TMNT (2007)
Leonardo: James Arnold Taylor
Raphael: Nolan North
Michelangelo: Mikey Kelly
Donatello: Mitchell Whitfield
Splinter: Mako
April O'Neil: Sarah Michelle Gellar
Casey Jones: Chris Evans
Max Winters: Patrick Stewart
Karai: Ziyi Zhang
General Aquila: Kevin Michael Richardson
Narrator: Laurence Fishburne
Diner Chef: Kevin Smith
Warner Bros. Pictures presents a film written and directed by Kevin Munroe. Based off the comic book and characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.
Running time: 89 minutes
Rated PG for animated action violence, some scary cartoon images and mild language.
Release Date: March 23, 2006
Review Date: March 29, 2006
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I'll be honest. I didn't remember much of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saga when entering TMNT, except that I watched the show and saw all the movies when I was a kid. I really didn't have to, as Laurence Fishburne put in about three minutes of work to keep me up to date - although I did have to remember for myself who the Foot Clan were.
Nevertheless, fourteen years have passed since the turtles last hit the silver screen, and in that time they've turned from guys in rubber suits to CGI video game characters. Shredder is long gone, and so are the turtles, actually. Leonardo is living in a forest and protecting a third-world village, somehow trying to learn how to be a better leader. While waiting for him, Michelangelo is working as a guy in a pretty convincing turtle suit for kids parties and Donatello works in computer technical support - and he didn't have to move to India to get the job. Raphael, on the other hand, hasn't really coped well with the evaporation of the group and is still trying to fight crime. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he is going out at night as the mysterious "Nightwatcher," doing the police's work for them and doing it better.
Of course, Leonardo eventually makes his return and the brothers turtle are back together again. Master Splinter wants Leo to whip the group back into shape before they go back out, but Raphael - who has never taken a break - has other ideas. This brings forth a very interesting power struggle between the two, which even leads to them coming to blows. Unfortunately, not everything in TMNT is as interesting to watch.
The Turtles need an enemy to fight besides each other, right? They have it, in Max Winters - a businessman who was a great army general some 3000 years ago. You see, he entered a portal to another dimension that made him an immortal. However, it turned all of his buddies into stone statues and released thirteen monsters around the world. The only way to reverse the curse is to capture all of the monsters and that way Max can die in peace. Why Max has waited 3000 years to finally do this and why all of the monsters are conveniently roaming the streets of New York City are never really dwelled upon - but I suppose it's not convenient to the plot.
I cannot for the life of me figure out whether or not I liked this movie. I really liked the turtles themselves - and Splinter, of course - but the other characters are never really given a chance to shine. Casey Jones is going out and fighting crime at night, as well, but a second thought is never given to that. And his interaction with his mostly useless girlfriend, April O'Neil, is about as lifeless as it gets.
Despite the fact that a good portion of the characters are practically cardboard cutouts, TMNT has a ridiculously convoluted storyline when it's completely unnecessary. This is a film that seems like it's intended to be a quick little adventure that's capable of being enjoyed by the whole family. I think that type of film calls for more simplistic bad guys, as opposed to stone statues that come to life and capture monsters that will align the stars to end a curse of immortality. Or something like that.
TMNT is short enough that long time turtle fans who are feeling nostalgic will be able to check it out without feeling like they've wasted their time. Don't feel like you're slighting yourself if you miss it, though.
** (out of ****)