TMNT and older audience

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Mr. Munroe, I just want to say...I was watching Attack of the Show on G4, and they were discussing movies of 2007, and the first movie they talked about was TMNT. Now even though I saw it coming, it didn't help any when they knocked it. Some old fart and some ****** with a perm were spewing stuff like, this movie will only be for the kids and no adults would stay and watch and thos movie could be complete suckage, not one positive word. It just makes it more clear that the public's memory of the old TMNT cartoon is keeping them from taking the movie seriously.

Please, please, assure me that this movie with shut the mouths of these nay-sayers.

I don't mean to get worked up over this so damn much, but it gets me pissed off that people think of TMNT as jokes, while they're so busy throwing praise over Transformers, a franchise with an equally goofy premise.

[TMNT]

I agree with the fact that people don't take the TMNT seriously but I think we need to market them better. The teaser trailer blew even the haters away but the trailer seemed too kid friendly. I think a new trailer that shows the family arguing and splitting up...the serious stuff needs to surface. That'll grab people's attention. With three months remaining, the mills better get cranking. These leaked pictures have helped but the viewers need to see those pictures in action. Just my two cents.

[Anarky]

Now, I've copied Wannabe-Raph's post and moved TMNT's over here, because I sense a discussion coming on. A good one at that.

Thing is, this movie won't be the grail of all movies. It won't be that one universal movie that everyone likes and should the aliens ever invade, the movie to unite all races. It won't please everyone, no matter how much you want it. Hey, you never know, even you might hate it for some reason or other, despite its looks. Maybe the story's bad or one voice actor really sucks. Who knows. There's a billion of reasons.

So, no matter how much you might like or hate it, there's always someone who'll have a differing opinion.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Yeah, if they just put more emotinal moments in the trailer(and left out the burp), maybe all these nay sayers would just shut the hell up and finally see the TMNT as more than just kiddy.

Now, I've copied Wannabe-Raph's post and moved TMNT's over here, because I sense a discussion coming on. A good one at that.

Thing is, this movie won't be the grail of all movies. It won't be that one universal movie that everyone likes and should the aliens ever invade, the movie to unite all races. It won't please everyone, no matter how much you want it. Hey, you never know, even you might hate it for some reason or other, despite its looks. Maybe the story's bad or one voice actor really sucks. Who knows. There's a billion of reasons.

So, no matter how much you might like or hate it, there's always someone who'll have a differing opinion.


I know that, I'm probably going to be annoyed by most of Mikey's lines, but it just gets me when you can't even mention TMNT now without people looking at you like an idiot.

[iris]

That's how Warner decided to cut the trailer-- to play up the comedy. *shrug*

Anarky is totally right, because TMNT has had so much success; everyone has a readymade opinion on the franchise already. I feel that the success of this movie is going to come down to word of mouth. Lots of people still like TMNT, the problem is lots of them pretend they don't.

It would help if Mr. Munroe got out there and talked about the movie, 'cause he's good at that... not to mention putting Patrick Stewart and Buffy in the spotlight. A morning zoo radio blitz and a couple late night spots would do wonders, and Warner has the capacity to do it if they want. There's no telling what they'll do, though... they're not totally reliable, unfortunately.

[Rooish]

I'm sort of worried that Mikey will ruin the movie if he usually acts like in that burping scene.

[Kendamu]

The nay-sayers can nay-say all they want. I know plenty of people who know hardly anything about this movie who want to see it anyway. These are the same people who think of the TMNT as the kid-friendly old toon and old movie Turtles as opposed to the Mirage and Image comic Turtles.

So, those two people on TV can say what they want. I know plenty of people who aren't on TV who will see it anyway.

[Rooish]

The nay-sayers can nay-say all they want. I know plenty of people who know hardly anything about this movie who want to see it anyway. These are the same people who think of the TMNT as the kid-friendly old toon and old movie Turtles as opposed to the Mirage and Image comic Turtles.

So, those two people on TV can say what they want. I know plenty of people who aren't on TV who will see it anyway.

Yeah, my friends are all only familiar with the old toon and movies, and some think this movie looks awesome while others think it looks lame. I am looking forward to it!

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

That's how Warner decided to cut the trailer-- to play up the comedy. *shrug*

Anarky is totally right, because TMNT has had so much success; everyone has a readymade opinion on the franchise already. I feel that the success of this movie is going to come down to word of mouth. Lots of people still like TMNT, the problem is lots of them pretend they don't.

It would help if Mr. Munroe got out there and talked about the movie, 'cause he's good at that... not to mention putting Patrick Stewart and Buffy in the spotlight. A morning zoo radio blitz and a couple late night spots would do wonders, and Warner has the capacity to do it if they want. There's no telling what they'll do, though... they're not totally reliable, unfortunately.

Probably around february or early march they'll have Patrick Stewart, SMG, and maybe even Chris Evans doing some talk shows. But really, just put Kevin Munroe in front of the camera, let him talk, and he'll make everyone come around.

[Jo Dawn]

I'm sort of worried that Mikey will ruin the movie if he usually acts like in that burping scene.

I can completely understand that worry.

[johnnyblaze]

a trailer with the turtles beating bad guy ass would shut alot of people up I think. Especially a few clips of Raph and Leo brawling

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

a trailer with the turtles beating bad guy ass would shut alot of people up I think. Especially a few clips of Raph and Leo brawling

Hopefully that will b in the shorter TV spots.

[Anarky]

a trailer with the turtles beating bad guy ass would shut alot of people up I think. Especially a few clips of Raph and Leo brawling

Soccer Mom: "My child is not watching this... filthy rubbish. I'm going to sue WB since the fruit of my loins has already been traumatized by this super-violent trailer with green freaks beating each other up. This is a sick and disgusting movie!"

And you know how much people listen to Soccer Moms. They can complain after the movie, since they've already paid for it then and WB is happy.

Whatever you do, you will piss someone off. Either it's the ones moaning that they want a more serious TMNT or the others who want more kid-friendly, family-oriented entertainment.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Soccer Mom: "My child is not watching this... filthy rubbish. I'm going to sue WB since the fruit of my loins has already been traumatized by this super-violent trailer with green freaks beating each other up. This is a sick and disgusting movie!"

And you know how much people listen to Soccer Moms. They can complain after the movie, since they've already paid for it then and WB is happy.

Whatever you do, you will piss someone off. Either it's the ones moaning that they want a more serious TMNT or the others who want more kid-friendly, family-oriented entertainment.

Actually, soccer moms complaining may help the turtles draw in a more older crowd. I mean, more teens and adults may want to see a CGI movie that has soccer moms in a frenzy. But thats just my insane opinion.

[Anarky]

Sure, but you scare off the kid-crowd. You know, the ones who should watch the movie as well since it's a PG-thing?

Insane options aside, movie-people simply cannot afford to piss of part or even all of their target audience in their trailers.

[Katie]

Whatever you do, you will piss someone off. Either it's the ones moaning that they want a more serious TMNT or the others who want more kid-friendly, family-oriented entertainment.

hehehe you can't please all the people all the time ;)

it's already been said. THE biggest hurdle for this movie is overcoming pre-conceived notions of what it is gonna be. But, that being said....I have a mixed bag of people I interact with on a daily basis, and the opinion is 50 /50.

*grumbles* They still all think I am some dumb kid who never grew up, though. Oh well....they don't know what they're missing. It's like my little secret what the REAL TMNT are. ;)

[Jester]

TMTWBR, I feel your pain, but might I add that where Transformers has a goofy premise, it was never played for laughs. If the old TMNT had been more like the 2k3 series (or heck the Red Sky seasons) we wouldn't have this problem. I'm not saying I dislike the OT, I love it, it's what got me into TMNT, but know that people outside the fandom are gonna see TMNT as a goofy cartoon from the 80's and 90's and never even give the comics, new show and the new movie the time of day it may deserve. The only way for these idiots to eat crow is for true TMNT fans to help drum up support and make TMNT 2k7 a freakin' blockbuster!
I totally agree Jester. Well said! :P

EDIT: Question: would going for the PG:13 rating really hurt this movie, I mean it's a comic book based film. Spideys 1 and 2 and the X-Men trilogy were PG:13 and I'm sure kids went to see it, lots of them. Would TMNT suffer if if they leap frogged PG and went 13?

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

TMTWBR, I feel your pain, but might I add that where Transformers has a goofy premise, it was never played for laughs. If the old TMNT had been more like the 2k3 series (or heck the Red Sky seasons) we wouldn't have this problem. I'm not saying I dislike the OT, I love it, it's what got me into TMNT, but know that people outside the fandom are gonna see TMNT as a goofy cartoon from the 80's and 90's and never even give the comics, new show and the new movie the time of day it may deserve. The only way for these idiots to eat crow is for true TMNT fans to help drum up support and make TMNT 2k7 a freakin' blockbuster!


Yeah, your'e right. I'm getting to worked up, but this movie needs to showcase a more mature aspect of the TMNT. Not mature as in blood and cursing, but as in the character development and the family and brotherhood aspect. Which we already know it will.

[CJStyles]

I don't think it would hurt the franchise that much I mean look at Batman,Superman,X-Men, etc all PG 13 and sucessful

But what I dont get is TMNT is hated by being to "violent", I'm sorry but last time I say the name of the franchise it was Teenage Mutant NINJA Turtles. Meaning they will fight and do things that arent 80s cartoon like. But yet Batman can be violent but no one steps up and says ANYTHING?! What the hell?!


Now as far Attack of the Show on G4... who the **** are those guys... exactly my point.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

PG-13 would'nt hurt the franchise, it's slowly becoming the new PG, and and R is the new PG-13. Maybe if TMNT was rated PG-13 people would'nt be so quick to condem this, but a movie can be good without having a mature rating.

[Jester]

Too true. I just know that most of the other super hero franchise movies have been PG-13, and TMNT is a comic book franchise.

[gobo]

I value the opinions of the hosts of Attack of the Show so much. :roll: They're just so smart. :roll: If they think TMNT is a joke, I can't possibly bring myself to go see it because they're always right. :roll: And, they'll publicly humiliate me by showing up to the theater to laugh at me. :roll: When, they premiered the trailer, it was obvious they were trying to ridicule it behind their plastic enthusiasm and idiotic costume bit. But, still... They're on TV. That makes them smarter than us. :roll: I hope they know what a total fan of theirs I am. :roll: Maybe they'll even have me as a guest on their show. :roll: Cuz celebs are teh most impotent-- er, impertinent? Yeah. Celebs are the most impertinent people EVAR! :D

P.S. - :roll: :roll: (I had a couple left over) ^_^

[mik8la]

I saw that episode just now, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. The host Kevin seemed to be trying to point out to his two guest movie critics that the trailer seemed darker, but one of the two critics--the one who had a face made for punching--refused to see it as anything but kiddie fare (hence the "suckage" label). The other critic, though he reluctantly seemed to agree, also pointed out that if the movie turned out to be more than a nostalgia fest, if it appealed outside its target audience, then it would probably not be as juvenile or "sucky" as the first critic thought it would be.

Basically, I think it's all going to boil down to the actual quality of the movie and word-of-mouth. Some supposedly "kiddie" movies appealed to more than their supposed target audience (think the Pixar flicks, "Happy Feet", etc.), people talked about them, and kept the box office drop-offs minimal week after week. I remember before the original "Spider-Man" came out, there were these movie box-office pundits who were incredibly condescending toward it (actual quote: "Homoeroticism reaches new heights in American cinema this weekend, as millions of grown men salivate at the thought of paying good money to see a guy who looks like he should be at a Boy Scout meeting wear nothing but Spandex for 100 minutes...I will also now say what all of you are thinking. There is something particularly creepy about a 30-year-old man buying a comic book. Your childhood is over, fellas. Move on.") We all know how that turned out.

And now that someone mentioned it, the premise of "Transformers" is kind of goofy.

[Cascadia]

I have a strong feeling that all of use on the board will watch it because we are dedicated to the TMNT. In the long run, it will be a word of mouth and how the movie does the first week on the screen. In terms of if the PG/PG-13 rating scares people away, I highly doubt it. All of the comic book movies and Harry Potter movies are rated PG-13 and they have had huge successes on the screen. Also, the general audience has been a mix of adults and children of all ages.

[Warhorse]

PG-13 would'nt hurt the franchise, it's slowly becoming the new PG, and and R is the new PG-13. Maybe if TMNT was rated PG-13 people would'nt be so quick to condem this, but a movie can be good without having a mature rating.

I agree with this statement. A movie most cetainly can be great without a mature rating, and also be raw and in your face.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0073195/

Here is a is a link to a rather thrilling, well written and executed movie, and it had one hell of a horrifying and quite a gory scene for a PG movie. That's Jaws. And if you only remember the movie from watching it on TNT, then you need to watch it in it's unedited form. Very raw for a PG. If they could pull it off, I don't see no reason why TMNT couldn't.

[gobo]

But, wasn't Jaws the first movie ever to be rated PG? :P j/k

[Warhorse]

But, wasn't Jaws the first movie ever to be rated PG? :P j/k

*Shrugs* Hell if I know if it was the first PG.

But wasn't Ben Hur a G? That chariot race was quite brutal for a G.

[Roseangelo]

IIRC, Raiders of the Lost Arc was the first PG-13 film.

[Cascadia]

The original Lion King movie was suppose to be PG due to one scene.

[Warhorse]

What scene was that for Lion King?

All this talk about ratings makes me realize that even with all this babying of these kids, it does no good. They are more violent than ever before.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

What scene was that for Lion King?

All this talk about ratings makes me realize that even with all this babying of these kids, it does no good. They are more violent than ever before.

It's pointless to try to keep them from this stuff. All this babying is doing is turning kids into the pussy leaders of tommorow.

[Jester]

Maybe Mufasa's death...just guessin' though.

[Cascadia]

the stampede and Mufasa's death

[CyberCubed]

I do tend to think TMNT fans will love the movie while general movie critics with trash it.

Keep your eyes on the reviews when the new movie comes out, I have a feeling most of the reviews will spend time knocking it and its premise and end up giving it lackluster reviews.

But screw 'em. The movie is made for TMNT fans and we know we'll probably enjoy it...unless somehow they screw up completely...but that doesn't look like its happening thankfully.

[mikey2007]

It's pointless to try to keep them from this stuff. All this babying is doing is turning kids into the pussy leaders of tommorow.

definitely, and the more u try to keep people away from the stuff, the more they find ways to get to it, it's part of being a kid

i always watch G4, they like to bash a lot of stuff, its what they get paid to do, and keeps people watchin, haha just like Simon on American Idol....nobody would watch if he wasn't calling people retarded, that's the way tv works, after it comes out, i'm sure they will give it a better review, and if i've read a bunch of different places on the net, and lots of people can't wait for the movie, on facebook (kinda like myspace) there are 100s to 1000s of people that say they want to see the movie despite its PG rating, not that many people care, but i guess only time can tell

[Warhorse]

^I can never understand why people like American Idol and Simon. He's the number one reason why I can't stand the show.

I personally never listen to critics. Half the time, I think they are being paid by some studio to trash another studio's releases. Kind of you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.

I also don't care or dig for those awards shows. Oscars, Golden Globes even the MTV movie award, which were fun at first, but now I find that they tend to give the winning trophies to movies with an MTV association.

[Jester]

I do tend to think TMNT fans will love the movie while general movie critics with trash it.
Heck, I see the 1st TMNT as one of the greatest comic book adaptations ever made...I mean it is very true to the source material, but here's what Leonard(o) Maltin had to say in his "Movies and Video Guide" for 1995 (what it was a dollar at a book store, and I love to read movie reviews, especially for bad films...sue me):
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) 93 min ** Director: Steve Barron. Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, voices of Robbie Rist, Kevin Clash, Corey Feldman. Four mutated turtles who live in the sewers of N.Y.C with their ninja master (an oversized rat from Japan) befriend a plunky TV reporter and help crack an insidious crime wave. The wacked out creation of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird (which led to a hit animated TV series) should have inspired a much better movie. Badly written, flatly directed, and murky-looking (Jester note: They live in a sewer!!) it jump-starts every now and then - but not often enough. Strongest asset is the design and articulation of the Turtles by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Followed by 2 sequels. [PG]
See...serious movie critic says stinker (but I for one tend to hate anything that I come across that is labeled "Critically Acclaimed" anyway. :P so there.)

And just cause I can....here's TMNT 2 and 3's review from Maltin-angelo....sorry I had nothing.:P
TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) 88 min *1/2 Director: Michael Pressman. Paige Turco, David Warner Ernie Reyes Jr., Michelan Sisti, Lief Tiden, Kenn Troum, Mark Caso, Kevin Clash, Francios Chav, Toshishiro Obata, Raymond Serra, Kevin Nash, Vanilla Ice (Jester Note: and Frank "Voice God" Welker as both Tokka and Rahzar...vocally that is...:P) The evil Shredder finds one remaining canister of the ooze that caused the turtles to mutate in the first place; perhaps he should have poured it on the script. (Jester again: Ooohhh...witty!) Brainless sequel aims lower than the first film and strips the half-shell heroes of any personality (even having them call each other by nicknames - Raf (Jester: His spelling...not mine) instead of Raphael, Donny instead of Donatello.) (Jester: I actually think that makes them more of a family...I know my family doesn't call me Kevin all the time. My aunts, uncles and grandparents call me Geno and my dad calls me Knucklehead...ahh the warmth.) Appearance by Vanilla Ice, preforming a ninja themed rap song, is nadir.(Jester: Nadir?? Wha....Nadir (n) an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything. Oh, thanks Dictionary.com. ) [PG]

TMNT III: (1993) 96 min ** (Jester: I know...a lot of you are shocked...me not so much I feel TMNT 3 is very under rated. :P) Director: Stuart Gillard. Elias Koteas, Paige Turco, Stuart Wilson, Sab Shimono, Vivian Wu, Mark Caso, Matt Hill, Jim Raposa, David Fraser, James Murray. (Jester: And Corey Feldman as Donnie....again.:P) The guys (Jester: He calls them guys...they're very close.) bolt the sewer for feudal Japan to help rebel villagers conquer an evil lord. (Jester: Norinaga....name rings a bell!) SEVEN SAMURAI it ain't (nor Russ Meyer's THE SEVEN MINUTES, either), but those who still care (Jester: Ouch...jerk) will find a more mellowed-out Turtles saga, complete with a lecture by Raphael (Jester: It's Raf!!) on the dangers of violence. Like totally Woodstock, dude! (Jester: You mean that bird from Peanuts?)[PG]

[mikey2007]

its reviews like that that make me hate critics, the obviously have no idea what they are talkin about half the time, they can't read beneath the lines of a movie, and prolly can only understand what is thrown at them directly *rolls eyes*

[Jester]

Exactly. There's a lot of subtext to TMNT 1 especially, a lot of character stuff that one viewing can't pick up. I've watched it several (hundreds of) times and there are still occasionally new things I notice. (but that's almost any movie...really)

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Wow, I actually now have a good reason to hate Lenerd(if he's gonna mispell Raph, I'm gonna mispell his damn name) Maltin, besides just hating his beard.

Seriously, if he's gonna put calling each other by nicknames as one of the reasons the movies were bad, screw him to hell back. Obviously if you know nothing about the TMNT's background, you have no business reviewing it. That goes for all comic book movies, if you have no understanding of the background, you should'nt be reviewing the movie.

[Warhorse]

That's the biggest problem in movie critics. They are too close minded, and don't seem to fathom that sometimes, movies are made for a certain typ of fan, not a generic public.

I'd like to see a critic that does like comic books and is familiar with the characters and world. Bet we see a whole different outlook.

[Roseangelo]

The People Magazine review of the first movie was even worse, if you can believe it. I think the entire review complained about how it was nothing like the cartoon.

I might have a copy of it somewhere..

[iris]

^I can never understand why people like American Idol and Simon. He's the number one reason why I can't stand the show.

I personally never listen to critics. Half the time, I think they are being paid by some studio to trash another studio's releases. Kind of you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.

I also don't care or dig for those awards shows. Oscars, Golden Globes even the MTV movie award, which were fun at first, but now I find that they tend to give the winning trophies to movies with an MTV association.
Yeah, nearly any Hollywood love-fest involves industry politics lubed with money. :dead:

And people like Simon because a) he is the only judge who is not completely tone-deaf, b) they like to watch him snark at the politely smiling contestants on live prime-time TV. American Idol is a combination variety-freak show, with voyeurism on the side. It's pure evil packaged with glitter and innocence. :cry:

The bottom line is, people do care what the critics think, but the direct influence for movies doesn't really carry past opening day. After that people just work off the opinions of friends who've seen the movie. The thing is, the more people who have seen the movie on opening day, the more people there are to give positive recommendations in the days afterward.

[Jester]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PG) **1/2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Cast & Credits
April O'Neil: Judith Hoag
Casey Jones: Elias Koteas
Raphael: Josh Pais
Michelangelo: Michelan Sisti
Donatello: Leif Tilden
Leonardo: David Forman
Danny Pennington: Michael Turney
Tatsu: Toshishiro Obata
Directed By Steve Barron
Screenplay By Todd W. Langen And Bobby Herbeck
Based On Characters Created By Kevin Eastmand And Peter Laird.
Animatronic Characters By Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
Running Time: 93 Minutes.

Anyone unfortunate enough to have a Nintendo device in the house will be familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who star in one of the most insidiously addictive Nintendo games. The turtles live in the subways beneath Manhattan, where, exposed to radiation, they have grown into teenager-sized, intelligent creatures, and have absorbed such items from the culture as surfer jargon.

On the Nintendo screen, the turtles leap, spin, cartwheel and eat pizza. Everything they do is accompanied by the same maddening music, which plays over and over again until it drills itself into the tooth of your mind. There are said to be many levels to the video game, but I succeeded in penetrating only to the second before I realized I had to abandon Ninja Turtles that instant, or risk permanent psychic damage.

Now comes "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" the movie. I did not walk into the screening with a light step and a heart that sang. For that matter, I did not walk out afterward with my spirits renewed. But this movie is nowhere near as bad as it might have been, and probably is the best possible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie.

It supplies, in other words, more or less what Turtle fans will expect: the Ninja Turtles, subways, pizzas, villains, a rudimentary plot and an explanation of how the Turtles met their Zen-master, a wise old rodent.

Having not followed every detail of the film's production with great interest, I was surprised to discover it's a live-action film. I expected animation - a spinoff of the Saturday morning Turtle cartoon show. But no. These are actual human beings for the most part, including stunt men inside the life-size turtle suits (certain other characters have been created artifically by the Jim Henson folks).

The plot? Do you care? It involves a TV news reporter and her friends, a teenage crime wave, a secret society named the Foot, and a learning experience for the Turtles as they grow and adapt and become braver warriors with more character. And there are flashbacks to give us the back-story about how their rodent teacher came by his knowledge.

The most interesting part of the film for a non-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan is the production design - the sewers and the city streets above them. Roy Forge Smith is the designer, and seems inspired by a low-rent vision of "Batman" or maybe "Metropolis." The city looks like a grungy back-lot version of shabby film noir, and the sewers are like medieval dungeons. It's a very dark film, and one wonders, after seeing it, if young Turtle fans are being denied the brightness and bounciness of an earlier generation of kiddie films.

Concerns have been expressed about the Turtles recently on two subjects: the level of violence, and the presence in some Turtle stories of characters that may imply negative racial stereotypes. There is no racism in the film version, and the violence is fairly routine, as these things go - stylized and not very graphic.

"Turtle," by the way, is a very funny word.
I've read it before....and hated Ebert for it...:roll: Not the worst review...though he obviously doesn't know it's based on a comic book...just the video game and the TV series.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

That's the biggest problem in movie critics. They are too close minded, and don't seem to fathom that sometimes, movies are made for a certain typ of fan, not a generic public.

I'd like to see a critic that does like comic books and is familiar with the characters and world. Bet we see a whole different outlook.

Exactly, if you want an good, honest, educated opinion on acomic book movie, you don't turn to some smug, old, "I get paid ****-loads of money to watch movies and complain about them", critic who hasn't opened a comic book since Action Comics #1 was a new issue. You go to fans of the source material.

The People Magazine review of the first movie was even worse, if you can believe it. I think the entire review complained about how it was nothing like the cartoon.

I might have a copy of it somewhere..

Do me a favor Rosie, don't post it, I'm pissed off enough at the ignorrance of Maltin and Ebert.

[Roseangelo]

Ebert's review isn't really that bad. He's generally very good at reviewing movies from the level at which they're supposed to be seen. No, he doesn't completely get it, but it doesn't write it completely off, either.

I looked where the People review would be if I still had it, but it seems I don't.

[Jester]

I've been looking for it...I can't find it either. It gets a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes though...(for reference Batman and Robin gets 13%)
Just remember we're all very biased...:P

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

Yeah it is frustrating to read those reviews...and yet it has to be looked as the "everyone is entitled to their opinion" way. *shrugs*
Perhaps the only way to shed the supposed kiddie persona of tmnt(which i personally think tmnt has more substance, or just as much as superman, spiderman, etc., than they think and we as fans know of) is someone to take a wild chance on that.
I remember hearing when Richard Donner did the first Superman movie that the producers and original script was more kiddie and comical...like one scene had superman seeing telly savalas of kojak fame and savalas was saying 'who loves you baby'. And Donner fought hard to make it more real....or in his own words verisimilitude (characters exhibit realism or authenticity). Of course fighting with producers got him kicked off of superman II after Donner had over half the flick shot. And of course there was the comical Superman III. Anyway my point is maybe someone needs to take that wild chance of looking deep into the characters of the turtles and keeping their true selves authentic and real...verisimilitude...and have the film stay true to it. If it's a drama about family and brotherhood with action, them make it about that and don't apologize for it. Or maybe i'm just plain wrong lol.
Also one other thing i must mention. A teacher told me once in high school that "There's no such thing as a sure thing." Like Snakes on a Plane (which i liked)...got tons of hype and fans on the net but no success at a box office. So i guess my point is be prepared for the flick to go either way...the naysayers may be proven wrong (hopefully so) or they may be proven right (or supposedly so).
Anyway sorry for the length of the post heh, guess i got carried away. Laters.

[iris]

I've been looking for it...I can't find it either. It gets a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes though...(for reference Batman and Robin gets 13%)
Just remember we're all very biased...:P
How dare you! I am not the slightest bit biased! I am a paragon of clear-eyed objectivity. Ninja Turtles was and is great, and anyone who disagrees can go eat rancid worms. :goof:

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Yeah it is frustrating to read those reviews...and yet it has to be looked as the "everyone is entitled to their opinion" way. *shrugs*
Perhaps the only way to shed the supposed kiddie persona of tmnt(which i personally think tmnt has more substance, or just as much as superman, spiderman, etc., than they think and we as fans know of) is someone to take a wild chance on that.
I remember hearing when Richard Donner did the first Superman movie that the producers and original script was more kiddie and comical...like one scene had superman seeing telly savalas of kojak fame and savalas was saying 'who loves you baby'. And Donner fought hard to make it more real....or in his own words verisimilitude (characters exhibit realism or authenticity). Of course fighting with producers got him kicked off of superman II after Donner had over half the flick shot. And of course there was the comical Superman III. Anyway my point is maybe someone needs to take that wild chance of looking deep into the characters of the turtles and keeping their true selves authentic and real...verisimilitude...and have the film stay true to it. If it's a drama about family and brotherhood with action, them make it about that and don't apologize for it. Or maybe i'm just plain wrong lol.
Also one other thing i must mention. A teacher told me once in high school that "There's no such thing as a sure thing." Like Snakes on a Plane (which i liked)...got tons of hype and fans on the net but no success at a box office. So i guess my point is be prepared for the flick to go either way...the naysayers may be proven wrong (hopefully so) or they may be proven right (or supposedly so).
Anyway sorry for the length of the post heh, guess i got carried away. Laters.

What I would really love, is if they did a sequel that had a subplot where Mikey becomes a writter. It would be a very good way to add depth to his character. That was the one aspect of the Image comics I liked, Mikey can still be the funny one, but showing another side to the goofball would'nt hurt.

[DavieBoy]

I agree with many of the points raised. Typically "experts" in any field are completely ignorant and nowhere near as talented as they are given credit for. However, this cannot merely be applied to movie critics defacing the legacy of TMNT because they know nothing of its roots or source material, but to all aspects of life and humanity in general.

When the original movie was released, I was only 8 and could not understand why Splinter was not originally Hamato Yoshi and the non-appearances of Krang, Bebop, Rocksteady, the Technodrome etc. When I reached my teens I put it down to limited technology, I didn't understand or even know about the original comic till I started using the internet after 2000. My point is it wasn't widely known that the animated 1987 series isn't the original vision of the TMNT in the eyes of Eastman and Laird. If many of us fans were unaware of this, we can't be too harsh on critics who weren't in the know either. Although they are paid to do the proper research, and I was a kid and European (in the days before the internet and considerably less telecommunications) so it was much harder for me to be familiar the comic roots than them. In situations like this the internet is a Godsend. I will do my part, recently I have been telling people on my MSN I am a turtles fan and they talk to me like I am 12. I am now beginning to educate them on what I know of the comics (which whilst isn't expertise, is a reasonable amount, and I hope to vastly improve it) and perhaps drum up some interest in the movie. This is what we all must do, fans and officials alike, inform as many people as possible that this film should be more dark than they expect, and more importantly, it is INTENDED to be in that manner.

I think if the TMNT had been created 20 years later, the internet etc would have provided the proper view and love of the comic. However, the main problem is that in life mainstream rips the heart and soul out of franchises, it takes away the meaning for many people just to make a fast buck and cater to a more worldwide audience. Thus, when a big deal is made over TMNT movie, it is naturally going to be dulled down to suit the majority of the movie-going public who aren't fans of the comic. let's be honest, if the comic fans (and since being made aware of the comics I far prefer them to the 1987 series) like us got the movie of our dreams with more maturity, character development and generally a darker aura, it would alientate most of the "mainstream" TMNT fans. This would be bad for business, but equally good for sentiment and pull on the heart strings.

The trick is to strike a balance.

[Anarky]

On many points, I have to agree with the critics. If you put aside our fan-bias you'll see that the movies indeed lacked in quite a number of things.

But I do really love your raving and ranting about nobody understanding the true TMNT and whatnot. Go on with that, it's fun. And don't refrain from jabs at the critics like intentionally misspelling their names as a revenge for a bad review, this makes you look even crazier.

I'd like to hear some level-headed content, not raving bollocks nobody thought two seconds about.

I like to believe that the new movie will have a decent amount of fast-cut oh-so-important violence in it, mainly because that is what the older audience wants to see, while the fast cutting might confuse the younger audience. So they get burp-jokes, which have to be in the trailer next to some fast cuts with the TMNT showing off their skills in the most harmless way (jumping across rooftops, for example), so that there won't be any lawsuits from enraged Soccer Moms gone berserk over WB poisoning their kids' minds with violent stuff.

Speaking of which , I don't feel that it's the missing of violence in media that is causing everyone to go for violence these days. I blame this entirely on the new materialism we have in this society. You want something, you go out and buy it. Just like that. There's not really anything you can buy to show off that's not going to be old within a week (or someone else has it too). So they seek something else that puts them above the "mere mortals" out there. And violence is a thing that's close by and somewhere deep down within us (ever watched people driving cars?). The reason why everyone says that it's the media's fault is that they'd actually have to change something that brings them a lot of money, which is a definite no-no. The first time I noticed this was in the late 90s and early 00s (what's our decade called anyways), which is also where movies came into theatres that dealt with the problem. "American Beauty" or "Fight Club" are just two of them. So, there you go, new violence explained. And for once, the videogames and MTV aren't at fault.

[DavieBoy]

On many points, I have to agree with the critics. If

Speaking of which , I don't feel that it's the missing of violence in media that is causing everyone to go for violence these days. I blame this entirely on the new materialism we have in this society. You want something, you go out and buy it. Just like that. There's not really anything you can buy to show off that's not going to be old within a week (or someone else has it too). So they seek something else that puts them above the "mere mortals" out there. And violence is a thing that's close by and somewhere deep down within us (ever watched people driving cars?). The reason why everyone says that it's the media's fault is that they'd actually have to change something that brings them a lot of money, which is a definite no-no. The first time I noticed this was in the late 90s and early 00s (what's our decade called anyways), which is also where movies came into theatres that dealt with the problem. "American Beauty" or "Fight Club" are just two of them. So, there you go, new violence explained. And for once, the videogames and MTV aren't at fault.


True to a point I feel, we live in a society where people displaying fear and intimidation of you can bring power, money, popularity and, dare I say it, women. Therefore many people, particularly the demograph of young males 16-35 use violence as an expression of their, as you more or less put it, "immortality". I like to think though that talent is something that would be able to do achieve this goal, but the thing there is unless you are a sports or movie star you will always feel inferior to those professionals. I suppose violence brings people security in a perverse sense, which is a sad indicment on the state of the our world.

The irony is, in this situation, we seem to be attributing a large portion of the blame to, in an indirect sense, 4 fictional mutant turtles lol.

The human race can rarely take responsibilty for its own actions. Apparenly, we are always influenced by others or impressionable. A possible approach would be to work at the source. Rather than prevent kids from seeing this material, let them access it (to an extent) and then make an attempt to ensure they know it is simply entertainent. This is easier said than done though because it involves successfully manipulating most children's minds, and relying on them to understand the concept and not place any great significance on it. If ever that day arrived though, humanity as a whole could enjoy this media and in this respect we would have a probably more no holds barred TMNT movie than we are going to get.

[Katie]

True to a point I feel, we live in a society where people displaying fear and intimidation of you can bring power, money, popularity and, dare I say it, women. Therefore many people, particularly the demograph of young males 16-35 use violence as an expression of their, as you more or less put it, "immortality".

women are biologically drawn to people in powerful positions, it's true, but I for one find violent, angry peole to be a HUGE turn off :dead:

The human race can rarely take responsibilty for its own actions. Apparenly, we are always influenced by others or impressionable. A possible approach would be to work at the source. Rather than prevent kids from seeing this material, let them access it (to an extent) and then make an attempt to ensure they know it is simply entertainent. This is easier said than done though because it involves successfully manipulating most children's minds, and relying on them to understand the concept and not place any great significance on it. If ever that day arrived though, humanity as a whole could enjoy this media and in this respect we would have a probably more no holds barred TMNT movie than we are going to get.

This would require an amount of effort and responsibility on the parent's part and as you say, it is SO much easier for them to play arm-chair politician and grumble about how things should be (so society can do the parenting for them)

Lots of society's problems would be solved if parents took responsibility for their children instead of expecting the government to "raise" them

[Draconic]

Women attracted to voilent men with power likely get what they deserve.

[Buslady]

Those goons on tv don't know squat. They are unaware of the HUGE fanbase TMNT has. Old and new. I'm from the olden days and already know I will really like this movie...I'm so damn confident that it'll rock for us big time fans. Kids will probably enjoy it as well, my nephew is looking forward to seeing it with me..hopefully he doesn't get in trouble so I can't.
My son, he isn't a big fan, but he dragged me to Monster House so I told him, then you're gonna see TMNT with me. :lol:

[iris]

There is no way I could say, “just add violence, because it’s better that way.” I think people who like seeing violence for the sake of it have been blessed with very sheltered lives (or there’s just something wrong). I know people don’t like to be called sheltered, but it’s not an insult so much as an envious statement of fact.

I do like awesome martial arts scenes (where skill is involved) and yeah, I do like gore so overdone and pointless that it becomes a dark comedy of the absurd (see: Evil Dead & Josh Becker)… but setting, plot, and style are much more important than actual violence portrayed on screen.

How many millions of kids curled up in sniveling horror while watching Bambi? There is no blood in that movie—you don’t even see the villain, “man.” Yet it’s terrifying. Because there’s much more to portraying violence in a movie than the physicality of it.

[CyberCubed]

Anyone unfortunate enough to have a Nintendo device in the house will be familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who star in one of the most insidiously addictive Nintendo games.

Haha, you know a movie reviewer is going to trash a movie when he thinks TMNT started off as a Nintendo game.

"Anyone unfortunate enough to have a Nintendo device at home" (?)

WTF.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

There is no way I could say, “just add violence, because it’s better that way.” I think people who like seeing violence for the sake of it have been blessed with very sheltered lives (or there’s just something wrong). I know people don’t like to be called sheltered, but it’s not an insult so much as an envious statement of fact.

I do like awesome martial arts scenes (where skill is involved) and yeah, I do like gore so overdone and pointless that it becomes a dark comedy of the absurd (see: Evil Dead & Josh Becker)… but setting, plot, and style are much more important than actual violence portrayed on screen.

How many millions of kids curled up in sniveling horror while watching Bambi? There is no blood in that movie—you don’t even see the villain, “man.” Yet it’s terrifying. Because there’s much more to portraying violence in a movie than the physicality of it.

More violence is not the key for success, all it'll do is give asswipe critics like Maltin more ammuntion to use against the movie. I'm all for gore and and pain, but theres a point where it just becomes an excuse to cover up bad writting. I'm glad this movie won't resort to that, like I said, what it needs to do is get in depth with the characters. People are knocking it becasue they think it'll all be pizza and cowabunga, but it'll be a big shock if they see Raph coming face to face with his own demons, or Mikey putting down the video games and picking up a book or something.

Depth like that would change peoples views on the TMNT, mindless violence would just scare children and make the TMNT look like Tarantino-rejects.


And to Anarky: I agree with what you said about the media and violence, but as to your obvious shots at me at the begining of your post, I'm not offended, you go right ahead dishing out your scathing cynisism, what ever makes you feel big and important on a Ninja Turtles message board.

[Rooish]

This is a sort of random comment, but did anyone ever see the animated Watership Down movie? It's rated PG and it shows a rabbit having its throat ripped out, another one torn apart by a dog, a squashed hedgehog on a road, a rabbit choking in a snare... obviously nothing of the sort will happen in TMNT, but a "dark" feel can definitely be achieved. I feel that the trailer was too kiddie at times, but it was really intense at the end. My friend who watched it seemed shaken and stated that trailers are really intense these days. :)

[mik8la]

This is a sort of random comment, but did anyone ever see the animated Watership Down movie? It's rated PG and it shows a rabbit having its throat ripped out, another one torn apart by a dog, a squashed hedgehog on a road, a rabbit choking in a snare...

Never saw it, but now that you described it like that...now I wanna see it. I'm going to go track it down. Marvel at the powers of suggestion. :D

I feel that the trailer was too kiddie at times, but it was really intense at the end. :)

I think the trailer was cut to appeal to the kiddies (it must've, if it was paired with Eragon). If I hadn't seen the leaked pics, I would've thought that it was all monster stuff and fighting. I can't wait for the more serious cut, the one that'll deal with the family dysfunction and the more intense fight scenes and everything.

And...you guys are gonna crucify me for this, but I agree with some of the points the critics brought up in regards to the original live-action movies, particularly the lighting. So the critics didn't "get" the turtles, but that's the challenge of making a movie that's good enough and universal enough that the masses--the people who might not get the comics or the cartoons or the games--can "get" what's so appealing about the franchise.

[Warhorse]

^I saw Watership Down when I was a kid. I remember the rabbit choking on the snare and vomiting blood.

It seems like a lot of nature type movies can get away with certain scenes that would have action type genre films slapped with a rated PG-13 or R. There was that Sheena or Sheila, queen of the desert or some crap like that. Movie was PG, but had eyebrow raising scenes in it.

[Masked Ninja]

Ahh, Watership Down. :D

I like the book a bit better, but that film is probably one of the better book-to-film adaptions I've seen. And what few changes they did make made sense. I'd definitely recommend it... especially for that spiffy intro sequence. It might make more sense if you read the book first, but it's not necessary.

As for TMNT... I wish it was taken more seriously, but it isn't. I'm constantly correcting people who think the '80s toon was the "original" TMNT (and getting shocked reactions when I say a new Turtles movie is coming out :roll: ). I hope for this movie to be on par with the first for good family/sibling themes and have enough kickbutt action to reinforce the TMNT's capability for intensity. But especially considering the huge burp in the trailer, I won't set my expectations too high. That way I can only be impressed.

I do think this wouldn't get nearly the seemingly-automatic "kiddie" brushoff if that burp weren't in the trailer. :\

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

Well you guys won't like this one neither. Just recently in an LA Times article there was a 2007 Predictions in which Kim Voynar, managing editor of www.cinematical.com , wrote this:
Biggest Flops: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" has awesome flop potential (though I hope for the sake of the TMNT fans in my household that this doesn't suck).
So Tmnt definately has an uphill battle.

[Warhorse]

Well, if Warner Bros doesn't start advertising more, like ASAP, then TMNT will flop. People wont go if they don't know the movie exists. I let people know, and while they are shocked at first, they already made plans to see it opening night.

[Thwomp]

I don't think that TMNT will flop, but I know for a fact that it's going to have a hard time keeping its legs as the weeks go by. On March 23rd, it'll be battling "Pride" (another inspirational movie about troubled high school teens that band together to form an amazing sports team), and one week later the sugar-and-ADD-fueled Disney flick "Meet the Robinsons" will premier. If WB/Mirage/4Kids/whoever involved wants to see this movie hit #1, and STAY there for more than a week, then they're going to have to do several things that have been mentioned previously in this thread: show the "common joe" that there's MORE to the Turtles than what they remember from the 80s toon.

And, by god, in the very next trailer that is shown, I want to see at least ONE shot of Raph and Leo face-to-face in the rain, weapons drawn. That's a ticket-seller.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Well, if Warner Bros doesn't start advertising more, like ASAP, then TMNT will flop. People wont go if they don't know the movie exists. I let people know, and while they are shocked at first, they already made plans to see it opening night.

If only they put out the trailer earler and showed it with Borat, then more people may get excited.

But you're right, it's tome to advertise, it was a good move putting the toys out, but now it's time to think bigger. Kevin and the cast need to hit some talk shows, maybe it's too early but airing the t.v. spots would'nt hurt, also they should really do something about the website it only has the trailers.

Also, 4Kids needs to do some TMNT marathons, but of the good episodes, not FF.

Well you guys won't like this one neither. Just recently in an LA Times article there was a 2007 Predictions in which Kim Voynar, managing editor of www.cinematical.com , wrote this:
Biggest Flops: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" has awesome flop potential (though I hope for the sake of the TMNT fans in my household that this doesn't suck).
So Tmnt definately has an uphill battle.

Every movie has awesome flop potential, except Spider-Man 3, thats gonna make hellacious money.

But anyway, Transformers has bigger flop potential. Everyone expects this movie to be amazing, but I doubt it's gonna meet all expectations. No one expects anything out of TMNT, so if it does do bad, no one is going to be shocked. It's the underdog.

[Warhorse]

Have you ever sat in the theater waiting for the movie to start, and sometimes they have a behind the scenes look. Why can't they start that with TMNT?

And I agree, Borat would have been ideal. They also need to get a few prime time commercials. Who is the advertising agent for Happy Feet. I never seen the movie, but I cant turn around with out that damned thing being milked for all it's worth.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Have you ever sat in the theater waiting for the movie to start, and sometimes they have a behind the scenes look. Why can't they start that with TMNT?

And I agree, Borat would have been ideal. They also need to get a few prime time commercials. Who is the advertising agent for Happy Feet. I never seen the movie, but I cant turn around with out that damned thing being milked for all it's worth.

Well, Warner Bros may air some sneak peaks durring they're prime time line-up.

[gobo]

I value the opinions of the hosts of Attack of the Show so much. :roll: They're just so smart. :roll: If they think TMNT is a joke, I can't possibly bring myself to go see it because they're always right. :roll: And, they'll publicly humiliate me by showing up to the theater to laugh at me. :roll: When, they premiered the trailer, it was obvious they were trying to ridicule it behind their plastic enthusiasm and idiotic costume bit. But, still... They're on TV. That makes them smarter than us. :roll: I hope they know what a total fan of theirs I am. :roll: Maybe they'll even have me as a guest on their show. :roll: Cuz celebs are teh most impotent-- er, impertinent? Yeah. Celebs are the most impertinent people EVAR! :D
Uh... Dood? You even know who you're supposed to be flaming? :roll:

[gobo]

Uh... Dood? You even know who you're supposed to be flaming? :roll:
No. Why? :sweatdro:

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Do you know who you are?

[gobo]

Do you know who you are?
No. Why? :sweatdro:

[iris]

Stop second-guessing, dood. *hands gobo his meds and a glass of apple juice*

[gobo]

*swallows the pill & downs the juice*
All better.
...
OMG!! WHO STOLE MY PASSWORD & POSTED A BUNCH OF DUMB CRAP?!? :x :embarass:

[Rooish]

Woah, what's happening with gobo?

Ahh, Watership Down. :D

I like the book a bit better, but that film is probably one of the better book-to-film adaptions I've seen. And what few changes they did make made sense.

I agree, except for the throat-ripping-out bit. That character didn't even die in the book! :o But ah well. And Warhorse, that makes sense, what you said about the documentary-type thing. Also "Watership Down" was made a while back, when the rating system may have been more lenient... but it's still rated PG now, from what I can tell. Anyway, sorry about "Watership Down" rants. But it's a good movie and an amazing book. Go see/read! Now! Everyone!

I hope that they release another trailer for TMNT with some more intense, family-like moments shown, too. I love the trailer we have, just because it's a wonderful glimpse at what's to come, but it won't appeal to the masses (at least the adult ones). I know that everyone I've shown it to has been weirded out by all the monsters. Why monsters? Is that the best they could come up with? Whatever, I still cannot wait for this movie.

And I agree it must be publicised more. mik8la, I won't crucify you for agreeing with the critics. :) TMNT is really complex, and has shown up in tons of different manners, directed at kids and at adults. Some of it has been dark and ninja-clan themed, and some has been about aliens and monsters. And the characters always have varying levels of development and depth and closeness. It will be quite a difficult job to incorporate all the elements, and advertise as such. I'm just hoping that all the characters will interact, and not just Leo-Raph-Splinter and Don-Mike.

[Bircher]

Sorry for ignorance, but who is Kevin Monroe?

A good way we can help build hype is to help the trailer score high on google video and other such outlets. We can't control WB, but we can impact other mediums together

[Roseangelo]

Also "Watership Down" was made a while back, when the rating system may have been more lenient... but it's still rated PG now, from what I can tell. Anyway, sorry about "Watership Down" rants. But it's a good movie and an amazing book. Go see/read! Now! Everyone!

Woot! Watership Down is my favorite book in the world. :thyper:

And the movie is awesome, too. I have a cell.. best birthday present ever. :tlove:

[gobo]

Sorry for ignorance, but who is Kevin Monroe?
The director of the new CGI film.

[Masked Ninja]

I agree, except for the throat-ripping-out bit. That character didn't even die in the book! :o But ah well.Wholeheartedly agree with you... that and the mysterious inclusion of a "Violet" in the beginning are the only bits that really bother me. Not only did they kill a character that was supposed to live, but it was the most disturbing 2 seconds of the movie. Naaasty. :(

And yeah, the "PG-13" rating has only been in existence for so long. It used to go from PG straight to R, didn't it?

And I'll agree/repeat that Warner had better get off its butt soon and advertise TMNT. I'm doing my best on my own, but I only have so much influence. Though I do get people who know I'm a Turtles fan and tell me the movie's coming out. That puts a smile on my face and a song in my heart. :D

[mik8la]

mik8la, I won't crucify you for agreeing with the critics. :)

Whew, thanks. ;) I'm not overly fond of the movie trilogy--blasphemy, I know--but I can appreciate them as earnest interpretations of a franchise I adore. If an interpretation has its shortcomings in explaining the franchise's appeal to the masses, then I'm not gonna pull any punches in pointing them out.

TMNT is really complex, and has shown up in tons of different manners, directed at kids and at adults. Some of it has been dark and ninja-clan themed, and some has been about aliens and monsters. And the characters always have varying levels of development and depth and closeness. It will be quite a difficult job to incorporate all the elements, and advertise as such. I'm just hoping that all the characters will interact, and not just Leo-Raph-Splinter and Don-Mike.

Couldn't have said it better. It is very difficult, and the fact that the new film appears to by trying nonetheless to mesh all of that is encouraging. I will be more than a bit annoyed, too, if all of Leo's character development involved yelling at Raph, or if Mikey did nothing but joke and screw up everything he attempted.

And, also...I have Yahoo! as my home page, and "TMNT" showed up as the second most-watched trailer. The guy who writes the movie previews knows about the original comics (even says that he wishes that there'd be a movie that was a direct adaptation of the original 4 issues.)

[Ra]

Critics usually wreck the movies before you see them. I listened to one before I saw "Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest" and I came out knowing that if I had not listened to the idiot, I would have enjoyed the movie better.

Do not pay any attention to the film reviews or any smart @$$ed critics who claim that the movie will be bad. Do not listen to them. They are only put on this earth to put a bad or good impact on people when they go to see movies. Reviews, in my opinion, are over rated, and just make a mountain out of a mole hill, no matter if the movie is Mission Impossible 3 (Critics: OMG! TOM CRUISE! YOU MUST WATCH THIS! 5 STARS!!!!!!!!) or Chicken Little (Critics: OMG! IT DOESN'T LIVE UP TO DISNEY STANDARD! 1/2 STARS!!!!!!!)

Either way, critics are just people who have no other way to make money other than criticising movies. They are a sad, sad race of people and should not really be listened to, at the very least BEFORE you go into the movie. That way you won't see things the critic's way ;)

[CyberCubed]

I also imagine the lack of Shredder may upset the casual TMNT fan.

The first thing one of my friends asked me when I told him about the new movie coming was, "Cool, is Shredder and Krang in it?"

I told him at least the Foot Clan were in it, at any rate. :P

[Aignatius]

I don't expect this movie to be perfect, but if I'm absorbed in the story for the duration of the film, then I'll be happy. I'm already pleased with the Turtles' overall look, and judging by the pictures, it looks to be great fun to watch.

Critiques are helpful if the critic knows his stuff. Even if I may not agree with their point of view. I'll respect it, if it's based on real knowledge of what they are critiquing.

The editor of a local paper did a positively horrible review of Fellowship of the Ring when it premiered. He was bashing it six ways from Sunday, and made references to... fairies and dragons... uhm... :-?
Obviously he must have been sleeping, or gabbing on his cell phone out in the lobby or quite possibly running off to the men's room throughout most of the movie, due to the ingestion of a bad burrito. :blanksta:

[Raph'N'Roll]

I don't think the new trailer helped in appealing to a wider audience a great deal, I'd much rather see the teaser than this.
The stills give hope though that it will be darker than the trailer.
I hope Mikey's character isn't ruined, I wouldn't like to end up hating him in this movie, I've always liked Mike but in the trailer he's annoying and kinda out of character, the whole "your mom" thing just didn't seem right, and pretty rude for the code and discipline of a ninja.

[Warhorse]

^You know RaphNRoll, you just had me realize something.

Will Michelangelo be allowed to use his nunchucks in this movie. I don't recall him using them in neither trailer. The first one, he fell into the dumpster, and the second one, I still didn't see Mikey whip out the old nunchucks.

This makes me wonder!!!!!

[comet_an_me]

^You know RaphNRoll, you just had me realize something.

Will Michelangelo be allowed to use his nunchucks in this movie. I don't recall him using them in neither trailer. The first one, he fell into the dumpster, and the second one, I still didn't see Mikey whip out the old nunchucks.

This makes me wonder!!!!!


Well why not. Hes been 'allowed' to use them in the 2k3 cartoon. The first film may of edited them out when that first came on to the big screen. But when i bought the DVD this summer it had Mikey and that foot member having their contest.

Ive asked Kevin that one

[wyze2099]

I remember before the original "Spider-Man" came out, there were these movie box-office pundits who were incredibly condescending toward it (actual quote: "Homoeroticism reaches new heights in American cinema this weekend, as millions of grown men salivate at the thought of paying good money to see a guy who looks like he should be at a Boy Scout meeting wear nothing but Spandex for 100 minutes...I will also now say what all of you are thinking. There is something particularly creepy about a 30-year-old man buying a comic book. Your childhood is over, fellas. Move on.") We all know how that turned out.

Some jackass actually SAID that in a review? And got paid for it?

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Some jackass actually SAID that in a review? And got paid for it?

He must have ate some serious **** for that one.

[Rooish]

I hope Mikey's character isn't ruined, I wouldn't like to end up hating him in this movie, I've always liked Mike but in the trailer he's annoying and kinda out of character, the whole "your mom" thing just didn't seem right, and pretty rude for the code and discipline of a ninja.

Exactly how I feel. Why can't he be laid-back and cheerful... not a brat?

[iris]

I liked the 'your mom' joke, in part because it didn't work.

You know, it kind of irks when people want Mike to be Cheerful Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky Wouldn't Hurt A Fly all the time.

[Cascadia]

I still laugh at that joke because it does not work. As for the burp scene, I rolled my eyes.

[gobo]

Anyone think the burp scene might actually be amusing in its full context? Stranger things have happened.

[Roseangelo]

I never had any issues with the burp and yes, I do expect it to be funny.

[Cascadia]

True...it was amusing.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

It would be funny if that "your mom" joke is kind of a running gag of the movie. Mikey keeps trying to make it work and Don keeps reminding him that they would have the same mom.

[Cascadia]

It would be funny if that "your mom" joke is kind of a running gag of the movie. Mikey keeps trying to make it work and Don keeps reminding him that they would have the same mom.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Rooish]

I liked the 'your mom' joke, in part because it didn't work.

You know, it kind of irks when people want Mike to be Cheerful Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky Wouldn't Hurt A Fly all the time.

Heh, I liked the "your mom" joke too. :) I didn't think that was bratty. I think it's bratty in the new 'toon when he's outright rude, like with the Battle Nexus Champion thing.

I also don't think he needs to be cheerful and wouldn't-hurt-a-fly at all... I want to see him get down and kick some ass. But I'd prefer him laid-back to high-strung, cowardly and screaming all the time (like in the new toon, although I still do like him on that show). It was funny in the trailer when he jumped into Don's arms, though.

[Warhorse]

I have a question about that scene where Mikey jumps onto Donnie. Donnie screams too. Is it beacuse he is surprised by Mikey, the monsters really did scare him, or maybe when the nunchucks fell on Donnie's head, he screamed in pain?

[Roseangelo]

I'm pretty confident that Don freaks out because Mike jumps in his arms. I doubt Don even really noticed the 'chucks hit him with Mikey screaming in his face.

[Warhorse]

You gotta admit though, that scene is a really cute one! I also love it how Raph and Leo are not the slightest bit distracted by the two clowns!:D

[Roseangelo]

Oh, agreed! They must be sooo used to Mike spazing that they don't even notice anymore.

[Warhorse]

You think that potrait of the Turtles and Splinter is a photograph blown up, or a painting?

[Roseangelo]

I'd say photo - good thing for home photo printers!

[VGiselleH]

I haven't seen anyone mention this, and I can't tell for sure either, but when Mikey jumps on Donnie, he gets thrown to the ground by the end of the scene, right? First Don freaks out, then gets it back together and starts to move to throw Mikey off of him in the general direction of the floor before it gets cut off in the trailer. That's how I see it, lol ^_^

As for the actual topic of this thread, I really like the trailer. It'd obvious it's meant to appeal to kids as well, but there was plenty of eye candy to enjoy anyway ^_^ And maybe it's just me, but this seems like the kind of trailer that'll attract young people in general, not just kids and early teens, and puts off the "old people" (make of that what you want). It looks very good for CGI, there's some fast paced scenes with great fluent movements, there's humor, there's promise of action...isn't that what the public wants?

One thing though, I would have liked for this movie to have been PG-13. Not because I must see blood, but because it would have given the creators more freedom.

[Cascadia]

According to Munroe, the movie is related PG but just barely PG-13.

[Cascadia]

I'm pretty confident that Don freaks out because Mike jumps in his arms. I doubt Don even really noticed the 'chucks hit him with Mikey screaming in his face.

I agree that he just screams because Mike jumped onto him and startles him. As for the 'chucks, he did not notice them.

[mikey2007]

^You know RaphNRoll, you just had me realize something.

Will Michelangelo be allowed to use his nunchucks in this movie. I don't recall him using them in neither trailer. The first one, he fell into the dumpster, and the second one, I still didn't see Mikey whip out the old nunchucks.

This makes me wonder!!!!!

well if he didn't whip out his nunchucks....then how did donnie get hit in the head with the chucks? :sweatdro:

....or did u just not realize this fact until everyone started talkin about the "mikey jumps into leo's arms" part?

[mik8la]

Some jackass actually SAID that in a review? And got paid for it?

Yup, as hard as it is to believe. It's still online (http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/mumpower/mayforecast.asp) (scroll to the bottom to #2 to see his entire rant--it's a lot worse than it sounds). The funny thing is, he's merely making a forecast on which movies will make the most money in May 2002, and he picks "Attack of the Clones" as #1. The lesson? Don't judge a book by its cover, which is a perfect parallel to what's being leveled against "TMNT".

And I gotta say, the more I look at that family portrait, the more adorable it seems. I love that the turtles look different from each other, even without being in profile (though that's a cool shot, too). Mikey seems to have the most unique 'look' out of all of them; Raph's eyes are a little beadier than his brothers', and Leo and Don look the most alike.

[Warhorse]

Leo and Don look like twins practically. It's probably why people had a hard time trying to figure out who called Mikey a doofus at the end of the trailer. But after seeing it on the big screen, you know it's definitely Donnie.

But I also recall Kevin saying that not only are there subtle looks in the Turtles to tell them apart, but they are all going to walk, move and fight differently as well. So keep that in mind when you watch the movie for the first time.

Someone needs to do a poll on how many times they think they are going to see this movie. I bet you most of us will see it at least 3 times. Once for that "AWE" effect, then the rest will be either to analyze the film, or to just get caught up in the action again.

[mikey2007]

Someone needs to do a poll on how many times they think they are going to see this movie. I bet you most of us will see it at least 3 times. Once for that "AWE" effect, then the rest will be either to analyze the film, or to just get caught up in the action again.

personally i'm gonna go see it atleast once for sure, and then i will drag as many people there as i can (ok, not drag, but i know some people don't like to go to movies by themselves), and if that takes me seeing it more than 3 times:lol: it's well worth it, don't ya think;)

[Roseangelo]

I will be amazed with myself if I see it less than three times opening weekend alone. 8)

Seriously, if there's a midnight showing (pleasepleaseplease) I'll definitely go to that as well as a Friday night showing. One more showing on either Saturday or Sunday is nothing.

Of course, I'm going out of town to see the movie with a group of friends, so it's also up to them, but somehow I don't see many complaints about multiple viewings...

[Cascadia]

I will probably end up watching it alone but that is alright. It will be a good way to celebrate the end of this term. :D

[Bircher]

It will be one of my sons 4th Birthday. I'l be taking him, my wife and our two other kids opening night, then again for date night, then every time I can when I'm on the road. I want this thing to succeed. I stopped buying toys a couple years ago, but I'm buying these.

They look good, and I hope it will help show this thing can be a success and they continue it.

[Aignatius]

I am not sure how I'm going to see this movie. Either go to the premiere with other fans, or see it locally with my family. or just with my daughter, my son is at the age where he's not sure he wants to be seen by his friends going to a ninja turtles movie... sigh... 8)
And as far as how many times, eeyaaa... depends on how expensive it's going to be. Artists don't pull in regular pay, after all.

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

I'm gonna go see it the day it opens. I may go alone, I may bring a friend, Idk. I may go to the very first showing, since I can't wait for it.

[Aignatius]

You think that potrait of the Turtles and Splinter is a photograph blown up, or a painting?

Trying to imagine these guys standing around for a portrait like in the days before cameras. Mikey's face would have gotten pretty tired. :D