Having grown up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) in my childhood days, it is no wonder that this movie brought back nostalgia and a tinge of sweet sentiments. Hence, when this movie was announced earlier this year, I got a little hyped up. It is like every 1990s child's favourite cartoon - now in 3D and hyper-realistic visuals. Holy mama, sweet baby Jesus. (and they even got Megan Fox on-board!).
Image from: moviefloss.com
Nomsaurus gave TMNT
This review may contain SPOILERS.
First off, I didn't expect Michael Bay to take on the role as a producer. However, it dawned to me that letting Jonathan Liebesman direct might be a good choice after all. No, I don't hate Bay, but some times his unfailing love for explosions kinda interfere with the story (take the latest Transformers for example). Liebesman, on the other hand, did it brilliantly, with the right portions of action, comedy and story plot.
Image from: cinapse.co
Obviously a comparison with the television series with this film is not going to work out. It's brainlessly impossible to squeeze the whole freaking series into a 100-minute film. Yet, the plot flows seamlessly, even for a TMNT-dummy, the basic background information was presented beautifully in sync with the plot. Moreover, there wouldn't be the slightest problem recognising which is which (albeit I got to admit some people tend to mix Splinter and Shredder up).
CGI is brilliant, the animation and graphics were exquisite. The model designs for the turtles? God-dammn. It's like real, you know. Oh, do I even have to mention their flawless fight scenes, whereby they perform their martial arts while wielding kick-ass weapons and defeating the enemies? Oh no, no I don't. That's the best part, and I will save it for the cinematics to wow you.
Image from: entertainment-focus.com
Casting wise, Vernon Fenwick (played by Will Arnett), the egoistic cameraman who was head over heels for April O'Neal (played by Megan Fox, I mean, who wouldn't?) was a good twist from the original series. Though their acting were both fine, the quality falls short of being award-winning. Nevertheless, the limelight goes to the turtles, whose personalities and characteristics were brought to live by: Pete Ploszek played Leonardo, the leader of the pack. Alan Ritchson played Raphael, my favourite sai-wielding bad-ass. Noel Fisher as Michelangelo, and Jeremy Howard as Donatello have their chemistry going on throughout the movie. Nonetheless, their acting was dynamic, exciting and hilarious at the same time.
Image from: ign.com
To be honest, we wanted to catch Guardians of the Galaxy the other day, but due to limited seats and unsuitable timings we decided on TMNT instead. The choice was right, at least I didn't regret it. Overall, this movie is definitely an all-rounder, and highly recommended for family viewing.
TMNT is currently OFF-SCREEN.