I thought Mako was great.

However, they could've expanded on the story a bit..like



In the end, the visuals where simply kick-ass...especially the Raph vs Leo sequence

Definitely, looking forward to picking this one up on HD-DVD!!!!!

Leatherhead?

Leatherhead and The Rat King would be awesome... Would they even be able to use those characters?

According to Peter Laird, one of the creaters, they did have the rights. This was off IMDB's FAQ, but was in regards to the 2003 cartoon:

"It has been stated a number of times in various places that the reason the new animated show does not feature Krang, Bebop, Rocksteady and the Technodrome is that Mirage does not have the rights to those characters. This is not true. We have the rights to those characters and most of the other characters from the old animated series. The reason they are not in the new show has NOTHING to do with rights issues, but rather the fact that I did not want to use them."


Anyway, just saw this tonight and enjoyed the heck out of it. The animation was great and i'm glad this was done in CGI for the action sequences.

Wait, Kri is Shredder's daughter? Was this mentioned in TMNT? Did i miss this? or is this just a known thing in the Turtles universe?

-NiCK

I've been a fan off and on since the original oversized B&W comic book and I really, really, really, really, really enjoyed this flick.

In fact, after watching this, I came to the conclusion that they really need to stop making live-action comic book adaptations. Don't get me wrong - I liked the first TMNT (for the lazy "yutes" of today), but i'm really tired of hearing directors defend their lazy attempts at adaptations as "difficult to translate to the screen" (the latest being FF II). Speaking of...did anyone happen to catch the nifty Underdog preview? It's a shame no one told them that would "be difficult to translate to the big screen".

Back to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles..

The only thing I could say I really didn't like (and it's a minor quibble) was the way they drew April. Compared to this rendition, her 80's counterpart would be morbidly obese. Oh, and Raphael's voice. I liked the thick "Noo Yawk" accent, but it sounded too mature - these are supposed to be teenagers, dude.

Then again, they are mutated "teenage" turtles, so i'll cut 'em some slack.

That's not how I read it. I still saw Leo as the better fighter - You'll remember he whooped up on Raph pretty handily before he KNEW it was Raph. And I think that's the key. Mentally, Leo couldn't "open up" on Raph because it was his brother whom he loves, whereas Raph, in jealousy and rage kinda lost it and almost killed Leo. In most incarnations of the turtles (this one included, IMHO) Leo is always shown to be the most skilled... He WAS the only one to score a hit on Shredder in the original movie, remember.




Doc


P.S. - I can't believe I'm having a "Leo vs. Raph - who's the better fighter?" argument! I feel like I'm in grade school again, it's awesome!

Fully agree with you. Leo could have cut Raph in half a few times during that fight. Remember he was standing behind him while Raph was looking around trying to find his opponent.

Agree'd, it came down to the fact that Ralph didn't hold back, he let his anger get so far away from him, that he was willing to hurt his brother. Leo on the other hand, was at most, taunting Ralph with his skill.. Those two are my least two favorite turtles, but I couldn't help but love how they showed the angst of Ralph and Leo's own pressure to be a great leader.

Saw this tonight. Enjoyed it a lot. I have to say, though, it's not a film for newcomers to the series.

I only had two problems. The climax was a little too short and compressed. But my bigger problem is why on earth would Splinter sent Leonardo to South America for a year to train to be a better leader, when he didn't seem to need help being a better leader. What am I missing there?

yeah it didn't make much sense did it.... Maybe they'll be doing flash backs in the next film to clue us in...

Not only that, but what were those 13 monsters doing all this time?

3K years on earth is plent of time to wreak havoc on mankind and all of a sudden the TMNT open a can of whoop ass on them? I too feel like I am missing something.

The movie dragged a bit up until the Leo/Raph battle and it picked up after that. It was a good flick.

I just assumed the monsters only 'came to life' close to that astral event every 3000 years...so they literally only arrived when we saw them the first time - that's what I got from it...like they're out there, but they're in hibernation.

And yeah, the Leo thing was a bit muddled, but he needed to find the leader in himself and even though he thought he failed, that was the lesson in and of itself. I'm not sure why it needed to be taught over such a long period of time, Splinter could have easily just sent him away for a month...

See, I had even forgot about that! Yeah, Leo had him dead to rights.

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. Those two are my favorite, and their tumultuous relationship had always been one of the main cornerstones of the 4 brothers' dynamic. Having said that, I could have used a bit more, "fight? FIGHT. Kitchen? KITCHEN. Pork Rind? PORK RIND!" Mikey-Donatello Banter... that and the kiddy monsters are really my only complaints. Loved it.

I dunno, but I don't mind it because then we got to see Leo make the most unnecessarily cool commute to Manhattan EVER.


Doc

I can't tell you how happy I was that they put in as little Michelangelo banter as possible. He's definitely my least favorite turtle.

Does this film take place after the first film, the second, the third, or is it a new continuity? I ask because I noticed in Splinter's trophy case he had the artifact from the third film.

I thought of the original films as a vague history similar to Superman Returns except with less date rape.

I think it's just clever wordplay to show that she's still an enemy. That is, "You have my respect for today, but tomorrow I am once again your enemy."

It was definitely hinting that Shredder would be returning...without a doubt.

I tire quickly of the "DUUUUUDDDEEEE" and "RAAADICAL" speak, but Donnie and Mikey quiping back and forth as if they're MST3King their entire life tickles me to know end.

With regard to the continuity, I didn't catch anything from the third, but they did have the TGRI ooze canister from part two, yet I've read the director say that it takes place after one and negates two and three, so I just figured anything in the trophy case was just an in-joke to fans... kinda like the Alien skull in Predator II.



Doc

Man, why negate II? I love that movie. But there are definitely items from all 3 films in the display case.

There really wasn't anything in the new movie that negates numbers 2 and 3, were there?

Just got back from seeing it. Thought it was a fun flick. I was a big fan of the turtles back in the day (I'm 27). As the movie progressed, I felt myself getting younger and actually found the kiddie humor funny on a kid's level.

Nothing in the move negated 2 and 3, infact at the end there is homages to both 2 and 3. The shelf they lay the helmets on has armor from number 3 and the canister and Shredders helmet from number 2, so you could take this as a direct sequel to number 3. The director may say otherwise, but it is all up to fans on this one I think.

Tell me about it. I watched the original the other day and that is just friggin classic.

Greatest...Line..Ever

My roommate and I still quote that line to this day. Back in college, one of our other roommates had one of those "thrives on drama" girlfriends, and the two of them would get in these godawful screaming, yelling fights, get their Cicilian up and start throwing things at the wall. As one such event was brewing while the 4 of us were in the living room, I turn, without smirking or even acknowledging the perfect opportunity for said reference and said, "Fight?" to which he matter of factly replies, "Fight." "Kitchen?" "Kitchen." So we walked into the kitchen where we dutifully sat silently for over ten minutes eating potato chips while they almost killed each other until we heard the fight echo down the hall and into his room where he slammed the door shut.

5 second pass.

"Pork rind?"

"Pork rind!"

Geeky? Yes. Over-committing to a Ninja Turtles gag? Sure. The best damn movie reference in the history of movie geekdom? Bet your ass.



Doc

^^That's a funny story. I'm 23, just got back from seeing this.

I still would have rather preferred a live action movie that brought back the suits, but with better technology as it is 2007. But, I found the movie to be pretty good. Faithful to the original film, and sort of a blend of the cartoon as well. There were things that happened in this movie that immediately made me think of the original film. Casey Jones/Ralph squabbling over beating a thug up, Ralph lying injured on April's floor, the dissention between Ralph and Leo, Ralph yelling when Leo was taken.

I also think they got the voices DOWN. Sounded almost exactly like the ones from the movie. And even similar to the ones in the cartoon.

Would've liked a better, more realistic approach to the animation. The women's bodies had this very unnatural, unrealistic look to them. Ultra thin, no thickness in the waist. The character models for the humans had very big, wide, "Disney/Mickey Mouse" eyes.

But I thought the anger and character of Ralph was great. All the turtles personalities were very well done. I didn't care for the villains, though. I didn't hate it, but would've much preferred them to be fighting villains I know and love like Shredder, the foot, or even some from the cartoon like Krang, Rocksteddy/Bebop.

Overall, it was good. Would've loved a little more of a darker tone like the original film had. Wished fights scenes had a little more impact and "oomph" to them. But it was pretty good.