Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -a surprise hit

[alliance]

Originally Posted by Discogod

You couldn't be more wrong.

I'm 33.

lol well u got me there..

[chrisdude]

Originally Posted by electric_sheep

you mean like what they did with transformers? Do not be fooled, it will suck.
It may look good but that is all it will have, those people can't tell good story to save their life, just watch the new robocop trailer, it will be just like that...

People love the Transformers movies! I mean, yeah, they do suck, for the most part, but nobody had a problem paying for the ticket. That's all I'm saying. The coolness will outweigh the fear, and everyone's going to see it.

[electric_sheep]

Originally Posted by chrisdude

People love the Transformers movies! I mean, yeah, they do suck, for the most part, but nobody had a problem paying for the ticket. That's all I'm saying. The coolness will outweigh the fear, and everyone's going to see it.

and that is part that scares me, they are not film makers they are businessmen, they know how to make movie that will sell. movie does not have to be good it just has to look good and average movie goer will eat it, The mass is stupid they will want more, i can get over one movie but it will not stop there there will be another and another as long as it makes money it will never die, it can never be undone, say goodbye to any hope of good tmnt movie for at least next 10 to 15 years... i am sure i just killed 100000 grammar professors with this...

[chrisdude]

Originally Posted by electric_sheep

and that is part that scares me, they are not film makers they are businessmen, they know how to make movie that will sell. movie does not have to be good it just has to look good and average movie goer will eat it, The mass is stupid they will want more, i can get over one movie but it will not stop there there will be another and another as long as it makes money it will never die, it can never be undone, say goodbye to any hope of good tmnt movie for at least next 10 to 15 years... i am sure i just killed 100000 grammar professors with this...

I don't see what it is about TMNT that doesn't lend itself to the big-budget popcorn action movie. If anything meshes with Transformers' brand of action, humor and absurdity, it's TMNT. I mean, Transformers 3 was practically an OT episode. The Transformers movies were just sloppily written. That's not the case for the whole genre. That's Orci and Kurtzman...

[electric_sheep]

Originally Posted by chrisdude

I don't see what it is about TMNT that doesn't lend itself to the big-budget popcorn action movie. If anything meshes with Transformers' brand of action, humor and absurdity, it's TMNT. I mean, Transformers 3 was practically an OT episode. The Transformers movies were just sloppily written. That's not the case for the whole genre. That's Orci and Kurtzman...

So you want tmnt to be like transformers?

[DonatelloNinja82]

They will have my ticket purchase opening day. I am going to reserve judgement until I see it, but I am going to see it in the theaters.

[chrisdude]

Originally Posted by electric_sheep

So you want tmnt to be like transformers

Basically, yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying.

[electric_sheep]

Originally Posted by chrisdude

Basically, yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying.

sorry dude, but you suck...

[chrisdude]

Originally Posted by electric_sheep

sorry dude, but you suck...

[Leo656]

I see it both ways. I think a lot of people do take TMNT too seriously, but at the same time others who think it's at its best when it's just "dumb fun" are missing the mark, too.

I honestly think a movie that's just going to be "stupid fun" could be great in the short-term but horrible for the long-term viability of the franchise. Sure, the Transformers movies continue to make huge money, but it's the movie equivalent of junk food. No sane person of reasonable intelligence thinks any of the TF movies, except the first, are any good at all. No matter how much money the films make, the TF franchise as a whole will probably never be taken seriously again. It will forever be synonymous with shallow, empty, bargain-basement entertainment aimed at the lowest common denominator, and that's kind of a shame. People partake of the films in large part only to talk about how lousy they are. The "Hangover" and "American Pie" movies make huge money, too, but they have absolutely zero value. And frankly, I've never understood people's fascination with "stupid for stupid's sake".

I don't think a straight-up Mirage adaptation would be very good, either, as a TMNT film. Despite what some would have you believe, there IS a certain amount of "Wow, this entire scenario is batsh*t-crazy bullsh*t!" involved in TMNT from the inside-out. It IS, at its core, implausible and ridiculous, and anyone who says otherwise is simply projecting. You CAN'T play it 100% straight, because it was conceived simply as a lark. So having things be a little bit fun and over-the-top is necessary for the TMNT franchise, BUT, I think there's a distinction between that and being "silly" and "goofy" for silly and goofy's sake, just because it will probably draw money. In the long-term, if TMNT were looked at in the same vein as the Transformers franchise currently is, it would probably be the beginning of the end of the franchise, honestly. TMNT has been able to overcome some of the lesser parts of its past, like "The Next Mutation", because the rest of the franchise has for the most part been strong and those lesser moments were relatively brief and obscure. Having a large-scale TMNT production that's in the same vein as the TF movies, though... that could really be the beginning of the end, if the general public at large starts to view TMNT merely as empty, shallow, junk, the way they now see Transformers.

I know it's been said a hundred times, but the first film, regardless of how satisfying it was or wasn't for some people, was probably the closest as far as tone that a TMNT movie should be. It tread just the right balance between being straight and being silly. Deep down I think that's the way TMNT should be, but definitely not as far as TF into the "well, it's fun if you just go brain-dead for two hours" sort of way. It might make a lot of money but it would definitely hurt the franchise's future credibility.

I get the "A bad movie that makes a billion dollars is better than a good one that makes half that" point of view, but I don't agree with it.

[chrisdude]

I agree that making a big dumb movie, for the sake of appealing to the common denominator, can be bad for a franchise's reputation. But how does that mean the end of a franchise? I don't expect Transformers to go anywhere. Or Fast and Furious, or all those horror series that have the same plot for each film. A specialty restaurant can serve unique food and really impress a few people, or McDonald's can sell $1 burgers to the whole world. It's easy to say McDonald's sucks, but if everyone's eating it, what does "suck" even mean?

I've got nothing against the idea of a TMNT movie even more mature than the first. But I've got nothing against the OT tone on the big screen, either. Fans may be afraid of the turtles being made silly and goofy, but silly and goofy is largely why the world fell in love with them.

There are just different ways to go about it, I just don't think one's better than the other, or more right. It's just emphasizing different aspects of the franchise. This movie won't be for some people, like how the new Star Trek movies aren't for me, and Man of Steel feels like it's missing its charm. I know other Star Trek and Superman fans who finally feel like the movies have done them justice. Meanwhile, there are turtles fans who want to see Krang, Rocksteady and Bebop more than anything. They're dying for the craziness.

[Leo656]

I'm not saying having some parts of the OT in a movie in and of itself would be bad, but there's a way to present it without making the entire movie look and feel stupid. I think what everyone is afraid of is that the people making the movie are focusing too much on the "zany", although as others have said, this movie only barely seems to contain any OT elements at all. Which, in a way, is kind of worse, in that it suggests that the only thing the filmmakers feel is mandatory is that "wacky" tone and everything else isn't necessary or can be changed. I get what some people are saying; if you're not going to actually make a movie based on the OT, since Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady aren't in the movie at all, why try and preserve the "camp" aspect of the OT at the expense of everything else?

It's interesting that you mention McDonald's as a barometer of "crap that's nonetheless popular". The fact so many people partake of it despite knowing full well that it is in fact garbage is a large contributing factor for millions of people developing serious illness and disease that they ultimately bring upon themselves. Kind of like how people willingly go see admittedly bad movies even though they know it only leads to more bad movies and an ever-so-subtle dumbing-down of the population at large. In neither case should it be encouraged or celebrated.

I don't think this particular movie is going to be quite as bad as some people expect, but I really don't think it will be anything better than mediocre, and fans will continue to debate for years whether a mediocre movie that satisfied really no one is really better than waiting a few more years to get a better one, or maybe having no movie at all. That's my honest prediction. The only thing that seems on the table so far is that it will be kind of goofy. I don't think that'll be enough to keep too many people interested if the movie itself isn't good, I see a big opening weekend followed by a quick drop-off based on word of mouth.

I also think, visually, it will LOOK great. But I'm still not convinced they even had a finished script to work from and shot a lot of it on the fly to meet a pre-set, contractually-mandated finish line. No movie that's ever been done that way has ever been very good. And I'm not rooting for a bomb. I just think the wrong people are in charge of the project and have been trying to make questionable choices seem reasonable since Day One. They're afraid to promote it. They STILL have said nothing about it except "Trust Us," which contains the unspoken words, "We know you think it will suck". They're not doing a single thing to promote confidence at all, and that kind of implies that they know it's not going to be very good.

Ultimately, this one may not be great. And I kind of think maybe the franchise doesn't need another mediocre movie on its resume. I'd be fine if they'd only ever made the first movie, honestly, if none of the following ones could ever be better. I honestly don't think anyone will ever really try as hard as they did the first time, and even kids today go back to that one and fall in love with it, so I've always kind of questioned the need to make another TMNT movie, other than "they haven't in a while" and "Now there's CGI." Neither argument has convinced me it's necessary if it's not going to be very satisfying.

[HeroTurtlesFan]

I have no doubt this movie is going to be a huge hit.

I am sure I will also enjoy it.

[electric_sheep]

i should probably start the new tread for this, but it doesn't matter...
somebody tell me what are the things that this movie has going for and against it?

[electric_sheep]

i killed this thread, now i know how it feels to be god...

[Pondslider]

Originally Posted by electric_sheep

i should probably start the new tread for this, but it doesn't matter...
somebody tell me what are the things that this movie has going for and against it?

For: It's being made so there's hope that it will be good

Against: Nearly everything else that has been revealed about it contradicts that

[HeroTurtlesFan]

Originally Posted by electric_sheep

i should probably start the new tread for this, but it doesn't matter...
somebody tell me what are the things that this movie has going for and against it?

Depends who you are, your expectations, how open minded you are etc etc. I - and, let's face it, NONE OF US - know enough about it to be conclusive on either side.

FOR:
- The film has got a very good budget, so should look awesome in any case.

- I think Megan Fox as April looks good, and I am keen to see how she does in the role

- The CGI for the Turtles should be incredible. The technology has advanced considerably even in the last 2-3 years.

- From what little I can tell, looks like there'll be a vein of humour in this thing. Depending on how crass or OTT it is (Michael Bay struggled with this in the TF films), this is a good thing for me. I like my Turtles not as a comedy, but certainly slightly irreverant.


AGAINST:
- ? When I know a bit more (or have actually seen the movie) I might put "deviated too far from the source material", but I'm pretty open-minded - it would have to deviate A LOT for me to be bothered about it. Burne Thompson (did he ever show up in any iteration exception the original cartoon?) as a black woman has some people up in arms, but for me... doesn't matter. With any luck, Whoopi will bring some humour to this.

[electric_sheep]

Originally Posted by HeroTurtlesFan

Depends who you are, your expectations, how open minded you are etc etc. I - and, let's face it, NONE OF US - know enough about it to be conclusive on either side.

FOR:
- The film has got a very good budget, so should look awesome in any case.

- I think Megan Fox as April looks good, and I am keen to see how she does in the role

- The CGI for the Turtles should be incredible. The technology has advanced considerably even in the last 2-3 years.

- From what little I can tell, looks like there'll be a vein of humour in this thing. Depending on how crass or OTT it is (Michael Bay struggled with this in the TF films), this is a good thing for me. I like my Turtles not as a comedy, but certainly slightly irreverant.


AGAINST:
- ? When I know a bit more (or have actually seen the movie) I might put "deviated too far from the source material", but I'm pretty open-minded - it would have to deviate A LOT for me to be bothered about it. Burne Thompson (did he ever show up in any iteration exception the original cartoon?) as a black woman has some people up in arms, but for me... doesn't matter. With any luck, Whoopi will bring some humour to this.

any man who puts Megan fox as a positive should be striped of his badge and sent to walk the cursed earth for the rest of his life...

[pingclang]

What it really boils down to is we're trying to judge a film that we haven't even seen a trailer for yet. All we have to go on is a bunch of random set photos taken in no particular order and interviews with actors who can only say so much. What does it have going for it? A lot, I mean come on, even if the Transformers movies are bad, their special effects are incredible and those same folks will be doing the Turtles. Also, it's going to bring attention to our favorite characters and that's a very good thing. What does it have going against it? Well, a lot, I'm not happy about a lot of things they're doing but I wasn't happy with a lot of things in the Avengers but I still watch the living crap out of it. You just have to realize, again like Avengers, these aren't the same characters we're all used to. It's another universe and we just have to either accept them or ignore them. I'll give them a chance before I judge too much. I will admit I feel very negative towards the film but until opening night, I can't jump to a conclusion. Sorry if I ranted but the negativity bothers even me, which is sad.

[HeroTurtlesFan]

Originally Posted by electric_sheep

any man who puts Megan fox as a positive should be striped of his badge and sent to walk the cursed earth for the rest of his life...

Meh, I know the majority view is that "SHE SUCKS!!!!" but I like to have my own opinion about things. I think she'll be a good April in the context of this film.