How do you feel TMNT (07) has aged?

[Coola Yagami]

Idk it was kinda good in a 'finally a new TMNT movie' kinda way. I mean Raph mad at Leo despite Splinter sending him away. The turtles suddenly needing jobs just because Leo left? Don and Mike barely being in it and barely using their weapons. Flashback the Max Winters origin twice. 13 monsters and we only see like... 3 of em. Casey Jones just being there.

The movie was mostly the Leo vs Raph fight and Mako's final performance. It's good to see Leo and Raph finally hash it out, and even having Raph win, but if you're a fan of anything else besides the Leo and Raph rivalry, the movie kinda blows.

Also felt there needed to be an actual fight scene with Karai. She was also kinda there and the turtles barely had anything to do with her.

Looking back it's fun seeing General Aguila be voiced by the guy who would later do 2K12 Shredder.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Also felt there needed to be an actual fight scene with Karai.

She had a fight with April O'Neil, who knocked her out.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I think all TMNT movies except for TMNT 2014 (of which there is reportedly three whole entirely separate versions that exist in the editing room... and it shows) succeeded in being exactly what kind of movie they set out to be.

I'd love to see those other edits of the Platinum Dunes Film - especially the cut set-piece the actors were hyping up. Just out of curiosity, even if I don't think they'd make the film great.

I don't know about TMNT 07, but I remember hearing there was a lot of push/pull between Kevin Munroe and the studio, but maybe that is the film it was meant to be, I don't know.

[Krutch]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

She had a fight with April O'Neil, who knocked her out.

This from a girl who was taken hostage by Whit just one movie ago

Honestly, above everything else, that is the one thing that sticks out just straight up wrong. It made me realize the sole reason for her inclusion was to allude to the Shredder at the end. That was her purpose.

Waste.

[Leo656]

Yeah, work was definitely needed there.

I'm guessing Stephanie booked it.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Krutch

Honestly, above everything else, that is the one thing that sticks out just straight up wrong. It made me realize the sole reason for her inclusion was to allude to the Shredder at the end. That was her purpose.

Yep. Just to look at the audience and go, "If you make this movie a success... you will get SHREDDER in the sequel, kids!"

I didn't even want to see him again.

Waste.

It's pretty sad to think that Karai has been in 3 TMNT movies in a row... and all of them, completely uselessly.

[Leo656]

So... botched execution of a surefire money angle, and the promised return of a "monster heel" who everyone's long since gotten sick of seeing, but what the hell, none of the young kids are over enough to carry the main event?

...................YEP, Steph or Hunter booked it.

[newfan]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It's pretty sad to think that Karai has been in 3 TMNT movies in a row... and all of them, completely uselessly.

Yeah, I felt even more so the PD, I'm sure I didn't even hear her called by name in the first but I'm not certain.

As for the 2007, being newer to the franchise I hadn't realised this was on the big screen, while I might want a little more from the big screen I liked the movie enough and have watched it a few times. I liked some of the designs, not so much the TMNT's faces but their overall design was decent. As for how it has aged, I don't feel it looks particularly dated.

[AquaParade]

Karai definitely has untapped potential on the big screen. The turtles having an uneasy alliance with The Foot, as lead by Karai, was always an interesting dynamic to me. I'd love to see that explored on the big screen someday, once the initial Shredder storyline has been dealt with.

I think with the daughter angle, there's a lot of room to play thematically as well. Karai arriving in New York, damaged from the loss of her father, could really make the turtles second-guess the cycle of revenge they've been caught up in since birth, leading to a "City at War" type scenario for the turtles personal lives.
Although, would that be naïve to think it could take something like that to open the turtles eyes and go "Gee, I don't know about this anymore..."
Hm, I think potentially, but these are four turtles who have never known anything else, so it depends on the route you take, I think. It could also be a swelling of elements, not just related to Karai.

Now I'm rambling. Either way, would love to see a competent, badass Karai up on the big screen. Especially if she gets a chance to don the Shredder's armor.

Gosh, thinking about it, there are so many great, untapped elements from the TMNT mythos that would be exhilarating to see in a film. At least from a die-hard fan's perspective.
Turtles in Space with the Triceratons, by a competent director, sounds like an absolute blast, for one. This is such a derivative idea, but imagine if James Gunn had done that film instead of Guardians. We would have had the best TMNT film ever and a total redirect of the franchise. Not that it was ever likely, but it's a pretty dream.

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

But at the end of the day, I much rather spend time around the SoTO turtles. Their personalities are vibrant, their conversations are funny, and they look so damn cool in those Henson suits. Most of what was special about the first film was lost in SoTO, but even the special elements that remain are enough for me to put it above 07.

SOTO does too many things right to be seen as a failure or inferior. These are just the ones that come to me:

* It continues on from the first movie pretty well
* While the tone is more inconsistent compared to the first it still feels
similar
* While not all the jokes hit it's still the best TMNT movie for humour
* The characters get a logical progression
* The music works lovely (I mean the score, not the Vanilla Ice song)
* There's still an element of conflict and drama to the characters
* Unlike the 2007 movie SOTO actually features a villain
* David Warner - nuff said
* Jim Henson suits are refined and at their best in SOTO

No. To say SOTO is nothing but pizza and Cowabunga is really selling it way too short. SOTO is always interesting to watch. In comparison the 2007 regardless of it's fast moving, dynamic camera angles is dull and boring. SOTO is not the best sequel ever made but a hell of a lot better than some will give it credit for.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I think with the daughter angle, there's a lot of room to play thematically as well.

It's a terribly insulting angle. Let her be her own woman, for god's sake, as she was created to be.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by pferreira

* It continues on from the first movie pretty well

Shredder is in a junkyard, on account of being in a garbage truck in the last movie. That's the ONLY connection. If you want to ignore the first film and treat II as its own thing, I can see where it's passable. But it's a TERRIBLE sequel, as far as doing the things sequels generally do. Between several main characters being recast, and even more of them dropped entirely, one could be forgiven for thinking that the first and second movies don't even belong in the same universe. The look is different, the tone is different... there's little to no connective tissue linking the first and second movies. III definitely feels like a sequel to II, but II in NO way feels like a follow-up to the first.

I honestly think the second one holds up better if you take it completely away from the first. It's less of a disappointment or missed opportunity if you ignore all the cool stuff they COULD have done but didn't.

Anyway, no weapons = No Sale. "Combat Cold Cuts" my chapped ass. And no Casey Jones, after he was arguably the standout character from Part I? What the f*ck. These are bad ideas.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It's a terribly insulting angle. Let her be her own woman, for god's sake, as she was created to be.

I don’t think it’s insulting. TMNT has always been about family & legacy. It’s rich with thematic potential.

If there’s a great angle to take that doesn’t have her related to Oroku, I’m also open to that. Her role in City at War works fine. She’s cool, confident, calculated, and a badass.

Sometimes that’s all you need, but when you look at the intertwining themes of legacy, family, and revenge in TMNT, it becomes a tempting angle that opens a lot of doors. There are, of course, other ways to build up Karai, but I don’t find this one insulting. Just a tempting and natural fit.

[sgtfbomb]

I have four major criticisms about the film.

The first is the dialogue. It's the sort of bland, unrefined, placeholder dialogue that comes from early drafts. The two cringiest lines are "The Ghost of the Jungle" and the Shredder tease at the end of the film.

The second is the visual staging. Often, there are moments that feel you're watching a "Let's Play," with disembodied one liners and visuals that feel like they are taking you away from the characters, not closer. There's also a major fight sequence laid out in a single, continuous shot. Generally, long takes and continuous shots are amazing. This one feels like you're watching someone else play a video game.

The third is the movie is too short and the action never seems to play out long enough to be satisfying.

The fourth is the A-plot is a little too direct-to-videoish. It'd be fine for a single episode fro a series, but a feature film requires something more dramatic and/or personal. At the very least, give us a previously established villain that hasn't been given the movie treatment yet.

I've had these critiques since Day One. Maybe it was because there was finally a new TMNT movie, but at the time, I was able to brush them off. As I've revisited it over the years, these setbacks have become louder, more prominent.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by sgtfbomb

I have four major criticisms about the film.

The first is the dialogue. It's the sort of bland, unrefined, placeholder dialogue that comes from early drafts. The two cringiest lines are "The Ghost of the Jungle" and the Shredder tease at the end of the film.

The second is the visual staging. Often, there are moments that feel you're watching a "Let's Play," with disembodied one liners and visuals that feel like they are taking you away from the characters, not closer. There's also a major fight sequence laid out in a single, continuous shot. Generally, long takes and continuous shots are amazing. This one feels like you're watching someone else play a video game.

The third is the movie is too short and the action never seems to play out long enough to be satisfying.

The fourth is the A-plot is a little too direct-to-videoish. It'd be fine for a single episode fro a series, but a feature film requires something more dramatic and/or personal. At the very least, give us a previously established villain that hasn't been given the movie treatment yet.

I've had these critiques since Day One. Maybe it was because there was finally a new TMNT movie, but at the time, I was able to brush them off. As I've revisited it over the years, these setbacks have become louder, more prominent.

Your last point really resonates with me. While I hate to hamper creativity and original ideas, the fact that they gave us Max Winters (watch him show up in IDW, next thing we know) over someone else from TMNT lore is a sore spot. With the freedom animation allows, it would have been great to show us the triceratons or something equally ambitious from TMNT history.

While I'm complaining - How have we not seen the Mouser's on the big screen yet? Totally iconic. Can't wait for the day.

[TheShredder777]

My personal opinion of the this movie is still close to what it was at release. I enjoyed the film for what it was. I feel like it would have been better suited as TV special than theatrical release. The plot was all over the place and didn't really work in any direction. There was no big climax that I feel the courtyard brawl should have been rather than a few-second mess. It failed in a lot of areas. That being said, it got a whole lot right with the IP that the last two films have failed miserably at capturing. The characters that I came to see, felt like they should. With the Bay films, there's never a point where I can look at the screen and feel like I'm watching TMNT. I can't force that connection. Just my opinion. Don't hang me for it.

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Shredder is in a junkyard, on account of being in a garbage truck in the last movie. That's the ONLY connection.

Not just that. The TMNT are displaced without homes and are looking for their place in the world following the battle with Shredder in the previous movie. In fact the events of the previous movie is what leads Splinter to reveal where the TMNT come from in this movie. Personally apart from cast changes it feels like a good lead on from the first one.