New York City’s resident “Heroes in a Half Shell” are back and revamped! Say goodbye to your goofy, pudgy animated turtles of the nineties and hello to four mean, green fighting machines! The Turtles have a realistic face lift, each character grittier, but still true to their animated personalities. Their origins, however, have been slightly modified. Instead of accidental freaks of nature, they are instead the side effects of some fine genetic engineering. Mutagen, and not ooze, is the progenitor of their creation! Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello unwittingly become New York’s guardians after The Foot Clan emerges to terrorize its citizens. Bent on ruling the city and driven by power, The Shredder, leads his legions to take down the city by any means necessary!
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of those stories that will remain ageless. It is refreshing to see them back to their grittier roots, an homage to their original comic book appearances. These Turtles are a happy compromise between that aforementioned comics and the campy elements of the animated series. Yes, we still have the colored bandannas, April O’Neal, Splinter, and their weapons of choice. Thankfully, however, we are rid of a moronic Shredder and a weak, robotic Foot Clan. The only thing better than these edits, are the action and fighting scenes. Splinter is bad ass! And his sons/students are not so bad themselves. Did I mention their shells make them bulletproof? The only downfall of the film is April’s return to the Big Screen as a helpless reporter. In recent incarnations she has been very intelligent and even learned to fight on her own. Still, Megan Fox is not a bad April O’Neal. She definitely proves a pretty girl can still stand out in the midst of four humanoid turtles doing battle with a metal samurai!
Nostalgia is one helluva a motivator when it comes to any film that flashes you back to your childhood. Whether your as brave as Leo, tough as Raph, smart as Donnie, or silly as Mikey you can relate to The TMNT. Why? Because more than being a team, they along with Splinter are a family. Time and again, history has proven nothing is as important or as powerful as a united family. That what you will learn from this film–besides The Shredder would easily take down “The Wolverine’s” “Silver Samurai!” Catch The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in theaters everywhere and in 3-D!
