|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
Movie Forums :: Reviews :: TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
|
 |
|
|
Posted on 3/24/07
TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
|
|
| Rating... |
|
| Poster |
|
|
Cinematic franchises don't generally stay static. Inevitably, a director feels the need to take the franchise in a new direction, or else a new director feels the need to make the world his own. Thus, the franchise takes a tonal shift, for good (the increasing grittiness of the Harry Potter series) or ill (Batman & Robin).
The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, released in 1990 around the peak of Turtle-mania, was dark, but sprinkled with comedy. It made ten times its budget in North America alone and spawned two increasingly goofy (and decreasingly profitable) sequels.
Enter TMNT, which elects to continue the story after a brief hiatus, ala Superman Returns. Plot-wise, it ultimately abandons the comic book pseudo-science of the first two films in favor of the more supernatural aspects of the third (which centered around time travel). Its mood, however, is closest to the first film.
The story centers around an ancient warrior who, hungry for power, inadvertantly released a Baker's Dozen of ancient monsters on the world. It all has to do with the alignment of various stars, which occurs every 3,000 years and is -- surprise! -- about to happen again. This is all illustrated in a prologue narrated by Laurence Fishburne, which would have been better left for the middle of the film.
The titular turtles, meanwhile, are unfocused and fractured. Leonardo, the leader, is off training in Central America. Donatello's been reduced to providing tech support, Michaelangelo entertains at children's parties, and Raphael has taken it upon himself to dole out vigilante justice at night.
Of course, all of this is largely irrelevant when compared to the film's general feel. Fans of the original graphic novels (upon which all the derivative entities are based) have long called for a gritty, adult take on the series, in keeping with the source material. Simultaneously, young men who grew up on the Saturday morning cartoon series seem to prefer a more light-hearted tone. All this is complicated further by the existence of a newer cartoon series, which lies somewhere between the two. Likewise, TMNT makes a half-hearted attempt to split the difference.
The purists, admittedly, can make quite a case for a darker tone; gritty, realistic takes on worn-out franchises often seem to do a fine job of reviving them. But if one franchise defies a true-to-life makeover, it's the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original graphic novels, the presence of blood and mild cursing notwithstanding, were extremely tongue-in-cheek. How could they be otherwise? These are mutated ninja turtles, after all. The entire concept is vaguely satirical.
The unfortunate result is that this film, like its predecessors, lacks genuine tension. The film's villains are hazily defined and not particularly fleshed-out, and it's hard to imagine moviegoers ever feeling genuine concern for the fate of the world.
What tension the film does have is produced by the predictable (but effective) conflict between Leonardo and Raphael. Their disagreements boil over midway through the film, and the resulting rooftop battle is the film's high point. TMNT is at its best when it focuses on the interpersonal drama that will inevitably take place among brothers, mutant ninja or otherwise.
The voice acting here is good. Leonardo is solemn and thoughtful, Michaelangelo irreverent, Donatello precise, and Raphael sounds like he grew up in Brooklyn. The choice of the late Mako (in his last performance) for Splinter is questionable, but he conveys the necessary breadth of wisdom, and is given some of the film's more hysterical lines. Unfortunately, such lines are few and far between; most of the dialogue is cliche at worst, and uninteresting at best.
While TMNT does not strike an ideal balance between the darker graphic novels and the G-rated cartoons, it comes close. The previously mentioned conflict on the rooftops between Leonardo and Raphael offers a tantalizing glimpse of just how good this franchise can be, and the film's conclusion offers a not-so-subtle suggestion that those involved might take another crack at it before long. Here's hoping they do.
» Latest Reviews
» More Reviews in "Action/Adventure"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
