Five years later, how do we feel about TMNT (2007)?

*Cipher* · 07-30-2012, 08:37 PM

I know it's had threads in the past, but I just watched it the other day and haven't seen much discussion of it lately. It definitely doesn't receive as much attention as the '90s trilogy (maybe that says something).

So, it's been five years since TMNT hit theaters. How's it holding up?

On the whole, I'm actually a lot more entertained by it now than I once was. The quick 'n' dirty:

Pros:

The animation is beautiful. Everything is extremely detailed, and it's aged incredibly well. In fact, I can't really picture it aging badly; everything seems to look as good as it could. I think most people will agree this is the movie's strongest point.
Great design for the Turtles (your mileage may vary).
Good casting and acting all around (Karai's Chinese accent not withstanding).
Family-centric arc for the Turtles is well done
The best version of Raph and Leo throwing down in the franchise
Brings Karai and a Shredder-less Foot to the screen, which is ballsier than it should be.
Moments of subtle character humor work well
Feels like a decent issue of Tales

Cons

Dat plot
Dat name-zipping-across-the-screen thing ("It's a comic-book movie. It's what you do." -- Kevin Munroe, commentary track)
Dat is-it-a-sequel? thing
Seriously, the plot; why are there thirteen monsters if we barely see four?
"J.D., our editor, and I are both big fans of wipes." -- Kevin Munroe, commentary track
"When it came back PG, I think we all cheered." -- Kevin Munroe, commentary track
(Not listed because it wasn't the "adult" Turtles movie I wanted, but because the studio deeming a PG movie would be more marketable than PG-13 in the peak of PG-13 comic-book movie hype is indicative of the back-assward decision-making that seemed to be going on behind the scenes.)
For every subtle bit of character humor, there're two juvenile burp jokes.
Human characters use extremely derivative, Pixar-styled designs that both date the movie and look out of place against each other and the realistic backdrops.
Feels like a decent issue of Tales
Is absolutely not the movie we should've gotten in 2007

That's pretty much it. It's objectively the second best (you could probably make an argument for best) Turtles movie, but that's almost damning with faint praise.

It's enjoyable as a fan, but kind of leaves you scratching your head as to why it was made. And would I ever come back to it if I weren't a fan? It's decent fun, so I don't know; maybe in an if-it-happens-to-be-on-TV sense.

07-30-2012, 08:37 PM	#1
Cipher Foot Elite Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,454	Five years later, how do we feel about TMNT (2007)? I know it's had threads in the past, but I just watched it the other day and haven't seen much discussion of it lately. It definitely doesn't receive as much attention as the '90s trilogy (maybe that says something). So, it's been five years since TMNT hit theaters. How's it holding up? On the whole, I'm actually a lot more entertained by it now than I once was. The quick 'n' dirty: Pros: The animation is beautiful. Everything is extremely detailed, and it's aged incredibly well. In fact, I can't really picture it aging badly; everything seems to look as good as it could. I think most people will agree this is the movie's strongest point. Great design for the Turtles (your mileage may vary). Good casting and acting all around (Karai's Chinese accent not withstanding). Family-centric arc for the Turtles is well done The best version of Raph and Leo throwing down in the franchise Brings Karai and a Shredder-less Foot to the screen, which is ballsier than it should be. Moments of subtle character humor work well Feels like a decent issue of Tales Cons Dat plot Dat name-zipping-across-the-screen thing ("It's a comic-book movie. It's what you do." -- Kevin Munroe, commentary track) Dat is-it-a-sequel? thing Seriously, the plot; why are there thirteen monsters if we barely see four? "J.D., our editor, and I are both big fans of wipes." -- Kevin Munroe, commentary track "When it came back PG, I think we all cheered." -- Kevin Munroe, commentary track (Not listed because it wasn't the "adult" Turtles movie I wanted, but because the studio deeming a PG movie would be more marketable than PG-13 in the peak of PG-13 comic-book movie hype is indicative of the back-assward decision-making that seemed to be going on behind the scenes.) For every subtle bit of character humor, there're two juvenile burp jokes. Human characters use extremely derivative, Pixar-styled designs that both date the movie and look out of place against each other and the realistic backdrops. Feels like a decent issue of Tales Is absolutely not the movie we should've gotten in 2007 That's pretty much it. It's objectively the second best (you could probably make an argument for best) Turtles movie, but that's almost damning with faint praise. It's enjoyable as a fan, but kind of leaves you scratching your head as to why it was made. And would I ever come back to it if I weren't a fan? It's decent fun, so I don't know; maybe in an if-it-happens-to-be-on-TV sense. Last edited by Cipher; 07-31-2012 at 01:10 AM.