Post by slapshot63 on Mar 24, 2007 21:58:52 GMT -5
It’s finally here, the movie that I’ve been waiting for that I never even knew I was waiting for, TMNT. I was a Ninja Turtle fanatic as a child. I had lots of the videos, all three movies, the Live concert video, the “Making-of” for the concert tape and of course, the action figures. I watched the movies so many times that I cannot believe that the tapes still work to this day (speaking of which, I really need to get them on DVD so that they can release Special Editions because they ALWAYS do that to me and these movies still rule). So yeah, I loved me some Turtles. I wasn’t really that interested in a new Ninja Turtles movie. I grew out of that right? Apparently not because the Ninja Turtles still kick ass!
The first thing I noticed about this movie is the stunning CGI. It is absolutely phenomenal here. IMAGI should be damn proud of their work here. It looks as good as The Incredibles did and that’s saying something. It doesn’t have the polish or vivid colors that we have all come to expect from Pixar but it isn’t really supposed to because the Turtles’ world is not colorful and polished to look great. Obviously the art style and direction is different (yet bares a resemblance with the human characters) so it’s a bit hard to really compare them but either way, the movie is stunning. It was a gutsy move to do a Ninja Turtles movie in all CGI. Hell, it was a gutsy move to make another Ninja Turtles movie period. The third movie in the live-action series (the one where they go back in time for those confused and too lazy to check out any info on it) is generally disliked very much and didn’t make that much money. Couple that with the fact that the last one was made 14 years ago and that general interest in the Turtles isn’t nearly what it used to be, it was a gamble to say the least. Luckily, Ninja Turtle fan Kevin Munroe loves these guys and did a bang up job here (more on that later though).
The CGI really helps the movie succeed where the others could not. With the live action films, the actors were limited in their movement and couldn’t movie like real ninjas nor could they really have any fluidity in their movement. Here though, the Ninja Turtles can move however the filmmakers wish them to. They’re completely believable in every move they do and make. This leads to one of the most impressive scenes I’ve seen in a while. At one point there is a rooftop fight in the rain between Leonardo and Raphael and it is mind blowing. The way the rain lands and trickles off of their green skin so realistically is just jaw dropping. The fight itself is awesome and it only elevated by the amazing rain effects. This scene best showcases Kevin Munroe's directorial style and the textures of the animation. This brotherly fight is a touching subplot, and one that Munroe makes ample room to deal with, trusting the audience will be invested in this brotherly spat. Everything shines like it should when it is wet and everything in that scene is just a sight to behold. Although the art style is not 100% realistic, there were numerous times in the movie where I could have sworn that I was looking at something real. The human characters have a cartoon style applied to them so they don’t ever look photo realistic but the background and things in the world really do. It’s just wonderful to look at and really is art in motion.
There are way too many CGI movies being released nowadays and at first glance, this seems like a way to cash-in on them because really, CGI movies are a guaranteed smash these days. This really isn’t true. Many people don’t know this but the Ninja Turtles started out as a comic strip in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and while I haven’t ever read any of them myself, I know that they were much darker than what we have seen with the TV shows and marketing. I can safely say that this movie does a great service to the comics because it is darker than previous movies (I can’t say if its darker than the original live action movie though as I haven’t seen it in years. That may be darker but oh well) while still being family friendly and funny. The broad vibe of earlier incarnations has been toned down severely, while shadows and scuffles have been increased. This leads me to another point. This is rated PG and people will immediately think, “it’s a child movie” and while yes, it is appropriate for children, it’s also a movie made for people like me who grew up with the turtles. The humor is great for little children but still wickedly funny for older audience members like myself. I was sitting there laughing rather hard at some points. These humorous moments don’t take away from the pacing of the movie either. Things go from being dark to having a funny moment perfectly. There’s no abrupt interruption because the filmmakers think they need to insert a stupid joke at a certain point. The script is good in that the humor is there but fits in perfectly when needed. The dialogue is sharp and not dumbed down for little children to “get it” but isn’t overly complicated so they will get it. This is really a perfect family movie.
The music in this is pretty cool as well. It isn’t over the top and goes along well with each scene. It’s fast paced when it is needed to be and yet subdued at the right moments. There are songs by popular artists thrown in there for good measure and for once, they go good with the scenes they are used in and aren’t overused. The music isn’t always serious either and that helps the family friendly atmosphere that this movie has going for it. I won’t be running out and buying the score but this was a good effort. Not much else to say about the music.
The voice acting in TMNT is top notch as well. Each of the actors who voice the Turtles does a great job. Mako, in his last role (R.I.P.) is flawless as Master Splinter. His voice is gravelly but goes perfectly with the character. I’ve heard complaints from people that his voice is too harsh for the character and sounds weird when viewing the movie but I have to disagree. I loved his voice and couldn’t get enough of it. Sarah Michelle Gellar is really great as April. When she first spoke I said to myself, “That IS April.” Casey Jones’ voice actor is good as well. He is perfect as the character. His one-liners are snappy and witty and his overall performance is enjoyable. The supporting characters are wonderful as well. Patrick Stewart is great as always as Max Winters and Ziyi Zhang is pretty strong as Karai. Her pronunciation of English words isn’t always flawless but it really doesn’t hurt anything, as she’s enjoyable here. Laurence Fishburne is the narrator at the beginning, filling us in with what exactly is going down. His voice was very echoey (I don’t even think that’s a word) and it added another mysterious and mythic layer to him, which worked really well, I thought. There’s even a cameo from Kevin Smith who is funny as the guy at the Diner. All in all, this was a great cast that was assembled and I can’t wait to hear from them in these roles again.
That’s not to say that the movie is flawless though, because it is not. Donatello and Michelangelo might as well not be in the film for all they bring to it, they only really seem to be around because there are traditionally four turtles, and no one else fares much better. Splinter is only there to steer the Turtles in another direction and it is a shame because Mako, who voiced Splinter, did a wonderful job. Casey Jones and April O’Neil have moved in together and seem to be having some type of relationship crisis but this is all but forgotten until the end where it is wrapped up nicely. The new leader of the Foot Clan is Karai and she just seems to appear and nothing is really made with her. It’s almost as if she is just a female, nicer replacement for Shredder (who is not in this movie but it is strongly hinted at that we will see him soon. Yay!). The best parts of the movie are the action sequences and they are all wonderful sequences yes, but I could’ve used more time with the characters. It feels like there is a longer, better Turtles movie somewhere that was cut down in order to keep all the action sequences in, but keep the running time down to 90 minutes and to keep the target audience (young children) from losing interest (which is impossible here because the movie is so enjoyable at any age). This also seems like the reason for calling it TMNT. They abbreviated it for little children. Annoying but I can live with it. Come to think of it, they probably did it to distance themselves from the older movies that they are associated with and to remind people that this is a different movie. The movie also seemed a bit on the short side. It was about 90 minutes long but still seemed to get to the end rather quickly. But, when watching the movie, these are all superfluous and don’t take away from any enjoyment of the final product.
As I mentioned earlier, Kevin Munroe did a tremendous job here. He has done the seemingly impossible in making a great Ninja Turtles movie over 20 years after they were first introduced to the world. He never, at any point, forgets where the turtles came from. Each of the four Turtles, and their Master Splinter, all carry the exact same traits that made them so lovable decades ago. He has done the seemingly impossible by making a movie that makes all three generations of Turtle fans happy. The action is frantic and fun, the characters are well written (we care about them all), the movie is serious when it needs to be and funny when appropriate and it is really what a family film should be. This is a great movie for the kids but also for older fans like me who grew up with the Ninja Turtles. It’s an enjoyable romp back through New York City with my favorite sewer dwellers that I grew up with. I am glad to be able to be a part of this world again that I grew up in and to be able to actually enjoy being it. It’s like meeting a long lost member (or in this case, many members) of your family you haven’t seen in years. I have to say; it feels great to be home again.
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