Seein Red
 

For the new 2012 movie, should the all red headbands come back? Not only is it historicly accurate but since they are basing more on the old comics it would make sense. It's hard enough to find enough fabric to make headband for four turtles in the sewer, let alone four multicolored ones.

It would be so nice to have them all wearing red bandanas.

Who said it would be based more on the old comics?

As much as I'd like to see that, I highly doubt it will happen. Movie execs see the viewing audience dumb enough that they feel we need to see a color differential rather than just look at the weapons or hear their voices. Personally, I'd love to see the red bandanas, I just find it highly improbable. I think the first movie is the closest we'll get to the old comics, but I could be wrong.

I'd like the red ones to be in at least one flashback scene (seeing that they're most likely to use multi-colored)

That will never happen in any media besides the Mirage universe which is good since I think all red bandannas is kinda stupid and makes as much sense as colored bandannas. I can see it happening in the beginning though in a flashback or Splinter giving them colors to distinguish them, people wouldn't care about that and it'd be a nice nod for all the Mirage fans.

I don't expect it to happen at all, but I'd love it if it did.

The colored masks are ridiculous. And there are so many other ways to identify them on film. Weapons, skin color, voice, even body-type if they go that route (which I'm not a fan of).

Look, turtles in masks is inherently stupid to begin with. But four individually styled masks is few steps stupider than a ninja team sharing one color for solidarity and enemy confusion. And as some one else pointed out, it's not like Splinter was running to fabric stores or anything.

Weapons you would have to really pay attention to, Voice wouldn't matter in fight scenes and Skin Color would require them to be really well lit all the time.

So then everyone watching Turtles Forever was constantly baffled by which Mirage Turtle they were watching at the time, ammirite? People loved 'em.

And voice doesn't matter in fight scenes? Problem solved because those are the only times when they're guarunteed to be brandishing their weapons.

Still not saying it's plausible. But it's a lot more workable than people give it credit for.

Yes. And it would send a firm message that this is a new beginning/reboot, not a continuance of the other horrible movies.

If it happens, cool. If not, whatever. I don't know what to expect right now.

I'd love to see the red bandannas, I think they are awesome.

I was confused a few times but it didn't really matter since it was like 7 minutes.

It never really confused me. Their voices were distinct enough and they were almost always with weapons in-view or in some sort of variation of a classic pose.

I think it'd be awesome, but my hopes aren't high on the bandannas.

As for Turtles Forever Mirage turtles... they were also in black and white, not just 'red bandannas'. Their bodies were all drawn the same along with every other Mirage issue 1 thing they could fit in. So, if there was confusion, it was because they were being accurate to mirage issue 1. if the movie is in color, they could just as easily give them different skin tones or something else if they wanna differentiate from 2k3.

Just some thoughts, I think it'd be cool, but it wouldn't really bother me as long as they have good personalities, animation and plot.

Oh and I hardly think Splinter of all people would be 'confused' who was who after raising them. Not unless there's something wrong with his senses. I'm not keen on people who can't tell the difference between twins (or more if that's the case) if they've been around them for more than a few weeks. Just seems silly to me. Even twins have differences.

Never been a fan of all-red. I suspect a lot of people who prefer it only do so because it was the original and thus, "the way it was meant to be". But I disagree with that logic; Superman's "S" logo went through dozens of redesigns over decades before coming to the version we all know. I doubt anyone wants to see it revert to a plain yellow triangle with an S scrawled in it, just because that's how it looked in Action Comics #1.

It's just easier to follow the characters in motion when they're all wearing different colors, as well as helping people who don't follow the characters learn who is who much easier. It serves a purpose and isn't as ridiculous as some make it sound, given the fact the turtles were able to not only find masks to wear, but kneepads, elbow pads, belts, a variety of weapons, etc.

All red looks cool enough as well, but I feel the multi-colored masks work best across a wide range of media.

No. Not only because. Find me a ninja clan that runs around playing dress-up with different mood-ring colors. One that would would seem pretty metrosexual and weird to me. I'd imagine most folks in ninja clans would all wear the same color bandanna.

But yes, to answer seriously: multi-colored bandannas make the TMNT seem like less of a legitimate ninja clan. Which is kind of a big deal given they're literally called "Ninja Turtles."

I'd agree that the multi-colored bandannas is a lesser evil than the lettered belts... but that doesn't make multi-colored bandannas any less unnecessary or demeaning to audiences.

There's that, and then there's the simple fact that their bodies, skin speckles, faces, builds all look very different. I mean, show me the suits from the films or even the CGI Turtles from the last awful movie... remove the bandannas and all color from them, I can still tell you exactly which one is which without hesitation. You're telling me you can't? You're a liar.

I've said it before, but arguing "They all look alike without different colored bandannas to tell them apart!" is dangerously close to, "All black people look alike, can't some of them wear different hats so I can tell them apart?"

I originally wrote a big post on why people would hate it and it wouldn't work but decided to delete it since I'm kind of tired of discussing this from my other topic.

Fact is no matter what anyone thinks we will never see red bandannas from the turtles outside of the Mirage comics.

Probably not, you're right. But that doesn't mean we need to bend over and pretend it's a good idea that there not be.

Of course they would, but it's pretty pointless to argue the "realistic-ness" of anything relating to Ninja Turtles if you wanna break it down. I know that argument's been used ad nauseum over the years, but it's true.

I mean, what about the Green Lantern Corps, if you really wanna split hairs? They've been likened to the Marine Corps. I don't think the Marines let people individualize their uniforms the way GLs do. But I'm oh-so-glad that Guy and Kyle and others get to have unique uniforms, because it suits them individually. In the end it doesn't matter, because GLs aren't real Marines and the TMNT aren't a real ninja clan.

Fact is, all-red vs. multi-colored is just an individual's preference, nothing more. One is no more "realistic" nor "demeaning" than the other, unless one chooses to see it that way. I choose to see it as a separation of universes, nothing more. I honestly never knew anyone even felt so strongly about it until I found the internet.

We're not talking about "realistic-ness." Whether you gravitate more toward the comedy in TMNT or more toward the ninja action... no matter how silly or "out-there" the material may get, a big component that must be sold to the reader is that yes, these four are part of a ninja clan. If their ninja clan is made into some kind of caricature of one or made into a sham (which is what the multi colors do to a large extent)... then the material suffers for it.

There's no real-world 6 billion year-old Guardians of the Universe to judge against and say, "No, no, the Green Lantern Corps has it all wrong, this is what the Guardians would actually do," so that comparison is a little silly. There is, however, real ninja clans... more than enough that we can say without doubt, "No multi-colored bandannas in ninja clans."

And the fact is that the Guardians didn't let Green Lanterns individualize their costumes. It wasn't until the Guardians left after the first Crisis during "Millennium" that Green Lanterns decided that, basically with the bosses gone, it was OK to customize their suits.

Yeah. It's a good thing they're not Marines, isn't it?

Given Guy's outspoken political views, if he WERE a Marine I don't think there'd be much left of the Middle East... :lol:

I confess, I never got into the whole "ninja-ness" of TMNT as much as some others, meaning I never really went as deep into it, studied it, took it as seriously as some people do. Not that they're wrong and I'm right, it's just that the fact that they're ninjas wasn't what appealed to me about the characters initially. So I admit, whether reading or writing or watching them, "ninja accuracy" isn't the thing I'm most interested in or looking for. Probably why I'm a bit detached on the importance of bandana color.

For me, the pizza obsession from the old 'toon was the worst bit of "dumbing down", way worse than the belts or bandanas, but that's just me.

I personally don't mind the multi-colored bandannas too much - there are much bigger issues to pick at, in my opinion - but, going that route again, I'd at least like a better explanation as to WHY they have multi-colored bandannas, and WHY they're going against the grain on that aspect. For the record, I'm not talking about the director or producer's reasoning; I mean, I want the movie to explain it as a plot point.

If you want to split hairs, I remember reading that Ninja Clans did not have matching "ninja suits" at all, as most of the time they were disguised as villagers and the like. People have the idea that they were disguised in black from artwork from the time, depicting them in black, but that was only a way to show they were "invisible". Tenugui(Tengui? I forget) were the closest thing to a "ninja clan bandana" that I can think of that existed. But that was more of a towel that you can use in different ways.

At the end of the day, they're mutant turtles. I think they can make they're own rules.

All I got to say is that the red headbands suck big time. The multicolored headbands just add independence and personality to the Turtles. They look cooler with the multicolored headbands. Just because the movie might be based off the comics doesn't mean that they should all have the red headbands, It could be based off the comics story wise, just like the first TMNT film.

Read the rest of the thread, please.

I don't mind the multi-coloured headbands, even though the TMNT belong to a clan, I doubt they'd have difficulty telling who was in theirs. To see a movie done where they all wear red would be interesting, there would probably be a few double takes to make sure who is who.
Do ninjas even wear headbands across their eyes? It seems cumbersome.

Apples and Oranges. Superman as been around since the 30s and thus has had fans from far more generations than the TMNT. Who are you to say that someone who read action comics 1 doesn't prefer the original Superman S logo? You obviously prefer it but someone who grew up with the early superman stories might not share your opinion. TMNT has only been around 25 years. Superman and ninja turtles are so completely different. Comparing the turtles to Superman is flattering for the turtles but truthfully the two don't belong in the same category. Even turtle fans would have to agree that Superman's popularity far overshadows that of our little green friends.
That's the problem with movies... Whatever is easy. What is the problem with thinking at a movie?
Be careful when starting an argument with the "fact is." You must follow that with actual facts, not an opinion. It is your opinion that one is no more demeaning or realistic than the other.
We aren't talking about a wide range of media. This thread is a discussion about the new 2012 movie. MOVIE. Singular type of media.

Audiences were disappointed with the most recent TMNT movie. They wanted Shredder Krang and the technodrome and got Max friggin Winters and some goofy monsters. It wasn't funny enough for people who wanted the OT yet wasn't dramatic enough for fans of the comics. It was a weak attempt to cater to both crowds and it just didn't work.

I agree with Andrew. If the new movie is going to be a serious attempt at action, they are going to have to do something significant to change expectations. Reverting back to red bandanas would be a step in that direction. What better way to tell audiences "These aren't your goofy ninja-pizza-eating turtles."
However, if they decide to make a slap-stick comedic movie, belches and all, perhaps they should keep everything the same to try to suck nostalgic OT fans back into the theatre.
I really all depends on who the movie is geared toward.

Silly and funny - Keep it simple. Keep things the same. Make Mike a bumbling incompetent idiot. Throw food but don't use weapons.

Serious adventure - They should try to break the stereotype with something major. They have to change something to develop a new identity.

maybe this might be a stupid cop out but what if they have it where the turtles wear all red bandannas when they are going about their buisness (battle, dojo, training, ect) doing the whole ninja clan unity thing. Then when they are just hanging out around the lair like watching tv or whatever, they can personalize their bandannas with the multi colors to express their indivduality, or what ever...but I guess it begs the question why they would bother wearing bandannas at all when they are just palling around...but maybe that can be a comprimise (though stupid) to appease both sides.

The best way to go about that would be having them in all red, and then after they meet April she bitches about not being able to tell them apart, so they go rainbow.

Not my idea by the way, I wanna say Tristan thought it up but I don't remember.

That was Tristan.

Anyway, why don't they just do something totally unexpected and have two Turtles wear yellow and two wear magenta? That would solve things.

I think the all red bandannas is kinda dumb. I'd prefer to tell them apart at a quick glance rather than thinking "Who is this? Look for their weapon...OK, it's Mikey". Dumb.

But they could have actual characteristics that define them apart, skin color, size, and physical differences.

Right, but there'll still be work involved in memorizing who is who. Colored bandannas is the quickest way of telling them apart.

I always likened the masks to karate belts. Do karate belts look gay? Rather than debate hypothetical 'what-ifs', here is, very simply, what they would look like.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/...1ecec8dc_o.png

To me, the all red just seems like lazy design.

NOTE: I do NOT like _brightly_ colored masks like in the 3rd movie. This is a point to consider. Not all hue's & shades are equal. The colors in the 1st film were right on, whereas the 2nd got Leo's blue too light...

FYI: for a million $$ I will personally re-color every frame in the original movie for you to make them all red...

That is sooooooooooo coool

It's still easy to tell who is who. Each costume is so different.

I absolutely love that pic. I would buy the idea of them going multi colored after meeting April, but they should all wear red at some point.

What's your paypal e-mail?