Kay? See Jones!
In the midst of all the "300" hype (hey, I enjoyed the movie, but it was no "Sin City" in terms of faithfulness, so I will refer to the commotion as 'hype'), I feel the need to break my fast from posting and remind everyone of another recent comic-to-big-screen release: "TMNT!" You should totally treat yourself, and go see this movie!
Why, you ask? Here's why! (May contain minor spoilers):
1. Memories, nostalgia, fun times! Remember when you were a kid and watched the Ninja Turtles cartoon & movies/read the comics? Relive it all today!
2. Raphael!!! (though you may insert the name of your favorite Turtle here.... come on, you know you have one!) Raph was always my favorite, partially because (as I said when I was but a child), "He's the only one that cried and really cared when Splinter was kidnapped!" (Can a child have TOO much empathy????)
3. Pretty decent mix of a throw-back to the Turtles we knew and the Turtles that the next generation is currently experiencing.
4. Nice fight scene b/t Raph & Leo
5. Casey Jones is in the movie, dude!
6. Cool scenes that feature references to the old movies, comics, cartoons (melded together -- I don't think this film is a direct sequel to any one version of the Turtles), like: the can of Ooze that mutated the Turtles, Shredder's helmet, the time staff, etc.
7. Someone in your theater may be smoking pot during the film (as someone was in mine... quasi-amusing, methinks).
Reasons not to see the movie (but not really!!! Go see it, already!!!!):
1. If your fave Turtle was Mikey or Don, you may not be too happy; their screentime is minimal.
2. Splinter's voice. Yeah, Mako voiced Splinter in this, his last film, but really.... Splinter always needs to sound as if he is whispering in a "I have faith that everything will work out," stream of confident assurance. Raspiness does not become him. He's a radical rat!!! (Which reminds me of another let-down, Splinter does not utter his little quip from the original films of, "Ha ha! I made a funny!")
3. No Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle theme song. Sorry.
4. Continuation of crappy music as the end credits roll... even worse than Vanilla Ice's "Go Ninja, Go!" b/c the song at the end of this movie mentions Bebop and Rocksteady, who are nowhere to be seen in this film...
5. Someone in your theater may be smoking pot during the film (pretty inconsiderate, given that even though my theater was filled with teens and post-teens, this is technically a kids' movie, and families are bound to be in the theater, too).
Other (neutral) things:
- Don't try to look this movie up on IMDB as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." It's "TMNT." Why? Well, this reflects the current stage of the Turtles in the comics (and maybe the new cartoon...I'm not sure) -- they are older now, more mature. No longer "teenagers." And while the 'T' still stands for "Teenage," I guess abbreviating it makes it less dated, somehow. (Maybe TMNT it can eventually stand for "Thirty-something Mutant Ninja Turtles.")
- I can't really remember a scene where nunchucks were prominent. This would be an unforgivable negative, but I find it interesting, considering that England prohibited the use of nunchucks in the original cartoon series. I doubt there is any parallel here, by my mind draws one, nonetheless.
- April has amazing ninja-fighting skills, which is not really explained in the movie.
- You may or may not like/be distracted by the animation style.
- This is not as serious, dark, or violent as some accounts of the Turtles, but it isn't slap-sticky, either.
- There will probably be a sequel - an exchange b/t the Turtles and a female leader of the Foot provides an opening for continuing this story.
OVERALL, IT'S JUST GOOD, CLEAN FUN!!!!
N.B. Much of the background info contained in this post comes courtesy of my remembering the (long, drawn-out, sometimes boring, but usually interesting) musings of one Matthew B. Goode. I loved the Turtles as a kid, but hey.... I am a girl. I don't know much about comics and junk. I play with Barbies. Take from that what you will.
Why, you ask? Here's why! (May contain minor spoilers):
1. Memories, nostalgia, fun times! Remember when you were a kid and watched the Ninja Turtles cartoon & movies/read the comics? Relive it all today!
2. Raphael!!! (though you may insert the name of your favorite Turtle here.... come on, you know you have one!) Raph was always my favorite, partially because (as I said when I was but a child), "He's the only one that cried and really cared when Splinter was kidnapped!" (Can a child have TOO much empathy????)
3. Pretty decent mix of a throw-back to the Turtles we knew and the Turtles that the next generation is currently experiencing.
4. Nice fight scene b/t Raph & Leo
5. Casey Jones is in the movie, dude!
6. Cool scenes that feature references to the old movies, comics, cartoons (melded together -- I don't think this film is a direct sequel to any one version of the Turtles), like: the can of Ooze that mutated the Turtles, Shredder's helmet, the time staff, etc.
7. Someone in your theater may be smoking pot during the film (as someone was in mine... quasi-amusing, methinks).
Reasons not to see the movie (but not really!!! Go see it, already!!!!):
1. If your fave Turtle was Mikey or Don, you may not be too happy; their screentime is minimal.
2. Splinter's voice. Yeah, Mako voiced Splinter in this, his last film, but really.... Splinter always needs to sound as if he is whispering in a "I have faith that everything will work out," stream of confident assurance. Raspiness does not become him. He's a radical rat!!! (Which reminds me of another let-down, Splinter does not utter his little quip from the original films of, "Ha ha! I made a funny!")
3. No Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle theme song. Sorry.
4. Continuation of crappy music as the end credits roll... even worse than Vanilla Ice's "Go Ninja, Go!" b/c the song at the end of this movie mentions Bebop and Rocksteady, who are nowhere to be seen in this film...
5. Someone in your theater may be smoking pot during the film (pretty inconsiderate, given that even though my theater was filled with teens and post-teens, this is technically a kids' movie, and families are bound to be in the theater, too).
Other (neutral) things:
- Don't try to look this movie up on IMDB as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." It's "TMNT." Why? Well, this reflects the current stage of the Turtles in the comics (and maybe the new cartoon...I'm not sure) -- they are older now, more mature. No longer "teenagers." And while the 'T' still stands for "Teenage," I guess abbreviating it makes it less dated, somehow. (Maybe TMNT it can eventually stand for "Thirty-something Mutant Ninja Turtles.")
- I can't really remember a scene where nunchucks were prominent. This would be an unforgivable negative, but I find it interesting, considering that England prohibited the use of nunchucks in the original cartoon series. I doubt there is any parallel here, by my mind draws one, nonetheless.
- April has amazing ninja-fighting skills, which is not really explained in the movie.
- You may or may not like/be distracted by the animation style.
- This is not as serious, dark, or violent as some accounts of the Turtles, but it isn't slap-sticky, either.
- There will probably be a sequel - an exchange b/t the Turtles and a female leader of the Foot provides an opening for continuing this story.
OVERALL, IT'S JUST GOOD, CLEAN FUN!!!!
N.B. Much of the background info contained in this post comes courtesy of my remembering the (long, drawn-out, sometimes boring, but usually interesting) musings of one Matthew B. Goode. I loved the Turtles as a kid, but hey.... I am a girl. I don't know much about comics and junk. I play with Barbies. Take from that what you will.