by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
B- Rated PG 87 min.
I had so many burning questions when I went to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Would April O’Neil still be wearing that ugly-ass yellow jumpsuit? Would they kill off the annoying Casey Jones? And most importantly, would they manage to capture some of the darkness of the old comic?
A few minutes into the movie I got my answer on the April O’Neil jumpsuit question. She shows up looking like a redheaded Lara Croft clone, complete with a machete for those jungle adventures.
Casey Jones, for the uninitiated, is friend to the turtles, boyfriend to April, as well as being a vigilante. He wears a hockey mask to protect his identity (it’s a little creepy if you remember the Jason movies) and uses sports equipment like baseball bats and hockey sticks in his battle against evil. He’s a part of the movie, but he didn’t bother me the way he did in the animated series, though he was nothing like the comic book version.
He was one of many things they included in the movie that should have annoyed me, but didn’t. They really do have a “turtlemobile” in the movie, but it has enough of a back story that I could buy the thing being in the movie. Instead of being annoyed, I was almost charmed that they managed to work it in. It always bothered me that ninjas would employ a bright yellow van. Of course, if I’m willing to believe that there are mutant turtles that learned the ninja arts from a giant rat who likes to watch soap operas and drink oolong tea, I should be able to suspend my disbelief enough for an ostentatious yellow van.
The darkness of the old comic is captured, mostly in the gritty animation of the cityscape, which, I must say, is super-frickin’ awesome. The script also plays to Raphael’s anger at the world and at Leonardo, who he feels has abandoned them. Michelangelo (the turtle with the orange mask) brings a sense of silliness and fun to the somewhat dark world. It’s light enough for kids to handle, but the themes are just barely deep enough to satisfy adults. The script itself wasn’t Shakespeare, but I didn’t expect it to be. Most of the funny moments naturally come from Michelangelo, the most popular turtle of them all.
The plot of the movie picks up where the rubber costumed movie series left off. Shedder is apparently dead and the rat sensei Splinter has sent Leonardo off on a quest to become a better leader. Leo goes to South America, protecting the weak against the criminal element in the jungle. Meanwhile, the other three turtles remain in New York, where they find ways to keep busy. Michelangelo masquerades as Cowabunga Carl, a costumed turtle at kid’s birthday parties, and Donatello works from home as computer tech support. Raphael, always the angriest and most rebellious of the turtles, turns costumed vigilante. When Leo returns, Raph isn’t ready to take orders from him, forming the meat of the conflict in the story.
Old time turtle fans might be somewhat disappointed, as the story doesn’t mine the dark stuff all that well and the dialogue is reminiscent of the cartoon. Still, there are enough Easter eggs scattered throughout the film for devoted fans, particularly in the room where they keep Shedder’s mask on a shelf, among other turtle memorabilia. It’s a film that will score well with the younger crowd. The plot leaves things open for a sequel, with Karai, the female leader of the ninja foot clan ominously warning them that they will soon face someone from their past.
CGI most definitely made the world more believable than the previous flicks. There were a few scenes where the CGI came off as weak or just a little “off.” The most notable was the combat scene between Raphael and Leonardo, who fight in the rain. I know that anytime CGI has water or rain in it, it’s mostly the tech guys trying to show off their mad skillz to the rest of the industry and CGI fan boys. In this case, it didn’t seem to work out very well. The CGI animation ended up looking more like stop-start claymation rather than a fluid CGI fight scene. It was a pivotal moment in the script, but I was distracted by the animation.
The voice actors in this flick are first-rate, with Sara Michelle Gellar voicing the kick-ass April O’Neil, among others. The Splinter is voiced by the comic Mako, who died soon after recording his part. Mako, a Japanese-American actor and comic, might be best known as the voice of the evil Aku in the animated series Samurai Jack. Patrick Stewart lends his considerably distinctive vocal chops to Max Winters, a possible villain in the movie. Kevin Smith even has a cameo as a cook at a greasy spoon diner which is terrorized by a pint sized monster.
I was so happy to see the Turtles on the big screen in CGI that I didn’t care about the slightly weak storyline, the occasional CGI annoyance and dialogue that could have used a little punching up. It’s still a good intro for all those kids that don’t yet know TMNT; I’m just hoping they’ll improve things in the next movie. All in all, this movie was a nice blend of elements from the old comic and television series.
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