What do you think of the recasting of Shredder and Karai?

[Xav]

For those who saw the movie do you think it was a good idea to cast Brian Tee and Brittany Ishibashi as Shredder and Karai or should they have just kept Tohoru Masamune and Minae Noji?

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Xav

For those who saw the movie do you think it was a good idea to cast Brian Tee and Brittany Ishibashi as Shredder and Karai or should they have just kept Tohoru Masamune and Minae Noji?

I haven't seen the movie but I am of two minds. One, it sounds like both roles were of more or less equal length as the first movie (though it sounds like Tee maybe got a bit more face time than Masamune) and even less fighting (as in zero)... so why the hell wouldn't they? It's not like the villain of Tokyo Drift is going to be a draw 13 years after that movie, or even 5. And nobody really knows either Karai actress. Why wouldn't they bring them back? But on the other hand... maybe they dodged a bullet here.

Or maybe, just maybe, they read the "script"?

[IndigoErth]

Brian Tee looks like a good pick for a Shredder - if they'd actually put him to real use.

I don't understand the point of going through recasting though and then hardly doing anything with the character.

Karai in particular bugged me. No offense intended to Brittany Ishibashi or anything, but... a bit too model-like imo, and they gave her nothing to do. Miss Ninja beauty pageant winner that was largely there as just part of the scenery. During the film she just felt more like some dressed up, painted up ninja doll/mannequin who magically came to life once for one short fight scene, that she couldn't even win.

The lack of use of Karai resulted in ZERO reason for her to even have lived through the prior film. She could have just as well have not survived and this film would not have been impacted in the least. As the one ninja woman who should be involved in the action, and one of only three female characters (sans extras) - and if Karai got any less involvement she'd be no more than an extra - that's just sad.

Minae Noji wasn't used all that much in the first, yet her Karai had a lot more involvement than the new Karai.

[Shark_Blade]

I gotta say I prefer the previous actors, just my personal visual preference.


Ah well, at least in OOTS Karai vs April & Vern scene is hilarious anyway so it's worth it.

*Karai brandishes sword*

*Vern pushes chair towards her*

*April smacked Karai's head with a laptop and she fell unconscious*

[Candy Kappa]

I haven't seen Tee and Ishibashi beyond what the trailers have shown.

I do wish Masamune could get a second chance, as we barely saw him under that cgi make-up and he was mostly just a cgi robot. He looks pretty badass in other movies and sereis, have a very cool look and he was completely wasted in the 2014 movie.

But, Brian Tee is pretty hot with that goatee.

I don't feel Ishibashi as Karai, most of the BTS photos of her, she looks a bit awkward in the Totally-what-a-ninja-would-wear-leather/spandex-suit-of-sneak. Which, granted, a lot of costumes don't look that good in BTS photos. I really liked the casting of Noji, she looked pretty good and felt like if she was in a proper TMNT movie she'd be an amazing Karai and not just 2-lines henchman that dropped out of the movie.

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

Ah well, at least in OOTS Karai vs April & Vern scene is hilarious anyway so it's worth it.

*Karai brandishes sword*

*Vern pushes chair towards her*

*April smacked Karai's head with a laptop and she fell unconscious*

Really?
That's what happens?

Ugh... I hate this movie series so much.

[Andrew NDB]

Yeah, Minae Noji seemed like a picture perfect Karai to me. Still does. Too bad she was in a truly horrific TMNT film. It's entirely possible her agent or representation cued her into, "Yo, Minae... you do this second one, you're not gonna work again." Hopefully that and not just Platinum Dunes going, "Ehh... let's get someone slightly hotter." Sadly, it was probably the latter.

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

*April smacked Karai's head with a laptop and she fell unconscious*

Hahahah, wow. So we're going from TMNT 2007 where an April O'Neil with only some elementary "ninja training" knocking down Karai with her lifetime of ninja training in a standup fight... to OotS with an April O'Neil with no training actually knocking out Karai with her lifetime of ninja training.

Wow. Just wow.

[The Deadman]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Yeah, Minae Noji seemed like a picture perfect Karai to me. Still does. Too bad she was in a truly horrific TMNT film. It's entirely possible her agent or representation cued her into, "Yo, Minae... you do this second one, you're not gonna work again." Hopefully that and not just Platinum Dunes going, "Ehh... let's get someone slightly hotter." Sadly, it was probably the latter.



Hahahah, wow. So we're going from TMNT 2007 where an April O'Neil with only some elementary "ninja training" knocking down Karai with her lifetime of ninja training in a standup fight... to OotS with an April O'Neil with no training actually knocking out Karai with her lifetime of ninja training.

Wow. Just wow.

Because the 2007 film was canon to a series that got rebooted...

[Bry]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Yeah, Minae Noji seemed like a picture perfect Karai to me. Still does. Too bad she was in a truly horrific TMNT film.

That's what's so deeply frustrating. It was bang-on perfect casting for the original Mirage version, and she could have done a terrific job of that role, if anyone involved in writing/producing the movie cared even a tiny bit about things like "character" or "story" or "making a movie that's not the worst".

Says it all:



Never mind the dumb "creative" decisions that botched the whole project, but Karai was and should be a great, strong character, and by now we know that Bay and Platinum Dunes especially don't know how to create decent roles for women. Or just flat-out don't want to.

[neatoman]

"Okay, Brian and Brit, you'll be taking over for Tohoru and Minae who basically did nothing in the last one, please follow their example and basically don't do anything."

Yeah, it was really pointless to recast them.

[TurtleTitan97]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

*Karai brandishes sword*

*Vern pushes chair towards her*

*April smacked Karai's head with a laptop and she fell unconscious*

That is just the dumbest thing ever. So instead of having Leo fighting Karai and actually building up their rivalry, they just do this nonsense and take her out like a chump?! Seriously, do Leo and Karai meet face to face even ONCE in this bloody movie???

Talk about disrespecting a character. Screw you PD.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Bry

Never mind the dumb "creative" decisions that botched the whole project, but Karai was and should be a great, strong character,

Absolutely. She was created to be the antithesis of anything resembling an underling. She was the uber boss of the Foot, even above Saki were he still alive.

I guess it's not just PD's fault on this, but every "she's Shredder's thug" or "she's Shredder's daughter" incarnation is very irritating to me and I'd venture even sexist that she has to be so connected at the hip to/under a male character in order to be relevant or acceptable.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

*Karai brandishes sword*

*Vern pushes chair towards her*

*April smacked Karai's head with a laptop and she fell unconscious*

Originally Posted by neatoman

"Okay, Brian and Brit, you'll be taking over for Tohoru and Minae who basically did nothing in the last one, please follow their example and basically don't do anything."

(But it's a pained laugh.)


Starting to think that Karai's costuming was an important element, meant to restrict her movement and prevent the actress from trying to break character (or rather break out of their nothing vision of the character) and attempt to actually do something.

Originally Posted by TurtleTitan97

Seriously, do Leo and Karai meet face to face even ONCE in this bloody movie???

Nope. Far as I can recall, she seems to just hang around Shredder until she's left alone just once and fights April and Vern. And fails. (I think she may be gone from the film after that?) I don't recall her ever even coming across as a second in command. Looked more like Shredder's tag-along girlfriend.

They really need to include a woman or two among the writing team, someone who might, you know, know how to write for women characters. The man-children doing some of this stuff haven't a clue; I think in some cases "get her boobs in the shot" is as far as it goes for them.

[TurtleTitan97]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Nope. Far as I can recall, she seems to just hang around Shredder until she's left alone just once and fights April and Vern. And fails. I don't recall her ever even coming across as a second in command. Looked more like Shredder's tag-along girlfriend.

Son of a.....!! So it's pretty much a repeat of the first film essentially! Unbelievable!! Listening to fans, my butt!!

I hope for goodness sakes there is a reboot in the near future, because it's obvious the idiots in charge don't know how to handle these characters.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by TurtleTitan97

Son of a.....!! So it's pretty much a repeat of the first film essentially! Unbelievable!! Listening to fans, my butt!!

I hope for goodness sakes there is a reboot in the near future, because it's obvious the idiots in charge don't know how to handle these characters.

They probably didn't know what to do with Karai because there's not a Fred Wolf episode with her in it.

[vicsavage]

Carmelo Anthony received more character development than she did.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

They probably didn't know what to do with Karai because there's not a Fred Wolf episode with her in it.

Why did they even bother with Karai at all then? Why not leave her out of the movie entirely?

[METALHEAD]

That actress will never be karai. She just so bland! Too pretty! The other was strong looking yet pretty. Dem cheek bones....<3

[IndigoErth]

Heck, Carmelo Anthony was at least a person in it. Karai was essentially a slightly sentient set piece.

Makes me wonder if that is all they really did with her or if there was other footage that got cut.

[Utrommaniac]

Shredder was a welcome change. He may have still been a plank, but it was a plank with some attempt at sanding. Karai, however, is a plankier plank that they just replaced entirely.

How is it that the only kids-aimed TMNT that has Karai kicking April into the dirt is the Nick cartoon?

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Karai was essentially a slightly sentient set piece.

Makes me wonder if that is all they really did with her or if there was other footage that got cut.

Apparently Minae Noji was cut from quite a bit of the 2014 "film." Which is unfortunate, as she was the only thing interesting to watch in it. This new film, aside from the (probably trivial) Judith Hoag cameo, sounds like they filmed exactly the movie they set out to make.