writer needs to rely a lot on cliches to get his or her point across -- this isn't "bad," it's just understandable. The point is for the reviewer to present his or her impression of the film in accessible terms. Unfortunately, TMNT makes itself difficult to define. As one of my friends who saw the film mentioned, it is almost impossible to pull out how the film fit together, because technically the director did many things "the wrong way."

WHY MOST VIEWERS LOVED IT
But somehow, the wrong way ends up being the right way with this film. Much like the comics, TMNT's story progression is unorthodox, and technically wrong. But that's how it works. It's frustrating to analyze. No wonder there were so many negative reviews. The most honest review I've read, actually, states that TMNT is "Totally out of its freaking mind." I strongly disagree with the man's verdict that TMNT was therefore not an enjoyable film. In fact, part of what amused me most about the film, what most likely left the biggest smile on my face that lasted for hours was that I it surprised me in a very good way. I thought it would be okay at best. It was blown away at the end by how awesome it was as a whole. (I understand that not everyone thought it was super-dee-duper awesome, but the point is, you WILL be surprised.)

The humor is, in my opinion, as enjoyable as in the first film, though not as prolific, and not as goofy overall. (for me personally, that makes the film easier to watch) Visually, the film holds fairly well. Certainly worth checking out if you're interested in animation. It doesn't give us anything new, technically... but it does show off what can be done with today's technology. The action is the best I've seen in any TMNT movie. Especially the duel between Leonardo and Raphael. This is one of the more powerful movie fights I've seen in recent years, not just in animated movies.

WHY YOU SHOULD GO SEE IT
The director Kevin Munroe, a lifelong fan of the Ninja Turtles, had to work very hard to bring back the turtles in an honorable form. I'm truly impressed with what he managed to give us considering who and what he had to work with. The movie is strong, despite itself -- and I'm not just saying that out of cliche. It's true.

It's also true that I didn't have a lot of faith that I'd like this movie so much. Despite being a part-time ninja turtle fan, I was extremely critical of the first-time director, the low budget, the time spent to make the film, the outlandish premise, the reviews, and even the online clips. But now I strongly want this movie to succeed, because when the credits started rolling, the first thing I could think of was how much I wanted to see the more of this.

TMNT needs to gross at least 100 million dollars at the domestic box office to receive the green light for part two. Sadly, this movie, which didn't have much support to begin with, had little time to advertise itself to the general public. The reviews certainly are not helping.

Do you want to have a great time at the movies? Do you want to swim in your nostalgia for the turtles, but at the same time want to see something new? Do you especially like being pleasantly surprised? Then go see TMNT in theaters.

Cowabunga.[/SIZE]

 

[Dread]

Toonzone gave the film a good review:

http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=16146

 

[Ash J. Williams]

In appreciation and enjoyment of the new movie, I got the Mikey promo poster today:

 

[Hellstormer]

So they pretty much flatout stated the sequal will have Shredder, I wonder if he'll still be super.

 

[SuperBatman]

Noo it only made 8 million this friday. Hopefully the rest of the weekend will boost its take. If not then I think TMNT is doomed.

Dude 8 Million opening Day is not bad. Its Great It sure will get over 20 million this weekend.

 

[AssMan]

So they pretty much flatout stated the sequal will have Shredder, I wonder if he'll still be super.

Just because they said he will return it does not mean the second sequel. They can use the second one to set it up more though

 

[Sam Fisher]

So they pretty much flatout stated the sequal will have Shredder, I wonder if he'll still be super.

No. Just no

 

[bsquad]

TMNT needs to gross at least 100 million dollars at the domestic box office to receive the green light for part two.

that seriously bothers me, especially when I look at www.boxofficemojo.com and see that it only cost 34 million to make. it should have most of the production cost back by the weekend. it'll turn profit easy and with the pull the turtles have world wide should bring in some solid change from around the world, but if it doesn't hit 100 million domestically than we get no sequel. freaking movie studios

 

[ninjaspyder13]

AWN (animation world network), a reputable source of news for the animation industry has put out a very positive article on the design and animation of TMNT, as well as on the team behind TMNT's animation. My favorite excerpt:t:

TMNT's animation and rendering are indeed impressive. The Turtles' body language and facial expressions convey distinct attitudes for each member of the quartet; no Turtle suit could ever come close to the CGI characters' mouth articulation. (Check out their face-spanning smiles.) Skin textures boast convincing texture and translucency (courtesy of RenderMan). A rooftop battle in the rain is a showpiece of effects animation and light reflectivity as raindrops visibly splash off the Turtles' glistening faces.

 

[Reptile]

I hated this movie more than 3

 

[ninjaspyder13]

I hated this movie more than 3

Why?

 

[The Shredder]

I've always had a feeling that TMNT, much like Batman Begins, would in some ways owe some of it's success from word of mouth. I didnt ever expect the film to open huge, but the numbers so far have been very decent I think. Especially for a franchise who's last film (lackluster being a word to describe it) was back in 1993. And from the many positive reviews I have been reading on the net, I believe the chances of TMNT becoming a, I suppose with some people, an un-expected success are, atleast IMO, very good.

 

[Tron5000]

April a ninja? The turtles literally trample over hundreds of foot member? Come on now. Don’t get me wrong I love the turtles and have been a fan since the original comics. This movie was not perfect but still great none the less. One thing that just bothered the h ell out of me was April She is not a fifth turtle she is a reported! Or at least a good friend who is a link to the outside world for them. Her being this 5th turtle reminded me of the abomination “The next mutation” with Venus De Milo (shivers). The other thing that really bothered me was the fact that in the end where the turtles sneak into the tower and have to go trough hundreds of foot members, they didn’t even get a scratch on them!! I know they are masters of ninjitsu but so is the foot. At least April could have gotten a good cut or two (or die). She is not that good! The foot clan is made up of elite ninja masters not chumps who fall over from one punch. However, there were many good aspects to the movie. I was a good revival o the franchise, the animation was spectacular, and the grittiness of Raphael was there with his rivalry over the order of Leo. This movie could have taken a bit of a darker tone but for a PG movie it was pretty good. I was just expecting more of a nod to the old black and white comic, I don’t know if that will ever happen though. It would be cool if Leo lost a hand though. I would give this a 7/10. Hopefully the next installment will be more sinister, and let’s see some blood!

Didn't you post this in another thread as well? What's up with the multiples?