Brad Fuller talks about the TMNT Movie

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by Davetello

To be fair, the Avengers is a pretty overrated film. It really has no plot at all. I expect big things from the Infinity War saga though.

Oh, I agree, absolutely. I didn't love Avengers, infact, I felt the story was pretty empty.

What I'm saying, is that those brands are given a gravitas that the TMNT never get. There's a respect level, that while the films are problematic, it's never shrugged off as only a kids film.

*i should amend that - the season 2 finally of Nick got close. The first time there's been a spark of the real TMNT in anything for a long time.

Worth a watch if you havn't seen it.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

What I'm saying, is that those brands are given a gravitas that the TMNT never get. There's a respect level, that while the films are problematic, it's never shrugged off as only a kids film.

Yeah... I don't get why they're so stuck with that. What, is it because they're not quite human? Just humorous "talking animals" that lack super powers? Please, there is more humanity in them than 90% of Hollywood. Maybe that's why these people don't get it.

Gladly accept the big green people as closer to human than big Hollywood people who mostly see a different kind of green.

[Davetello]

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

Oh, I agree, absolutely. I didn't love Avengers, infact, I felt the story was pretty empty.

What I'm saying, is that those brands are given a gravitas that the TMNT never get. There's a respect level, that while the films are problematic, it's never shrugged off as only a kids film.

*i should amend that - the season 2 finally of Nick got close. The first time there's been a spark of the real TMNT in anything for a long time.

Worth a watch if you havn't seen it.

I did enjoy it, but I took it for what it was - a mindless, fan service summer blockbuster. Couldn't believe people were saying it was better than the Dark Knight etc. I thought Dredd was a better comic book film in that summer.

Yeah, I know what you mean and should have taken that from your post. There's a level of care and attention which goes into those franchises, and that love wasn't given to the recent film.

I've seen the season 2 finale. Loved it.

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by Davetello

I did enjoy it, but I took it for what it was - a mindless, fan service summer blockbuster. Couldn't believe people were saying it was better than the Dark Knight etc. I thought Dredd was a better comic book film in that summer.

Yeah, I know what you mean and should have taken that from your post. There's a level of care and attention which goes into those franchises, and that love wasn't given to the recent film.

I've seen the season 2 finale. Loved it.

See, the thing is, I think Ciro actually gets it. He takes from other sources, but him and his team totally get what it is they are making. They know the roots, they give subtle winks to the audience, and they understand the type of heart that TMNTneeds at it's core to be enjoyable.
It's not the TMNT from the comics, nore the FW series or 2k3. It's living on it's own, but still feels the same.

The Bayturtles, they were human-ish, but had the wrong qualities. They were, idk how else to say it, losers. They were too nerdy, and oddball. Creepy is the best way to characterize it.

I think the brothers could be outsiders, without feeling like rejects. I totally get that you could portray them like that, and it has some logic to it, but they tossed out the cool factor. Mikey was a cool optimist in the 1990 film. They were the sort of characters that you want to spend more time with, not less.

Every "joke" every line in Bayturtles was cringe inducing, for me.

[Davetello]

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

See, the thing is, I think Ciro actually gets it. He takes from other sources, but him and his team totally get what it is they are making. They know the roots, they give subtle winks to the audience, and they understand the type of heart that TMNTneeds at it's core to be enjoyable.
It's not the TMNT from the comics, nore the FW series or 2k3. It's living on it's own, but still feels the same.

The Bayturtles, they were human-ish, but had the wrong qualities. They were, idk how else to say it, losers. They were too nerdy, and oddball. Creepy is the best way to characterize it.

I think the brothers could be outsiders, without feeling like rejects. I totally get that you could portray them like that, and it has some logic to it, but they tossed out the cool factor. Mikey was a cool optimist in the 1990 film. They were the sort of characters that you want to spend more time with, not less.

Every "joke" every line in Bayturtles was cringe inducing, for me.

Agree with all of that.

[TigerClaw]

The problem with making movies based on comic book properties, Your usually only given 2 hours to explain the whole thing, When in Comics and TV Shows, They spend several issues and episodes to tell an entire story.

[Davetello]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

The problem with making movies based on comic book properties, Your usually only given 2 hours to explain the whole thing, When in Comics and TV Shows, They spend several issues and episodes to tell an entire story.

That's why I prefer television to film. Can't wait for Daredevil on Netflix.

I have higher hopes for Infinity War though since it will have two parts. Gives them 4-5 hours.

[IndigoErth]

That's just one of the kickers for me though, they didn't even use the whole normal two hours most movies do these days (or even three sometimes), there was still room for them to add in things that might have helped... Hell, do it right and I'd gladly watch the Turtles three.

[Leo656]

And yet, I own dozens of movies that actually did a good-to-great job translating comics to film. Go figure.

I totally agree that film has certain limitations that make more serialized, long-form storytelling a chore to adapt. That doesn't excuse anyone, at all, for taking the easy way out. They needed to try harder on the TMNT movie, it's as simple as that.

It's literally like, every wrong decision they could have made, or every opportunity they had to MISdirect their focus, they did exactly that. No excuses. There's "doing it wrong", and "Doing It SO wrong that it had to have been on purpose."

[Davetello]

Not denying what you guys are saying, I was just expanding on my general preference for television over film, since Tiger Claw mentioned a drawback of cinema.

[Leo656]

Oh you're not at all incorrect, bud; I've long said that when it comes to comics, TV is much more closely related to the way comics tell stories. They're both more long-form, where movies are like a quick snapshot of a larger story. It's definitely easier to adapt comics to TV than to film.

It can and has been done very well a hundred times, though, so I still get cranky at movies like the new TMNT where it's like they didn't bother trying.

[Galactus]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

The problem with making movies based on comic book properties, Your usually only given 2 hours to explain the whole thing, When in Comics and TV Shows, They spend several issues and episodes to tell an entire story.

And yet The 1990 movie breezed through the origin and back story in under five minutes.

I don't believe a more detailed one that incorporated TCRI and perhaps a bit more on Yoshi and Saki would have taken much longer. Pretty much every modern comic book movie manages it well enough.

I don't believe it was because they were trying to keep it simple for children as not only were the origins done in a short time in all three animated series but the origin they did come up with was pretty convoluted.

We got the whole stuff with April and her father and Sacks. Heck Sacks gets an origin himself, at what age do kids learn about Vietnam war? Another sign this wasn't made purely with kids in mind.

Time wasn't an issue because they wasted twenty minutes on the above. They didn't do it because they didn't want to. They set out to make what they felt was an really great epic about aliens, ancient prophecies and military hunts and they scratched their heads when people didn't care for it and then grudgingly changed it without really understanding why fans wanted it in the first place.

[Davetello]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Oh you're not at all incorrect, bud; I've long said that when it comes to comics, TV is much more closely related to the way comics tell stories. They're both more long-form, where movies are like a quick snapshot of a larger story. It's definitely easier to adapt comics to TV than to film.

It can and has been done very well a hundred times, though, so I still get cranky at movies like the new TMNT where it's like they didn't bother trying.

Agree, there have been some good comic films. And I suppose you can argue that the time constraints can also be seen as a benefit as it can lead to a more coherent, tightly structured plot whereas there's more room for filler in a television series. Sort of like setting lower word limits in essays to keep the writer focused and eliminate waffling.

What's your favourite comic book film other than the 90 film? With you being a Superman fanboy I'm guessing it's the original Reeve film.

Mine is the Dark Knight or Batman 1989. Not exactly original, but they were great.

[TigerClaw]

Well, I'm looking forward to the sequel, If Bebop and Rocksteady are in it, It'll be interesting to see how they will do there origins under under 2 hours

[newhire13]

Originally Posted by Galactus

And yet The 1990 movie breezed through the origin and back story in under five minutes.

I don't believe a more detailed one that incorporated TCRI and perhaps a bit more on Yoshi and Saki would have taken much longer. Pretty much every modern comic book movie manages it well enough.

I don't believe it was because they were trying to keep it simple for children as not only were the origins done in a short time in all three animated series but the origin they did come up with was pretty convoluted.

We got the whole stuff with April and her father and Sacks. Heck Sacks gets an origin himself, at what age do kids learn about Vietnam war? Another sign this wasn't made purely with kids in mind.

Time wasn't an issue because they wasted twenty minutes on the above. They didn't do it because they didn't want to. They set out to make what they felt was an really great epic about aliens, ancient prophecies and military hunts and they scratched their heads when people didn't care for it and then grudgingly changed it without really understanding why fans wanted it in the first place.

Well technically they did it, they just didn't do it the way you expected them to. I mean the entire film was about their origin and what their existence means, it just wasn't the standard version of that story.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

Well, I'm looking forward to the sequel, If Bebop and Rocksteady are in it, It'll be interesting to see how they will do there origins under under 2 hours

I just hope they don't take so long to set that up and give so much focus to those characters that the Turtles get shorted a bit again like they did this time with the abundance of April.

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

I just hope they don't take so long to set that up and give so much focus to those characters that the Turtles get shorted a bit again like they did this time with the abundance of April.

I hope it's not something where they only show up as Mutants in the 3rd act, It be nice to see them early on.

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

Well, I'm looking forward to the sequel, If Bebop and Rocksteady are in it, It'll be interesting to see how they will do there origins under under 2 hours

Seeing as R&B were introduced in FW in under 21 minutes, I'm sure they can manage.

Oh, wait, it's Fuller and co again?

Maybe you're right. Gotta leave room for all those Vernon quips.

Boy, how I just love that...

[Galactus]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

Well, I'm looking forward to the sequel, If Bebop and Rocksteady are in it, It'll be interesting to see how they will do there origins under under 2 hours

It shouldn't be hard. Their actual origin was done in a 20 minute episode.

In fact if you take the relevant bits of the origin in 'Enter the Shredder' and let's say their small role in the series pilot as a back story then does it even come to five minutes of set up?

Then again I'm guessing that the animated series origin might be a bit too complicated for them and instead it will be something like Casey Jones' mother was a vet at the central park zoo when one night the zoo was raided and a rhino and a warthog were stolen and Casey's mother was left in the coma. Years later when Casey sees April's news reports of warthog and rhino creatures harassing the good citizens of New York he seeks her out to try and convince her they are the same animals he used to care for with his mother. Turns out they were mutated Shredder as part of Project: Convoluted to fulfill an ancient Japanese prophecy.

...oh and turtles show up and fight whatever.

[TrickOrTreater]

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

Seeing as R&B were introduced in FW in under 21 minutes, I'm sure they can manage.

Oh, wait, it's Fuller and co again?

Maybe you're right. Gotta leave room for all those Vernon quips.

Boy, how I just love that...

Talking about yoga...and foam...