TMNT
I saw it, finally. I hardly ever see a movie on opening weekend. Especially not one geared towards kids. I get twitchy being in a theater full of kids, don't ask why.
I am, as they say, a hardcore TMNT fan. Not as intense as some, but I will still squeal in delight when I see anything at all mentioning them. I will collect TMNT stuff and I really want a TMNT t-shirt and TMNT pajamas. And I even have a fanfic that I seriously need to finish; it's been years. *waves to Renet, whose website hosts said fic*
The movie needs to win an award based on visuals and animation alone -- the CGI was that good. The skin on the Turtles, the eyes, the expressions, the backgrounds, the landscapes. The way rain and light and shadows played on muscles. It was incredibly beautiful and I would watch it all over and over for those things alone.
The best visual scene, probably, is the fight between Leonardo and Raphael on the rooftop. Most fans talk about that scene a lot. They're right -- it's fantastic. All the battle scenes are lovely, pounding, and deep, but with that particular scene you can see and feel the intense, built-up sibling rivalry literally explode. And anyone who has followed the original comics canon, the first three movies, and the FoxBox animated cartoon, knows full well that a battle between those two brothers has been waiting.
However... it was not my favorite scene. My favorite scene had to be in the diner, where Raphael investigates the "disturbance" and finds the tiny gremlin-like monster raiding the diner kitchen and pantry for food. This, for several reasons. One, the diner cook is voiced by Kevin Smith (yes, that Kevin Smith), whose frantic ramblings are brilliant and makes me wonder if he ad-libbed anything. Two, the monster is freakishly adorable and I want it in plushie form. Three, the way Raph attempts to chat up the little thing had me howling ("Awww, look at you, ain't you cute! You wanna bucket there, lil fella? Yes you do, yes you do! Come on! I'm gonna dropkick you to hurty-town! C'mon, little guy...oww!"). Four, the music to that battle scene was set to was, of all songs, "Black Betty." Considering what the song is actually about, I have no idea why it would be chosen to contribute to the soundtrack of a kids' movie like this, but, hey, it's catchy.
Really, the only issues I had were that none of the humans looked at all physically realistic. April was a stick figure with a bobble-head. Casey looked like a toothpick. I know, I know, it's a cartoon. But it doesn't fit with my idea of the characters, so I had a hard time with it. However: Patrick Stewart? Oh, I bet he had fun. I still wish Michaelangelo's character would have shown more empathy and intelligence and less... bouncy brainless teenager attitude. I guess the only place I'll really get that is in the original comics and good fanfiction. This movie is less about deep character development and more about action fringed with plot. Which is fine in itself. We have the Mirage comics and FoxBox cartoon show for character development.
Overall? Yeah, I'd see it again, I'd absolutely buy the DVD, and if I had an XBox 360 I would get the game. A lot of it is hopelessly cheesy and corny. But hell, it's supposed to be. You think giant mutant turtles from a comic book are supposed to be taken in all literary seriousness? Don't answer that.
I am, as they say, a hardcore TMNT fan. Not as intense as some, but I will still squeal in delight when I see anything at all mentioning them. I will collect TMNT stuff and I really want a TMNT t-shirt and TMNT pajamas. And I even have a fanfic that I seriously need to finish; it's been years. *waves to Renet, whose website hosts said fic*
The movie needs to win an award based on visuals and animation alone -- the CGI was that good. The skin on the Turtles, the eyes, the expressions, the backgrounds, the landscapes. The way rain and light and shadows played on muscles. It was incredibly beautiful and I would watch it all over and over for those things alone.
The best visual scene, probably, is the fight between Leonardo and Raphael on the rooftop. Most fans talk about that scene a lot. They're right -- it's fantastic. All the battle scenes are lovely, pounding, and deep, but with that particular scene you can see and feel the intense, built-up sibling rivalry literally explode. And anyone who has followed the original comics canon, the first three movies, and the FoxBox animated cartoon, knows full well that a battle between those two brothers has been waiting.
However... it was not my favorite scene. My favorite scene had to be in the diner, where Raphael investigates the "disturbance" and finds the tiny gremlin-like monster raiding the diner kitchen and pantry for food. This, for several reasons. One, the diner cook is voiced by Kevin Smith (yes, that Kevin Smith), whose frantic ramblings are brilliant and makes me wonder if he ad-libbed anything. Two, the monster is freakishly adorable and I want it in plushie form. Three, the way Raph attempts to chat up the little thing had me howling ("Awww, look at you, ain't you cute! You wanna bucket there, lil fella? Yes you do, yes you do! Come on! I'm gonna dropkick you to hurty-town! C'mon, little guy...oww!"). Four, the music to that battle scene was set to was, of all songs, "Black Betty." Considering what the song is actually about, I have no idea why it would be chosen to contribute to the soundtrack of a kids' movie like this, but, hey, it's catchy.
Really, the only issues I had were that none of the humans looked at all physically realistic. April was a stick figure with a bobble-head. Casey looked like a toothpick. I know, I know, it's a cartoon. But it doesn't fit with my idea of the characters, so I had a hard time with it. However: Patrick Stewart? Oh, I bet he had fun. I still wish Michaelangelo's character would have shown more empathy and intelligence and less... bouncy brainless teenager attitude. I guess the only place I'll really get that is in the original comics and good fanfiction. This movie is less about deep character development and more about action fringed with plot. Which is fine in itself. We have the Mirage comics and FoxBox cartoon show for character development.
Overall? Yeah, I'd see it again, I'd absolutely buy the DVD, and if I had an XBox 360 I would get the game. A lot of it is hopelessly cheesy and corny. But hell, it's supposed to be. You think giant mutant turtles from a comic book are supposed to be taken in all literary seriousness? Don't answer that.