TMNT (2007)

Tagline: Raising shell in 2007.

Curiosity: It’s a belated sequel/reboot. And Leonardo and Raphael fight each other!

Plot: Set some time after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, TMNT finds the turtles divided. Leonardo has been in South America training to be a better leader. Donatello and Michelangelo are leading less interesting lives as a computer support technician and children’s birthday party entertainer, respectively. Raphael, angry and impulsive as ever, has taken up an alter ego, the Nightwatcher, and fights crime, unbeknownst to his family. But when the Foot Clan, stone warriors, and 13 monsters from another dimension start making trouble in New York City, the turtles must come together and fight as one.

Thoughts: TMNT is a film of compromise. It was made using CGI so as to cut down on costs. It juggles action, humor, morals, and dark themes. As a result, it’s neither the most compelling Turtles film (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) or the funniest (The Secret of the Ooze). But it ropes in an impressive voice cast (Mako, Sarah Michelle Geller, Chris Evans, and Patrick Stewart, among others), and Imagi Animation Studio provides great visuals.

The movie’s plot isn’t especially interesting – needs more Shredder – but it re-establishes the characters after 14 years away from the big screen. Better yet, the film offers up a series of amazing animations. Sure, it makes the film somewhat unbalanced, as scenes that advance the story kill time in between stellar vignettes, but there’s a strong series of visuals all the same. The highlight of the movie is clearly the showdown between Leonardo and Raphael about halfway through the movie. The characters have always butted heads, but none of the previous movies addressed those tensions quite so viscerally, and it’s clear that Imagi went out of its way to make this scene count. The brothers battle it out in the rain, under NYC lights, with all their might. TMNT depends on nostalgia, but damn if this fight didn’t get my heart pumping.

Other highlights include Michelangelo skateboarding through the sewers, as well as when the good guys storm the bad guys’ lair. Three years after its release, TMNT holds up well. Some of the human models look unfinished, but the turtles look great, and they’re the ones that count the most. Like I said, this is a movie of compromise. It isn’t the funniest or most action-packed, but it’s also less ridiculous or sterile compared to II or III. I still prefer the first two films, but TMNT is a welcome addition.

Reflection: Ha ha, remember Cute is What We Aim For? Why the hell is Casey Jones listening to them? Bring back the hip-hop.