Who's the star in the 1st film? April, Raph, or the TMNT?
 

In the original 1990 film, who do you consider to be the main protagonist? We all know it's titled "TMNT", but the film does not put equal emphasis on all four turtles. Ignoring the title, if you were to watch without knowing anything about the movie, who would you think it was about?

I will argue the film is really about April.
- It opens and ends with her (opens with her report, ends with her celebration with Casey & the turtles)
- She has the only Voice Over in the film (at the farm) thus establishing her as the dominant narrative force.
- The entire plot/story is about her attempt to uncover the secret foot clan gang, and who she meets along the way (the turtles) that help her on her mission. The turtles are in effect an extension of her-- they draw out and expose to the audience another side of April we wouldn't have seen otherwise (her relationship to her dead father, her old farm house, her openness to accept odd things [the TMNT], etc)

Other possible options: Raph, Leo, Splinter, Shredder, Danny, the city of NY, the foot... etc
Please elaborate on your answers

Ironically, that's about how I feel about the first episode of the OT, "Turtle Tracks." That episode really is about April until the scene at the pizza parlor when the focus starts to shift to the TMNT themselves. I would say April and Raph are co-protagonists until until the campfire scene when Splinter makes contact with Leo and the others. At that point, it's the turtles' movie from then on out, since we really don't see much focus on April outside of her getting her job back and kissing Casey at the end. She becomes very much a side character as they return to the sewers and all she really does is bop a foot soldier on the head as if to tell the audience, "Hey, remember me?"

Your points about April are pretty valid, I cant really argue with them. Although it's still about the Turtles and their struggles as a whole.

As far as "Star" Turtle, It's Raphael, it's basically "The Raphael Movie". He even replaced Leonardo as the one who gets jumped by the Foot. Which brings me to how underused Leonardo was. His big scene was being contacted by Splinter while meditating, that was about it. He's like Cyclops in the X-Men movie's. Just kinda their.

Nah, it's about Danny.

:twink:

What about Chief Sterns?:lol:

Wait! It's Sam Rockwell as "Head Thug".

As much as I am kidding, the movie being about Danny isn't a total exaggeration. We see him in the opening sequence and throughout bits of the beginning part of the film as a "troubled" boy. He rats out (pun not intended) the Turtles and Splinter to Shredder, ends up feeling remorseful about that, gets words of wisdom from Splinter, saves Splinter from death, and at the end has matured into "Dan."

You actually do have a point. Unlike April, Danny actually plays a key role in the film from beginning to end. Because of him we see the Shredder. He outs the turtles to Shrdder which results in their exile. He interacts with Splinter in the key scene which changes his life and then alerts the turtles to where he is being held. And it is he who leads Casey to rescue Splinter. He is sort of the dramatic foil to the "family" theme that runs through the film, but becomes the most dramatic example of the redemption theme.

So yeah, good point, Rose. Thematically, he drives the story like no other character can.

He's absolutely the emotional center of the movie, if not the main character himself.

Which is something to point out to the crazies that swear the first movie is some kind of near-perfect adaptation of the Mirage comics.

I agree with the Danny points (which is why I brought him up to begin with), but here's some things:

- Could we think of a better plot device than Danny? How else would/should the foot find the turtles in April's pad?
- His time is, in reality, really minimal.
- I don't think the film was as much about Danny as a person as it was about the footclan. His role was just a way to bring us inside the clan and relate to it. It made it feel closer to home.

I've read your script, so I know you are proabably the one to ask about such things. And I want to ask: Would you cut Danny out of the movie entirely? Or, which scenes do you see as superfluous? And, what would you replace them with?
BTW, this is not an argument, I'm just very interested in how us fans could have shaped a better movie.

Survey says... April. I just wanna chime in by saying this is a very cool thread lol.

I think April aswell. But to me Raph is the center of alot of it too.

April's relationship with the Turtles.. Danny wouldnt have been a plot point if not for April in the long run..but good point.. now who is star of the 2nd movie?

Keno? Maybe Raph.

I feel like Donatello got a lot of time in the light in the second film.

Michelangelo in the third.

I dunno. I feel like Raph got more time than any turtle.

Yeah I gotta support you on that. After all, he does kick April out of the office, and as she leaves, her co-worker has timed her at 1:07--I wonder if that's still a new record :lol:

And also his attitude is the same in the 2nd one. So OldManWinters, you have my support on Chief Sterns.

Raphael and his anger are pretty close, but Raphael's is on the top.

Well hey, Judith Hoag got unceremoniously recast for the sequels, yet good ol' Chief Sterns was obviously worthy of shelling out the hefty paycheck to bring him back for his big Secret of the Ooze scene!

You are deffinatly right about Michelangelo in the third movie. That's one reason why I like it so much :tgrin:

TMNT, and Raph - mainly because it's about him being unable to control his serious anger issues before getting the cr*p kicked out of him. I think he may actually even learn something, after which, they start fighting as a coherent unit. April and Danny compliment well and weave us into the human world. Even though it's not a perfect adaptation of Mirage, it's a very good movie.