Bringing Back the Mohawk

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Two years ago Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures brought their Heroes in a Half-Shell back to the big screen. The final product was met with varying reviews (can read mine here) from critics and feelings of reservations from loyal fans. Though two days after the premiere of the first movie, Nickelodeon and Paramount announced that there would definitely be a sequel and fan favorite characters would be appearing. Did this quell the uneasiness of fans or did this just add fuel to an angry fire? Did hiring a new director (Dave Green Earth to Echo) help iron out the problems with the first film? I’m not sure, but this is what I thought of the film.

The Story: One year has passed in the Turtle universe and credit for taking down Shredder (Brian Tee The Wolverine) has gone to Vern Fenwick (Will Arnet The Lego Movie) and the Turtles are still left in the shadows of New York City. However, four brothers are called back into action when the evil Foot Clan and scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry Madea Goes to Jail) attempt to break their leader out of custody. To free Shredder, Stockman uses an alien teleportation device that accidentally sends Shredder to another dimension where an evil overlord named Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett Finding Nemo) convinces Shredder to open a portal to our dimension and help Krang conquer Earth. Of course there are four amphibious brothers that can put a stop to this diabolical plan.

The Good: This film is a humungous tribute to the original 1987 cartoon of the same name. Throughout the film I just kept thinking that this plot seemed familiar as it takes queues from the pilot of the 80s cartoon. Even the ending credits song is an updated version of the theme to that cartoon. I literally felt as if I was a kid again, just watching a highly polished version of those first couple episodes. And when I say highly polished, I do mean that the graphics to this film were very well done. Each of the Turtles has a little bit more definition and tone, Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) and Rocksteady (Stephen Farrelly WWE) look amazing, and the final battle effects looked seamless. I enjoyed how the comedy was distributed a little more evenly between the Turtles and did lie so heavily on Michelangelo’s shoulders. Each Turtle had a moment or two have funny moments which proved that the filmmakers were not trying to get this film to take itself too seriously. I was also so happy that we weren’t subjected to another pissing contest between Leonardo (Pete Ploszek) and Raphael (Alan Ritchson The Hunger Games: Catching Fire). Out of the six theatrical movies they have butting heads in at least three of them. It’s almost like watching another origin story for Batman or Spider-Man. The writers move past that and focus more on the new aspects of the film universe.

The Bad: For such a beloved franchise as this is to me, I hate to grow up and point out the things of this film that I had me scratching my head. First, the film does little to nothing explaining where the heck Stockman and Shredder acquired the Dimension X technology or where Stockman even came from. The movie states that Stockman is a longtime employee of Shredder, but then why didn’t we even hear of him in the first film? Other plot points just seemed to have me confused, because there are things that happen in this film that we the audience are just forced to accept and move on. Like Krang convincing Shredder to aid him. The scene lasts all of 90 seconds and Shredder is sold on helping this thing evade Earth. Speaking of Krang, this iconic villain of the Turtles (while amazing to finally see on the big screen) is very underwhelming. He is on screen for a total of maybe 7 minutes. The aforementioned 90 seconds with Shredder and the final battle that lasts maybe 10 minutes. I truly believe that the filmmakers had a chance with this film to further develop each one of these Turtles. Throughout the film, Mikey is pondering what it would be like to be normal and after a confrontation with the NYPD and their exposure Mikey explains to Splinter the real fear and disgust the officers had for him and his brothers. Why not delve more into that? Why not build more on each one of these characters? They touch on just enough deeper emotion with these four to not make them boring.

The Verdict: Out of the Shadows was an even sweater trip down memory lane with the introductions of a couple of the Turtles most famous characters. I didn’t even care that this plot was ripped straight from the 1987 cartoon. This is great film for any aged Turtle fan, though I will warn some of you parents…there is some language in this film as it is a PG-13. I just thought that the opportunities that the filmmakers had to expand on the lives of each of the Turtles were sorely overlooked. I understand that this was meant to be a fun and carefree movie, but let us at least humor the thought of making this a worthy opponent to the other summer blockbusters coming out this summer.

See in Theaters. At least for the special effects.