TMNT (2007)
Genre: Action
Format Viewed: DVD
Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.
What can I say? Sometimes a guy just wants to watch ninja turtles…
I seriously wanted to go see this flick in the theaters when it was released earlier in the year, but was deferred because … well, how can I put it delicately? Chicks don’t really dig ninja turtles. At least not when offered a dozen other movie options that featured comedy and romance and action and adventure and, more specifically I guess, did not feature ninja turtles. Honestly at this point I don’t even remember what we ended up seeing, but I needless to say, I left the theater that evening knowing what would be jumping to the head of my Netflix queue in about six months, give or take!
I don’t care what anybody says, that this is just a kids movie or that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise was ruined after they made the third movie back in 1993 (you know, the one where they were transported back to ancient Japan … ringing any bells?!), but I actually really enjoyed TMNT. Oddly enough, it didn’t even spike my unnecessary sequel radar like nearly every other sequel I’ve seen this year, which clearly means only one thing – there’s no such thing as too much ninja turtles.
But just for the record, if they try us with another one next year … don’t get me started!
Anyways, back to the movie itself, though, TMNT was a unique ninja turtle experience in that this story depicted our heroes in yet another medium – we first saw them as cartoons, then live-action characters, and now they’ve returned as CGI animations … very cool, indeed! And although I previously preferred the classic cartoon-y turtles to the live action characters, I do believe I have a new favorite because the animation in this movie turned out quite well – just like the Shrek movies, only watchable because it featured ninja turtles instead of that green, ogre thing that is possessed by the voice of Mike Meyers. The attention to detail both in the close-ups of the turtles themselves and also all of the bizarre beasts that thrashed New York City was among the best that I’ve seen in computer animation really, and since I was first introduced to them in my childhood, I’m happy to say that the turtles have never looked better than they did in this movie!
As for the story, while we didn’t see any time traveling specifically in this latest episode, we were treated to a bit of a history lesson as New York City finds itself under siege by not one, not two, but thirteen 3,000 year-old monsters from another dimension, having been called forth by a power-hungry warrior king who had thought that it might be a neat idea to open up a portal to another dimension with the intent of becoming immortal. Of course, as you would only assume, the dude got just a bit more than he bargained for and it would end up taking four turtles to bring this chaos to justice! If only the fighting foursome was still together…
We enter the story to find that each of the turtles have gone their separate ways since defeating the evil Shredder, with Donatello’s newfound occupation being the most amusing, at least in my opinion. But never fear, for I don’t think that I’ll be ruining the movie by inferring eventually the dynamic quatro eventually does work things out and rejoin forces for the good of all mankind, just as we would expect from the greatest crime fighters the world has ever known! Just exactly how do the turtles save the day, though? For that, you’ll have to check out the flick for yourself!
Ultimately TMNT was a fun trip down memory lane for a guy who fondly remembers all of the action figures and party favors and even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles birthday cake that my Mom created for my sister during the height of her “Cowabunga, Dude!” phase. Sure, there may have been some plot holes along the way … like what those thirteen ancient monsters were doing to pass their time before the movie started and they suddenly began rampaging the city … but hey, as far as I’m concerned, just about anything is better than the same-old talking zoo/farm animals these days.
Anything!
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