Cowabunga! Welcome back Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello. J.P. gives his take on the latest incarnation.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
Paramount Pictures
RATED: PG-13 FOR SCI-FI ACTION VIOLENCE
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Cast: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, and William Fichtner
Studio Synopsis:
The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.
Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Characters Created by PETER LAIRD and KEVIN EASTMAN with a Screenplay by JOSH APPELBAUM & ANDRÉ NEMEC and EVAN DAUGHERTY, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is produced by MICHAEL BAY (director and executive producer of the blockbuster Transformers franchise), Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Galen Walker, Scott Mednick and Ian Bryce, and directed by JONATHAN LIEBESMAN (Wrath of the Titans).
J.P.’s Take:
Those wily heroes in a half shell are up for a 5th go’ round on the silver screen in this 2014 revitalization. Nickelodeon/Platinum Dunes Studios are riding the coat tails of other successfully resurrected franchises, such as “G.I. Joe” and “Transformers,” and trying to capitalize on 80’s nostalgia. Not that I blame them. It’s just that 2014’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” didn’t exactly stoke my childhood fires for the franchise all over again.
After viewing “Ninja Turtles,” I felt there wasn’t a real reason for the resurgence, except to introduce this latest installment to the current generation. Sure, I was a TMNT follower as a kid. I watched the cartoon series and played with the toys and video games. I remember seeing all the merchandise in stores, as well as viewed the previous movies. I didn’t discover that Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman created the ’84 black & white comic series until after seeing the 1990 movie. It was a pop culture phenomenon during the 80’s/90’s. There wasn’t anything like it on TV at the time. But that was then, now younglings like my nephews are experiencing the same phenomenon.
Much speculation, however, has been circulating around Michael Bay’s tampering with the original story. Many fans were unhappy with some omittance of critical story arcs and characters. Then again, if you look back on the cartoon series, it too was a reincarnated version of the comics. I guess the snickering of diehards reached the ears of writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (both credited with the TV series “Alias” and “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”) and Evan Daugherty (“Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Divergent”). I’m happy to say much of the origins story is still intact, with slight changes in characterizations.
As the story goes, April O’Neil (Megan Fox), a young tenacious Channel 6 news reporter, has been hot on the trail of a ruthless crime organization called the Foot Clan. Under commandment of Shredder (Tohoru Masamune), a walking-like Cuisinart kitchen appliance, they terrorize the city of New York and hold it hostage. April happens upon a robbery in progress by the clan, as well as witnessing a mysterious vigilante who baffles their plans. Trying to make a name for her herself in the journalism realm, April digs deeper for a viable story. She discovers that there is not only one vigilante, but four. The evidence she brings back to her news producer Bernadette Thompson (Whoopi Goldberg) proves preposterous and ludicrous. As April searches for more answers, she finds out that she’s connected to these mysterious crusaders through her father and philanthropist/scientist Eric Sacks (William Fichtner).
The problem with this version of “Turtles” is that the first act doesn’t develop the connection between April and the hulking turtles adequately enough. Instead of releasing the pieces of the puzzle over the course of the film, it sums up everything too quickly and concisely. Therefore, the audience doesn’t invest much emotion or time into the characters’ story.
Basically, all that was left for director Jonathan Liebesman (“Battle: Los Angeles”) to do was provide the filler. For the second act, he manages to create high flying well-choreographed martial arts sequences. These battles were pretty effective, especially during the dimly lit subway scenes involving the Foot Clan.
Another notable moment in the film comes when April, her accomplice videographer Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett), and Raphael (Alan Ritchson) track down Eric Sacks. During this part of the film, Sacks holds Leonardo (performed by Pete Ploszek, voice by Johnny Knoxville), Donatello (Jeremy Howard) and Michelangelo (Noel Fisher) captive at his snow bound compound. After the ninja turtles manage to bust out of their restraints, they throw down with Shredder, which is followed by a down-hill snowy mountain ski chase. Trust me…it’s an extravaganza that rivals a James Bond-type action sequence.
Humor is a staple of the turtles’ world, which is plentiful in this movie. A particularly funny scene involves Michelangelo sparking a beat boxing chorus, after retreating into an elevator from a gang of Foot soldiers. As they wait for the elevator to reach the top of a building, the turtles began a performance. This provides a chuckle-fest for the audience, breaking the tension and monotony of all the warring.
For the most part, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is only impressive in stature, action, scale and humor. In the end, it becomes throwback fodder for those wanting to reminisce on the golden days of cartoons. It was mildly entertaining, yet devoid of any real memorable substance.