FilmSnobReviews

Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Johnny Knoxville
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

What It Is: Four turtles and a rat are mutated due to a scientific experiment performed on them using a MutaGen. They patrol the sewers of New York City, and lurk in the shadows keeping it safe no matter what. The four reptilian brothers all named after Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Each with their own unique personality, weapon, and colored mask. They’re fighting a familiar foe in The Shredder whose an ancient ninja master. Directed by Battle: Los Angeles director Jonathan Liebesman, and produced by schlockfest director Michael Bay. It’s the third attempt at a film with this property. The first in 1990, then a 2007 animated feature named TMNT, and now we get a CGI, motion capture film.

What We Think: For the record I took my four year old son who is in love with the turtles right now. He loved this film, however he also doesn’t understand script, character development or anything else in that regard. That being said this film is fantastically fun. From open to close you’re having a great time. On the flip this is A+ fun with D- material in the screenplay. Often the dialogue is dull, and the human characters are super underdeveloped. It’s almost as if they disappear, and this is Liebesman’s biggest sin, he doesn’t focus on the true spectacles of the film and that’s these four brothers. It’s a hallmark of Bay’s Transformers film, and something the director did in his aforementioned action flick. Another thing to note is that Megan Fox as April O’Neil was not the end of the world. She was solid and unspectacular, but i’ll say this she’s the best version of the character thus far apologies to Judith Hoag, and Paige Turco. I could’ve done without Will Arnett’s Vernon Fenwick.

Our Grade: B-, It’s an awesome good time. There I said it! Whether it’s Mikey’s quips, or Leo and Raph bickering like the little boys they once were. The turtles are this film, and they make up for the horrid human characters, and flat acting. Anyone going to see this needs to understand what they’re getting, Schindler’s List this is not. We’re not going to see Class-A acting, but we’re definitely going to see great action, and good enough pacing. It’s never boring, and doesn’t sag and at 101 mins it’s wrapped up nicely and neatly. Go see this and have a fun time! I’m going to say something I promised my brother to never say again…COWABUNGA!