Review: TMNT

(out of 4)

TMNT was entertaining, but not spectacular. The main plot involving the villain Max Winters (Patrick Stewart) seemed very throw-away. I didn’t care about Winters, his generals, or the monsters. Maybe more familiar foes would have worked better, but it’s clear that there will most certainly be a sequel. As a jumping off point for a new movie series, TMNT is ok.

Visually, the CGI animation and effects of TMNT are excellent. I ended up really like the lighting and rain. The fight between Leonardo and Raphael was the highlight of the movie. Also, Leo’s “exile” was an interesting direction in character development. The voice talent was solid with just Splinter, voiced by the late Mako, taking a little getting used to.

My other minor gripe was the lack of explanation for certain story elements. Those of us who are only familiar with the original movies and cartoon (such as me) were left scratching our heads when April (Sarah Michelle Gellar) suddenly busted out a katana and ninja moves of her own. (I later found out that Splinter and the Turtles taught her in the comics and new TV series.) It also would have been nice to get some background on the connection between Karai (Zhang Ziyi) and Leonardo.

There’s a not-so-subtle hint dropped during the movie that a sequel and the inevitable return of Shredder are coming. TMNT had some good action and laughs, but it didn’t blow me away. I expect the sequel to be much better.