Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows - movie review
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows
Plot: As Shredder joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady to take over the world, the Turtles must confront an even greater nemesis: the notorious Krang.
Cast: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Tyler Perry
Director: Dave Green
Rating: 12A
Runtime: 1hr 52 mins
Release Date: Monday 30th May 2016
Leonardo. Raphael. Donatello. Michaelangelo. If you were to say these names to a random passerby on the street, the likelihood would be that they'd associate them with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rather than the Renaissance painters. I guess that reveals just how iconic these characters are and in their newest film adaptation, the iconography certainly doesn't go amiss. A year has passed since the events of the first film and the Turtles are still hiding in the shadows stopping crime and eating pizza. It's only when Shredder reappears, this time with Bebop and Rocksteady, that the Turtles have to gear up.
Having been one of the few people to actually admire the first film, my hopes for the sequel was fairly high. I was never a huge TMNT fan but I frequently watched the cartoons. My problem with the first film was that it focused too much on April O'Neil considering we were all there for the Turtles. What didn't help was that Megan Fox struggled to carry that film and seemed disinterested throughout. For the sequel, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that April O'Neil becomes a supporting character allowing the Turtles to thrive. The bad news; Megan Fox still doesn't care and it shows in her performance. Her delivery of the dialogue is stilted and mostly emotionless and it's too obvious that she's cast as eye candy (which isn't terrible) but when a film like this is meant for TMNT fans young and old, what is the purpose of seeing Megan Fox as a Catholic School Girl in a short skirt other than appealing to prepubescent boys who see a girl and immediately swoon? I guess that's what happens when you hire Michael Bay as a creative producer. Another performance I didn't like from the first movie was Will Arnett as the cameraman whose jokes were too much. In this, he's used in the right way and for the right amount of time. He cracks occasional jokes but they never felt unnecessary and it alleviated some of the tenser moments in the film. I really enjoy the TV series of Arrow and when Stephen Amell was cast, I was excited. Then I found out he was going to play Casey Jones and I was really pumped. How was he in the film? Well, Amell was really good. He's very likeable and more than capable in the action scenes. The one problem is, that this isn't the Casey Jones that I know. I'm not talking about the way Amell looks but it's more to do with the choices Casey makes and what he does throughout the film. Firstly, he wears the famous mask once. One of the most defining traits of Casey Jones is his mask and they show it once. The hockey element is mentioned a couple of times but on the whole, I just saw Oliver Queen hanging with the Turtles. Amell isn't the problem. The writing and directing was.
Moving away from the human leads, the best part of this film, hands down, are the Turtles. They were excellent in the first film and now that they have concentrated on them fully, they're even better. Michelangelo was probably my favourite this time round. He's never been my favourite Turtle, but in this, he made me laugh, had a genuine story and arc and kicked copious amounts of ass. Donatello was as geeky as ever with his countless gadgets and Leonardo (without the voice of Johnny Knoxville) is still a competent leader of the group. Raphael has always been my favourite of the Turtles because he just does what he wants. I loved the interactions between him and Leonardo. It felt as if it was ripped straight out of the cartoons. The CGI has also drastically improved on the Turtles with them actually looking fairly accurate rather than resembling Flubber on steroids like the first film. As one of the many antagonists of this film is Shredder who now is person rather than a Transformer. Brian Tee plays a decent Shredder and is menacing in the role but Shredder is ultimately not needed in this film. He never gears up and fights the Turtles. He is such a wasted character in both films. They might as well have just called him 'Christopher from down the road' and it would have had the same effect. We also have Krang in this film. Why? I don't know. I was never a big fan of him at all and I hate him in this. If you aren't knowledgeable in the TMNT lore, then his appearance will just baffle you. Thankfully, the saving grace of all the villains are the two that I expected to dislike. Bebop and Rocksteady are pretty funny in this film and even though they are basically a giant Rhino and Warthog, I thought they were heaps of fun if a little wasted during the third act.
Where this really falls apart is in its story and plot. I understand that this is based off of a popular cartoon series but the almost two hour runtime becomes too cartoonish for its own good. There is plenty of fan service for those hardcore fans of the franchise. I'm sure that for some, seeing Krang and Bebop and Rocksteady on the big screen will be an absolute pleasure. If that's the case, I'm happy for you. For me, there was no emotional impact. No moment of goosebumps. But there are great parts to this film in regards to the story and how it's executed. This movie is nearing two hours long but I never felt bored. I was consistently entertained from start to finish and I did have a good time watching this movie. Seeing the Turtles interact is always fun and they do have an attempt at giving them an extra storyline but it works to little effect. The writers introduce it and then consequently do nothing with it. As for Krang, his appearance makes no sense. He's introduced without explanation and his relationship with Shredder and their motivations clearly have no ambition in making logical sense. Other side plots such as Casey Jones wanting to be a detective and the Turtles wanting to be recognised rather than hide constantly are fine little subplots. They don't really detract from the main conflict and serve as little character development pieces.
All in all, if you're a mega TMNT fan then this movie might very well please you. I could be entirely wrong and it may piss you off but for someone who was more of an occasional viewer but never an avid fan, this is a step down from the 2014 film. Nonetheless, I came for the Turtles and they were the best thing by a mile. It's full of plot holes, inconsistencies and dumb jokes that will appeal to noone but I still thought that it was a satisfying way to pass the time.
My Verdict: 6/10
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