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Review #434 of 365
Movie Review of TMNT (2007) [PG] 87 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $9.00
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 25 March 2007
Time: 9:50 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Kevin Munroe (Freaky Flyers)
Written by: Kevin Munroe (Freaky Flyers ) based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
Featured Voice Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) • Sarah Michelle Gellar (Happily N'Ever After) • Mako (Memoirs of a Geisha) • Kevin Smith (Catch and Release) • Patrick Stewart (X-Men: The Last Stand) • Laurence Fishburne (Bobby) • Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha) • Mitchell Whitfield ("W.I.T.C.H.") • James Arnold Taylor ("Johnny Test") • Mikey Kelley ("Shorty McShorts' Shorts" ) • Nolan North (Deja Vu)
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It's been a long time since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were hot. If you can remember when it was, you were probably born before 1990. There were the comic books, the after school daily cartoons, the lunch boxes, the action figures, and the license plates. License plates? Yes, I admit it. I registered the license plate TMNT VAN for my Dodge® Caravan when I moved to California in 1990. I remember the puzzled look on the DMV clerk's face when she asked me what it meant, "Oh my gosh, I love the turtles," she squealed upon acknowledgement that it wasn't an acronym for some pharmacologically mind-altering substance. The turtles were a national and international phenomenon at the time losing out only slightly to the dreaded Power Rangers. Live action movies were made as the final swan song to their waning popularity. As usual, they waited a bit too long before releasing these films to the throngs of fans. So, it seemed curious when the first 'coming soon' posters for a new TMNT movie began to pop up in theatres around the country a while a go. Why now? What's the context?
"… I was about to fall asleep in fact, when the person behind snickered "Cowabunga"."
It looked as if it would be a CGI animated film—technology barely in its infancy when the first film came out. Was this a nostalgic movie for those who loved the turtles? Or was this film the hope of luring in a new generation of terrapin acolytes? Alas, the film serves neither audience well. Fans of the franchise will wonder first, "Why the gap?" and second, "Why not let a sleeping turtle lie?" Newbies will wonder, what was all the fuss about? Are these turtles that cool? The background story of the TMNTs is told quickly and without much fanfare during the opening sequence. It's not as well done as the old cartoon intro.
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It was always fun to see the little baby turtles mutated by toxic chemical spills growing up and meeting Splinter—their rat sensei who instructs them in their ninja ways. While the technology and the animation of the film are worthy of the task of resurrecting the Turtles from their hibernation, of course it is the story and some of the voice acting that nearly has the same effect on a viewer as a date with a 450lb. modern ancient history text at 2:00 a.m. the day after pulling an all-nighter to get a take home organic chemistry exam finished to perfection.
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It all begins with the Turtles broken up and doing their own thing. They are no longer brother super heroes. For some reason, Splinter has sent Leonardo away to Central America to hone his leadership skills leaving the brothers to their own devices. The impact is not as hoped. Meanwhile, a homespun menace lurks in the shadows eagerly awaiting a date with destiny when he'll oversee the release of 13 monsters designed to destroy the world as we know it. Stopping these monsters and the man responsible will be the responsibility of the recombined TMNTs. The plot lacks the spontaneity of the cartoon, and it's actually difficult to like any of these CGI turtles. The voice actors and their dialogue just didn't seem to jive with the Turtles those of us who were around had grown to love. The jokes are sort of dated too, as exemplified in the worst way when one cracks on the other's mom and the retort is "She's your mom too, dude." Chris Evans and Sara Michelle Gellar provide the voices for Casey Jones and April O'Neal (the human pals of the TMNTs) with modest efforts. Their cartoon rendering, however, makes them look sheepish most of the time. The worst, however, with all due respect to Mako was Splinter. Egad. His timing was just horrendous. Now, I am fully cognizant of two things at this point. First, some people are probably thinking that I'm going a bit over board and nitpicking. I mean, come on, Splinter's vocals? Others are probably wondering if I'm just too much of a TMNT purist to ever accept this new film. I mean, come on, there was only 1 TMNT Van in the state of California. Well, maybe both, maybe neither. I just didn't fall for this film. I was about to fall asleep in fact, when the person behind snickered "Cowabunga". P.S. To save a 100 emails asking who was my favorite Turtle, it was Donatello because he was the most scientific of the turtles, and yes I still have the TMNT Van license plates on my book shelf.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Other Projects Featuring TMNT (2007)
Cast Members
Chris Evans
• Sarah Michelle Gellar • Mako 0Kevin Smith
• Patrick Stewart • Laurence FishburneZiyi Zhang
• Mitchell Whitfield • James Arnold TaylorMikey Kelley
• Nolan NorthWriter / Director
Kevin Munroe
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TMNT (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
What was the point of Kevin Munroe making a CGI Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie? Was it nostalgia for those who loved the turtles? Or was this film the hope of luring in a new generation of terrapin acolytes? Alas, the film serves neither audience well. Fans of the franchise will wonder first, "Why the gap?" and second, "Why not let a sleeping turtle lie?" Newbies will wonder, what was all the fuss about? Are these turtles that cool? While the technology and the animation of the film are worthy of the task of resurrecting the Turtles from their hibernation, of course, yet it is the story and some of the voice acting that nearly puts you to sleep.
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