Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Orpheus

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Orpheus

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Sunday, March 25, 2007

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I go waaay back. One of my very first memories is my dad taking me to see the first movie back in 1990. I was 3. I don't recall the movie at all, I just remember that's what we did. The second movie is etched into my mind, as well.

I got that scar the morning before my family was supposed to see the movie. I was playing with a walkie talkie with a broken (and thus sharp) antenna. My dad decided to start rough housing with me, not knowing it was in my pocket. It fell out and sliced me right across the arm. We still went to the movie after leaving the emergency room, I guess to get my mind off what just happened. And I love them for it. I vaguely remember actually seeing the movie. I remember the theater (The Liberty Theater in Wilkesboro), I remember being there, but not the movie itself.

Thanks to VHS, I do remember the movies, and even today I love them, as goofy and weird as they might be. I really can't tell you why exactly I liked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when I was a kid. I don't know. I was a little boy and it was the first thing I latched onto. I can only assume that I first saw the cartoons, because otherwise why would I have cared about the movies? I do remember watching the cartoons, but I must've known about it before the movies. At any rate, I was a little boy, and that's what little boys liked, right?

This week marks the 17th anniversary of the first movie's release. Over those 17 years, the Ninja Turtles faded away and were replaced by a number of other franchises for me to be super-jazzed about. I discovered X-Men in 1992 (again, thanks to the cartoons), and Star Wars in 1996 (thanks, dad). Two properties that I'm still very much in love with, even after X-Men 3 and Attack of the Clones. In the meantime, the Turtles popped back up in a second cartoon series (in 2003), but it did little to pique my interest. Four years ago, I was far too busy becoming interested in filmmaking and digging into things like Lord of the Rings and R-rated action movies to really take notice. Plus, I was in high school. That part might have been the kicker.

Thankfully, they didn't give up.

Lately, I've been letting my inner 6 year old out to play a lot. Action figures, comic books, cartoons, I've really been going back to the well. And it's been fun. I've been enjoying the stuff of my childhood in a whole new light. I can enjoy things for their craft and for what they are, not simply because it's big and shiny and cool looking. And all that inevitably brought me back to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I honestly can't believe I'm about to say this. TMNT is one of the most absolutely entertaining movies I've ever seen. It was produced with people like me strictly in mind. The movie has the aesthetic of the current cartoon series, but follows the continuity and style of the original movies/comics. Now, I don't know much about the comic line, but I know enough to say that this is a pretty faithful version.

This isn't a reboot of the franchise, but rather a return to it. The movie takes place 15-20 years after the third movie, though it's really not definite as to how long. It's set in the present, so we can assume it's been a while. The Turtles, however, are still Teenage. They're not Early Adult Mutant Ninja Turtles. They're right there around that age where they start thinking about leaving the nest, and the hard truth of growing up, moving on, and getting a job is very much on their minds. So they're my age, which is perfect.

Leonardo returns to the Big Apple from a couple years of isolation in South America, and his family is kind of a wreck. While Donatello and Michaelangelo are out working for a living, Raphael is the only one still fighting the good fight. Leo's return causes more dissention in the ranks, and just in time for an evil billionaire (voiced by Patrick Stewart) to unleash hell upon New York City, in the form of 13 monsters.

The main plot is a bit too convenient to be happenstance, but nobody's going into this movie looking for a watertight story. They're going to see Ninja Turtles fighting monsters and the Foot Clan, and that's exactly what the movie delivers. While the movie does take a little while getting going, once it kicks into high gear, Turtle fans will be on Cloud-9, and new fans will be made on the spot.

This is a movie that will bring so many kids into the TMNT universe, and that's basically why it was made in the first place. Thankfully, they kept longtime fans in mind, because this movie is a throwback to everything that made the first movies so much fun to begin with. There's an energy to the fight scenes that's just infectious. A pretty rockin' soundtrack (with rock songs and an energetic score from Klaus Badelt) keeps pace remarkably well, and the CG design hits the right balance between cartoony and realistic. As a whole, the animation resembles Monster House, though maybe a small step down.

Then there's the voice cast to consider. A lot of voice actors came up to bat for this movie, and the cast reads like a who's who of Hollywood's B-list. Patrick Stewart, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chris Evans, Kevin Smith, Kevin Michael Richardson, Tara Strong, Mako, even Laurence Fishburne (who narrates for all of 3 minutes), and that doesn't include the four actors who voice the Turtles. This is a pretty strong cast, and nobody ever drops the ball.

As a whole product, TMNT hits all the right notes for all the right demographics. There were jokes for the kids, jokes for the parents, and jokes for the fans. The movie never feels like it's going out of it's way to pander to any one group, and at 87 minutes, doesn't overstay it's welcome. But for those of us who grew up loving this stuff, this movie is nothing short of sublime. This is one that I'll definitely be showing my kids years from now. And I'd absolutely love to see director Kevin Munroe give us a sequel.

I don't know what it is about film critics and serious film people that they feel like they have to dump on the Turtles for being stupid. Of course it's stupid. That's kind of the point. But because TMNT does what it does so well, I'm going to give this one 3.5 stars out of 4. It's that much fun.

COMMENTS

Sunday, March 25, 2007 11:08 AM

ORPHEUS

I might have placed my enthusiasm for TMNT a bit too firmly. I went into the movie today because I'm a sucker for animated movies, and TMNT was logged in my mind as something I loved as a kid, but not anymore. It's not something I'm adamant about anymore, just really fond memories.

So you can probably tell how much I enjoyed the movie based on that. Just the fact that the studio showed so much respect to something my childhood hinged upon, it honestly brought a tear to my eye.

And you might be absolutely right about the nostalgia trip. The only movies this year that might possibly send me on another nostalgia trip like this are 5-25-77 and Fanboys, but movies about Star Wars fans. And I'm honestly a bit worried about how they'll treat it.

Sunday, March 25, 2007 10:54 AM

REGINAROADIE

Oh, and I almost forgot.

Bill saying to The Bride, "Do you find me sadistic?"

Sunday, March 25, 2007 10:51 AM

REGINAROADIE

While I don't share the same amount of enthusiasm for TMNT as you do, I can totally relate to what you're saying. When I first heard of it, I had no interest. I wasn't even into the Turtles when I was a kid. But I ended up getting excited over it and I did end up seeing it on Friday. While there were some glaring problems for me that kept me from really, really enjoying it, I was mildly entertained and liked being reminded of the four brothers and the dynamic between them, Splinter, April and Casey and the Foot Clan.

I think the Turtles actually work better in CG, because with the live action flicks, you know they're guys in rubber suits. And the cartoons were somewhat rudimentary. But as CG creations, you can buy that world more easily. As for the flick and the small touches in it, my favorite bit was at the very end with the collection of mementos on the shelves. Shredders helmet, the broken canister of ooze that made them what they were and the time traveling septer. I liked that homage to the trilogy, even with the inferior sequels. Did you notice any other mementos pertaining to the Turtles mythology?

As for not caring about what people would say with a movie about something you love, I can relate to that. I remember watching a lot of Looney Tunes as a kid and loving them. And when LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION came out a few years ago, I was psyched. I felt that the Tunes were back in their original form, and with Joe Dante at the helm. And even though it was beaten up on both sides, it was just a great wild ride through my childhood.

Of the various movie moments of 2003 I will cherish, Daffy Duck trying to say "Duck Dodgers to the rescue!!" without having a rocket pack blow up is up there with Paul Giamatti theorizing "Who is Harvey Pekar?", Aragon saying to the Hobbits "You bow to no one.", Jen Connelly with a gun in her mouth and Ben Kinsley covered in blood saying "I will build a thousand mosques", Jean Grey sacrificing herself for the X-Men and the sensual experience that was FINDING NEMO.

I'm sure you will see much better movies this year, but I'm gonna guess that none will have the nostalgia that you had for this movie.

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