How did we let this happen?
 

How did we let the TMNT movie license wind up the way it has? It depresses me to think we're going to have at least 3 Bay movies and in a time when Marvel/DC are ramping up their movies we're stuck with...this.

How did we let this happen? We could have done something. We could have saved TMNT.

You're right, it's our fault. Now what?

What could we have done?

"We" didn't "let" anything happen, this is what happened:

1. Viacom bought TMNT from Peter Laird
2. Paramount, part of Viacom, put Michael Bay in charge of producing a TMNT as he had experience with turning nostalgic properties into box office success
3. The directer emulated Bay's style and the writers copied ideas from other contemporary comic book movies, both in hopes of making a successful movie
4. The movie came out and was a moderate success at the box office despite negative reviews
5. Now they're making a sequel that looks to be similar with more fantastical elements added

That's about it, the "alien" debacle was the only time fans were ever involved and it was probably not even going to be part of the movie after some rewrites/focus testing. The point is that Paramount was always going to be more concerned with box office money than reviews, so Platinum Dunes seemed like a good choice as they had never failed to earn money on these types of projects despite their consistantly negative reception.

The mentality of "well it says TMNT, so I have to buy it".

Thank you a lot neatoman for a quick and yet detailed run-through like this! Enjoyed reading it big time!

Despite the statement that companies were more concerned about box office success instead of fan opinions I still just don't see how Turtles, that obviously do not look like ones, plus the fact that it's basically a Shrek copy, even go forward in the production process.

We let our guards down, and the gods are punishing us. WE ARE TO BLAME!

We are to blame for annoying Peter Laird enough that he sold the franchise to the corporation above Paramount for peanuts.

Also, blame anyone who ever bought a Transformers ticket.

The only thing to add to this is that I believe reading that Bay re-signed an exclusive deal with Paramount around the time the movie was being made, so no doubt having another franchise with his production company played a role in that as well. As hated as his movies are, he makes consistent money for Paramount, so tossing him another property was likely a part of keeping him with the company.

In hindsight, the only thing "we" could have done was clam up entirely when the "Alien Turtles" news hit. Maybe if there wasn't as much controversy about that idea they might have actually made that movie, it would have bombed, and we'd be reading about a planned reboot right now. :trazz:

Is CyberCubed Papenbrook/Purple Kraken? :teek:

No way. PK is hyper sensitive, cubed has no soul. PK is "open minded" and "progressive", cubed is the less endearing reincarnation of Archie Bunker.

The list goes on.

I say we just blame all the transformer fans.

Why is this even a thread? It took years to get a new TMNT movie off the ground because movie goers stopped supporting the franchise. SOTO didn't make half the profits that the first movie made and TMNT III made only half of that. They also each performed less favorably with critics. So much to the point that Kevin Eastman couldn't even get a fourth movie made in 1997. It took 14 years for them to finally get another movie off the ground and it had to be animated to keep the production costs down and still be faithful to the Turtles. Even that movie was poorly received.

It took a major studio like Nickelodeon, the success of a new cartoon, and a big well known producer like Michael Bay being involved before anyone would even consider making a new Turtles movie. The result was a film that (even though it was poorly received by critics) made more money than all of the previous turtles movies combined.

Now you might hate the direction, the style, the actors, Michael Bay, and everything else about it (and I would probably agree with you). But the truth is, from a business point of view, they have saved the franchise on the big screen. They have proven that Turtles movies can make big money, and this will open the door for future filmmakers to do more faithful reboots on the big screen in the years to come. Just like X-Men and Spider-Man. Think of this series as the "test run" before the real series begins.

If you're looking for someone to blame, look in the mirror, boys. It's all for you. Every single thing PD has done, or will do, is for you. By design.

This is what cis het boys want, and so this is what cis het boys will get.
Drink it in and enjoy.

I am cis het, still don't want. Where do I go from here?

I agree with everything you said except for what I highlighted in red.

TMNT will never get a serious, more faithful cinematic adaptation. Everybody with a budget will never be unconvinced that "TMNT is just for kids."

Worse...thanks to Platinum Dunes the "just for kids" thing has expanded to "Kids and man-children," a niche market that's likely to burn hotter right before it collapses in under its own weight.

One way to save it is to make it good, and inclusive. Open it up to more than just one distilled fanbase.

"Change is the only constant."

Nobody was asking for the Turtles to become 4 Hulks with nostrils.

True, we might never get a faithful cinematic adaptation on the big screen. However, they could easily do what DC and Marvel did and make animated films that are based more on the comics. I'd love to see an animated version of the original Mirage books or the IDW series. They would be cheaper to produce and they could be used to test the waters and find out for sure what fans really want before they dump $120M into a feature. That's what Star Wars did, that's what DC did with "Dark Knight Returns", and that's what Marvel did. Now Star Wars is on its way to being the highest grossing movie of all time and I don't think that franchise is any better than Ninja Turtles.