Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, mean, green fighting machines Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have returned the big screen. Find out more in the Kidzworld Movie Review!
Born in a lab, and living underground for almost their whole lives, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles must rise above ground and fight against the ultimate evil warlord to save the City of New York - but will they succeed?
April O'Neil Meets Raphael and LeonardoCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
The Turtles Through Time
Starting out as a black and white and comic, and graduating into a full-blown animated cartoon series, video games, and an original live action trilogy in the early nineties - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been around for long time. In fact, the first Turtles film was one of the highest grossing independent films of its time. Directed by Jonathon Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay, this new turtle movie is a reboot, and a reinvention of our fave heroes in a half-shell for a brand new audience.
Leonardo and April O'NeilCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
The Story
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles puts a couple of new spins on the Turtle origin story, which die-hard TMNT fans may not love but that work fairly well. There's a crime group called The Foot Clan terrorizing the streets of New York City at night, but no one has any idea how to stop them - and intrepid young journalist April O'Neil (Megan Fox) is out to find a new angle on the story when she comes across an unbelievable story - Donatello, Michaelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
Megan Fox as April O'NeilCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
When April spills this frontpage news to the wrong "friend," all hell breaks loose and the Turtles are forced to come out of hiding and show the world what they can do. Turns out the evil Shredder and the foot clan have been looking for the turtles and their Sensai Splinter (the world's largest rodent), and the battle that goes down over the streets New York City are epic to say the least.
Shredder and Splinter Face OffCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
The Bottom Line
Fans of the original live action films were both parts excited and anxious leading up to this film, TMNT was a huge hit in the nineties, so is a reboot necessary? Probably not, but this new version had everything you could ask of a summer blockbuster with enough nods to the old series that both kids and parents can laugh at the right spots. Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and Michaelangelo have the same personalities and teenage antics (but obviously updated) that older fans will recognize right away. The introduction features a comic strip style retelling of their story which looks beautiful.
The turtles are more realistic than ever beforeCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Trying to pack in as much action as possible, some of the story gets lost, and April's camera guy (Will Arnett) is often the one grounding the story in reality and delivering the best one-liners. Animating in CGI allowed for incredible special effects, but one downside is that the turtles themselves look a little bit gross with their reptile skin, crooked teeth and huge muscles - although they do look like guys that grew up in a sewer, bonus points for realism!
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are ready to fight for New York CityCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Our verdict: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was as cheesy and satisfying as their favorite snack food - pizza!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Rating:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PosterCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is in theaters now!
Have Your Say
What did you think of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Let us know in the comments section below.
