Reaction & Review | TMNT

 

Welcome, one and all, to "Tales of the Longbox" here on Reaction & Review. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna be covering an animated film from 2007. That movie is "TMNT".

Now, a little bit of background on my history with the Ninja Turtles. You see, unlike most people, I didn't grow up with the Ninja Turtles cartoon from the 80's. And the big reason why was because I wasn't born back then. So, I didn't really know anything about that particular cartoon until around the mid-to-late 2000's. I did watch the first 3 live-action movies, but that was YEARS ago. It wasn't until 2003 when they started airing a new Ninja Turtles series on the FoxBox, and I really enjoyed all 5 seasons of that show. Season 6 wasn't that great, and season 7 could've been longer. But overall, the series was pretty good. I also watched a little bit of the 2012 Ninja Turtles cartoon on Nickelodeon, and what I watched looked OK. And as for "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", well...let's not talk about that series.

So overall, my history with the Ninja Turtles has mostly been positive. Speaking of the 2003 cartoon, as I was watching it one year on the FoxBox/4Kids programming block, they started airing trailers and ads for this movie. And I didn't really know what to think of it back in 2007. All I knew back then was that they were showing a new Ninja Turtles movie, and it was the first time since "Turtles 3" that they had gotten a theatrical release. And considering how bad "Turtles 3" was, well, it had been quite a while. And even with the ads I saw for the 2007 movie, I ended up forgetting about it, even after it was being shown in theaters. Now, when I was scheduling what movies to review for this marathon, I was thinking about reviewing a Ninja Turtles movie. But, you see, I didn't really have many options available to me. Like I stated earlier, I had seen the first 3 live-action movies, I've seen "Turtles Forever", I've seen the live-action reboot that they made in 2014, I've even seen the crossover movie that they did with Batman. So, my options were very limited. But that's when I remembered that this movie existed. And, you know what, I guess it's finally time to see if I missed out on something good here.

Now, I can tell you one thing I do remember about this movie. Not only was this the first Ninja Turtles movie that had been theatrically released since 1993, it was also the very first Ninja Turtles film to be fully rendered in CG. So, I'm a little curious to see how their first outing in CG turned out. Now, I've also heard mixed things about this movie. I've heard people say that the film's OK, others call it crap, and I've even heard a couple of people say that the movie is pretty good. So really, I have no idea which way this film is going to swing for me. I'm hoping that it ends up being pretty good. But the only way I'm gonna find out, is if I shut up, and I push play, and I'm gonna do that right now. So, without further ado, it's time to kick back, relax, and check out "TMNT".

12 minutes later

Oh yeah...I seem to remember that costume that Raph was wearing in that Smash Bros. clone that came out for the Wii almost a decade ago. At least I finally get to see it in some context. Granted, he's just a third-rate version of Batman. But still, at least he gets the job done.

17 minutes later

OK, this has been bugging me for a while now. So, early on in the movie, we've been told that these monsters that were released 3,000 years ago by this warrior king have still been causing havoc and destruction to this very day. I have a big question about that. Where the fuck have these monsters BEEN for the last 3,000 years? Because if they have been causing destruction since they were released, don't you think that we would've seen, like, ruined cities and towns that these monsters have laid wasted? Better yet, if these monsters are still around today, then why the fuck hasn't the news reported on this? Don't you think that would get some kind of worldwide media attention? I don't know. Perhaps maybe it's just me that's noticing these issues. I'm kinda hoping that we'll get an explanation as to where these monsters have been. But as of right now, that plot hole is going to continue to bug me throughout this entire movie.

19 minutes later

OK, I have another stupid question that I'm probably not going to get an answer to. So, the portal that was opened 3,000 years ago is located at Mr. Winters's tower. And Donnie just said a moment ago that the monsters are going to come through the portal and the world will be lost to them within 24 hours. Even though we've already seen 10 of the 13 monsters that Mr. Winters's warriors have been trying to locate and capture, along with the assist of Karai and the Foot Clan. So again, I'm gonna ask this. Where the fuck have these monsters been hiding throughout these 3,000 years?! If they went through the portal with Mr. Winters back then, then that means that the monsters have already been in our world for that long. I know I'm asking the same question twice now, but this shit is starting to bother me, and I really don't know if this movie's going to get any better from here.

7 minutes later

I think I may have found another problem with this movie, guys. And yes, it is something NOT related to the monsters, actually. This film doesn't really seem to be focused properly. And now, we're getting this confrontation between Leo and Raph, and I'm gonna be honest with you guys, I'm really not feeling anything out of it. It just feels so out of place, what with this story going back and forth between the Nightwatcher and the issue involving the 13 monsters. It just seems off to me, you know?

The Review

Well, guys, that was "TMNT". Let me shut the movie off here...OK. What to start with first? Well, I guess I can start with this. I can easily say that, out of all the Ninja Turtles films that I've seen, this is by far the weakest film. I would probably say that it ranks lower than the 2014 live-action reboot, but it's still at least a bit better than "Turtles 3". Which isn't saying a whole lot, considering how bad "Turtles 3" was, but I should quit stalling and get into the review proper.

Let's start with the writing. Now, there might be those who are reading this, and have probably never seen a Ninja Turtles movie or TV show, or have never read any of the comics. And if you haven't done any of the above, there's one thing that always connects with the Ninja Turtles. And that is their main nemesis, which would be the Shredder. In just about almost every film, the turtles would always fight the Shredder in some capacity. And as for the cartoons, that focus on the Shredder would mostly remain the same. Now, mind you, I'm basing the latter off of the 2003 cartoon, since it's the only Ninja Turtles show that I've seen in it's entirety, so I'm not sure how much of a focus it was when the Shredder was involved as the main enemy. But for, like, most of the 2003 show, the focus on Shredder was never lost. The only exceptions would be season 4 and "Fast Forward". Season 4 mostly focused on a character by the name of Agent Bishop, while "Fast Forward" never really focused on the Shredder at all. So yeah, the Shredder is basically what most fans would think of, when you're working with a story involving the Ninja Turtles. Now, the reason why I bring this up is that the Shredder doesn't make any real appearance in this movie, outside of a cameo he had in the prologue. Instead, it focuses on a new story involving our main antagonist Mr. Winters. However, calling him an antagonist is a bit of a stretch. Because he's not really presented as a villain in this movie. He's out to capture these 13 monsters that he had released 3,000 years ago after he obtained the power of immortality. I'm gonna talk about that issue involving the 13 monsters in a bit. But anyway, he's trying to capture the 13 monsters so that he can send them back to their world, and thus undo the process of him not being immortal anymore. And to do this, he also located and brought back his Generals, who had fought side by side with him all those years ago. They were turned into stone after Mr. Winters obtained immortality, and because he has lived for long, he has his own empire, and was able to locate all four of his Generals thanks to April O'Neil. He brings them back to life with his own technology so that they can help him capture the monsters. Which then turns into a scuffle when the Generals find out that they won't be immortal anymore if they retrieve all 13 monsters, and thus they kidnap Leo as a substitute, which then leads to the turtles, along with, Splinter, April, and Casey, having to do battle against the General's and the Foot Clan in order to rescue him. Now, I will say that the concept for this story is perfectly fine. Because you want to switch it up and not have the Shredder be involved in it like a lot of stories involving the Ninja Turtles do. So, I am willing to say that, as a concept, the story sounds rather interesting.

However...that all gets knee-capped with one issue that's been on my mind throughout this entire movie. And that is the issue involving the 13 monsters. So, as I stated earlier, Mr. Winters and his Generals were doing battle against another army 3,000 years. And throughout this battle, Mr. Winters found a portal to another world. And once he found a way to open the portal, he became immortal. But with that power, he also lost his Generals. Basically, they were turned into stone. But he also unleashed 13 monsters from the portal. Now, here's where all my issues with these monsters come into play. Throughout this 4 minute prologue, we get a narration from Laurence Fishburne as he tells the viewer about the Ninja Turtles and what happened 3,000 years ago. At the very end of this prologue, he states that the 13 monsters, after they were released, have still been wreaking havoc and destruction to this very day. I want to make that point abundantly clear: They have been causing massive amounts of destruction throughout the world for 3,000 years. If that's true, then why haven't we heard ANYTHING about them in modern times? If they have been causing so much destruction for so long, then why haven't we seen any of this happen? You would think that within 3,000 years, they would be the primary focus, because of their endless destruction. But no, everything just looks like normal in the present day! No armies have tried to stop these monsters within this period of time. And if they have, then I guess they all failed, but we don't get any confirmation of that. Also, why is it that they are all specifically located in New York City? If they have been in New York City all this time, you would think that would get even MORE attention, because I don't think that's something any normal person would ignore. And I don't want to hear the excuse of "Well, New York City is the largest city in the world" BS, because even a small fraction of New York's citizens would have noticed something like that! Plus also, if these monsters have truly been wreaking havoc for so long, then don't you think New York City would've been the perfect place for them to cause massive amounts of destruction? It would sound like it, but I guess that didn't happen either. And another thing that bothers me is that if nobody has even heard a wink about these monsters in New York City, then where the fuck have they been hiding this entire time? Mind you, all of the monsters are in New York City, because that's where they have been getting captured by the Generals and the Foot Clan. So I have to ask again: Where, in New York City, have the monsters been hiding this entire time? Were they hiding around subway trains? Maybe they were in some barren part of New York City that I have not been made aware of. Guys, this issue involving the 13 monsters bothered me throughout the entire film. If this movie did not state that they were still causing destruction throughout these 3,000 years, then I would've not had much issues with it. However, because of that one line, it stuck out at me. And if you go into it like I did, then it's going to stick out at you as well.

Now, setting aside that plot hole, let me talk about the characters. In terms of the 4 main turtles, all of them are pretty much in character. What I find funny about this is that most of them have side jobs. For example, Donnie is working as a customer service tech at the lair, Mikey's working as an entertainer for children's birthday parties, and Raphael has taken on the role as a vigilante. In Raph's case, because they have defeated the Shredder for good, I guess, he still wants to fight bad guys, while Donnie, Mikey, and Splinter do their own thing. As for Leo, he was sent to Central America by Splinter so that he can train to become a better leader for his brothers. Which, I don't really know why. Because if you have defeated the Shredder once and for all, then why go all the way to Central America to train? I'm rather curious about that. In fact, I don't really believe the Shredder was suppose to be gone for good. Because towards the end of the film, Karai kinda, sorta teases a sequel hook where the turtles would fight an old enemy again. However, considering that this movie came out 15 years ago, at least at the time that I'm writing this review, that sequel has never come to pass, and probably never will. One other thing I want to mention with the characters is Leo. OK, so I mentioned a moment ago that he was sent out to Central America to train so that he can become a better leader for his brothers. And you know, Leo's character in this film reminds me a lot of what he went through in the 2003 cartoon. Specifically, season 4. Without going too much into spoilers, in season 4, Leo was on this depression state where he thinks that what happened to him and his family towards the end of season 3 was his fault, and would dread to think of what would really happen to them had things ended badly. And so, he beats himself up so hard that he tries to focus himself on becoming a better leader for his family. And that's the same kind of thing I feel here. However, the difference between this movie and that season of the show was that Leo actually developed his character throughout most of that season. This movie tries to do that here. However, I don't really feel that same kind of drive from him. It just feels kinda empty, because I guess something happened to them when, or after, they defeated the Shredder, but we don't really know. All we know is what we got out of them from this movie, and it just feels kinda weak and empty. And if this thing WAS suppose to tease a sequel, then I would be more than welcome to it, because I think it would've fleshed some things out. However, like I said, I kinda have my doubts on that ever happening.

Now, there are going to be those that'll read this and will think that I'm probably just thinking way too deep when it comes to my issues involving the 13 monsters. And I could totally see why you would think that. However, these are issues that I had with the film. And because of those issues, I was not able to enjoy this movie as much as I wanted to. Others are probably not going to think about that kind of stuff. Especially children, but I'll get more into that when I get to recommendations. So, with all that said, the writing here is rather weak, and it could've expanded on so much more. But with that out of the way, let's get into the acting. For the most part, the acting here is pretty good. Almost everybody turns in a rather good showing, save for one. And that is whoever voiced Karai. I don't know if it was because the actress had a thick accent, or if it was because she didn't know how to emote properly, but her acting was just terrible. It really sounded like she wanted to express an emotion for Karai, but didn't know how, or when, to do it. And it just comes off as incredibly stilted and robotic. And it stands out, because I honestly thought she was going to get better the longer Karai was in this movie. However, she didn't. And she easily turns in the worst showing out of this entire cast. Aside from her, everybody else did a decent job, so I can at least give the actors some praise there. Overall, the acting was pretty good in this movie, save for whoever voiced Karai.

Now we get to the animation. Now, seeing as how this movie was marked as the first time the Ninja Turtles were rendered in CG, how does the CG hold up? By 2007 standards, I would say that this looks really good. I could totally imagine that this is what New York City would look like when rendered in a CG world. And as for the animation itself, the characters, and the way that they move, look mostly decent. The turtles, themselves, look pretty good, too. Granted, they don't look amazing. However, for the standards of 2007, and the fact that this was the Ninja Turtle's first outing in CG, they don't look too bad either. I would easily that the model for Splinter looks great in CG. The monsters, and the Generals, look really good, too. The human characters, though, look a little bit stilted. At least, when they are moving their mouths to talk. However, that might just be me nitpicking there. Overall, I can say that CG in this movie looks pretty good. At least for the standards set for CG animation back in 2007. Now, if I tried to compare it to today's standards, I would say that this movie looks a little bit dated. However, you would have to be foolish to try and compare something that came out 15 years ago to today's standards. But anyway, the CG in this movie looks pretty good.

Lighting is also really good. There's not too much darkness, considering that most of this movie was set during nighttime. But then again, New York City hardly ever sleeps, so you can totally expect the lighting to come into factor here. Sound-mix here is mixed well. The music is rather forgettable. The score is fairly generic, as is the soundtrack. Nothing about it is going to stand out at you, but at least it's serviceable.

Overall, guys, when all is said and done, am I able to recommend "TMNT"? I would say that if you have kids in some capacity. Whether you have children of your own, or if you have a niece or nephew, and they are fans of the Ninja Turtles, then yeah, I could totally recommend it to them. Because most children are not going to notice the issues I had with the movie's writing. If you, yourself, are a fan of the Ninja Turtles, then chances are, you have already seen this, and you might already own it on DVD or Blu-ray. However, if you haven't seen it yet, then I could maybe recommend this thing as a rental. Because of the issues I had with the writing, it's not something that I could recommend you go out and buy a copy of. And for those that are not fans of the Ninja Turtles, or have never seen any of the movies or TV shows, or have read any of the comics, then I would personally just skip it. It really is just for fans of the Ninja Turtles. Or again, if you have children in some capacity that are fans of the Ninja Turtles, then that's really the only way I could recommend this movie to you. I, personally, am not a die-hard fan of the turtles, so I'm probably not going to give this movie a second viewing. And that's kind of a shame, because I really wanted to like this movie. I wanted it to be amazing. Unfortunately, it just fell kinda short for me. Now...as for myself, I do have one other movie that's sitting on my DVD shelf that involves the Ninja Turtles. And that movie is "Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". I'm gonna go watch that, because that movie was fucking awesome, and I'm still kinda in the mood to watch a better movie involving the turtles.

Anyway, guys, with that, we come to the close of another Reaction & Review. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, take care, and I will see you all later. Peace.