<Spoiler
free>
I just came
out from the new TMNT movie, that is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for you not
in to super-heroes from late 80´s and early 90´s.
I liked it…
And before these words resonates over the web and pull in grognards form all
over…
This movie
is not based on the E n L comic… it is not based on the mid-90´s toy/cartoon
series nor the many comic adaptations… It is not based on any of the previous
live action movies. If you go in to see with hoping for that… You will be let
down… massively.
The first
hint for the source material should be the Nickelodeon logo that get splashed
in your face right at the start. Yes this movie draws inspiration from the current
and still running Nickelodeon Turtles series while mixing in elements from the
original source material and doing away with some other.
Now with
that out of the way, what do we get?
Well story
wise it is a very typical heroes journey where everyone learns a valuable lesson
and in the end become better people… Apart from the villains. But that is not
uncommon these days and I find it hard to fault it for that seeing how I praised
GotG who follow pretty much the exact same structure. But you usually do not
sit down and watch a summer blockbuster, especially one from the house of Bay
expecting a deep and multi-layered story.
The action
scenes are good if a bit to hectic at times, a common problem with action
movies in this day and age. The fights have some good weight to them even if
the main characters are all CGI and while I love the practical effects of the
original movie as much as the next guy and I give the Henson workshop all
respect. Heck the fact that the actors could even walk in those suits was
insane. To be able to do fight scenes, mind blowing. But it had its limitations
and that is not something that the CG counterparts on this movie have to worry
about at all. Most of the action is visceral and have a good flow. Sorry fans
of the old… But that is the way I see it.
Also the
noses did not really bother me, in fact I like the new head design. It does not
only give each of the turtles more of a character but it fits better in with
the world around them then the more cartoony style of the old.
Now that is
not to say the movie is not without its faults. First and foremost is the
constant and rather tiresome sexism… Yes it can be explained away but it is
still unnecessary as H pointed out to me. I personally put it up against
Transformers 2 and was glad it was not worse, that in itself not a very good
sign.
Then we
have the pacing, it is a bit uneven and wobbly, even if it follow a typical
on/off way where there is either action or dialogue/exposition. But due to a
not very gripping story and bland villains and sad to say... heroes it notice
it a lot more than in other movies.
I also wish
that they had put the origin of the movie at the start rather than smear it out
over the first half for no real reason as it adds nothing to the plot or the
tension. Especially as it is based on a currently running cartoon. They could
have built a lot more tension by setting up the origin of the Turtles and April
as the launching point of the movie.
So to sum
it up it is a good braindead action flick with some really nice action, good 3D
(it even had a moment when I tried to catch an object that was flung towards
the camera) and a passable story. It is not as good as the Avengers or the
Guardians but it is not as bad as some people on the good ol web make it out to
be. Sure if you are a big fan of the previous live action movies you will
perhaps not like this one as it takes a pretty big step away from that movie,
but if you are a fan of the Nickelodeon TMNT series you will get more than a
few knowing nods and no matter who you are it will give you a chuckle or two.
But if I should
recommend one action blockbuster this summer… It would be Guardians of the
Galaxy. TMNT does not reach all the way, see it if you feel like some quick and
dirty entertainment, just don´t forget to disengage your brain first.
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