Hun in Mirage

[TristanHuwJones]

I fell asleep during the second one. That whole stick sequence with all the Smith's looked atrocious.

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by TristanHuwJones

I fell asleep during the second one. That whole stick sequence with all the Smith's looked atrocious.

While I technically saw the second movie, I couldn't tell you anything about what actually happened.

[TristanHuwJones]

Yeah, the whole thing was a bit of a blur. I just remember two dudes with switchblade razors and a lot of painfully obvious CGI. Still, there are a tonne of people out there that really dig the Matrix, which I can respect. Mind you, people complain about Star Wars being a cash-in franchise...

[Ninjinister]

Bishop was the opposite to me. I didn't start to like him UNTIL I learned more about him, knew what made him tick, why he was the way he was.

[Andrew NDB]

Revolutions was much better than Reloaded and was actually fairly epic.

The problem with Matrix 2 and 3 is that it really is like one movie that is somehow stretched to two films... you could literally chop tons of scenes out of both films and come up with a single movie that is very, very good. On their own such as they are, however, they're pretty thin and meandering.

[TristanHuwJones]

When I saw the ending to part 2, I swore right there and then that I wouldn't waste my time or money on the 3rd.

[Andrew NDB]

It reminded me of Back to the Future 2's ending. Only... with less happening in the actual movie.

[TristanHuwJones]

Man, I remember when that came out, I don't think I'd been more excited to see anything! I'm talkin' Dark Knight/Phantom Menace anticipation. I also didn't feel like I'd wasted my time watching BttF2...

[The Big Bad]

Originally Posted by TristanHuwJones

It's not so much that I get tired quickly of characters or aspects, it's when there's too much in one go, almost like an overdose, that I get wary. I was fine with the Triceratons, but I think having Space Invaders and World's Collide be such a fast and furious thing and have it happen relatively early was what made me lean against it. Sure, there were some decent sized arcs between the last Triceraton story and these ones, but personally, I feel it would've been better to have it AFTER Bishop was introduced and just prior to the Ninja Tribunal.

Okay, that’s…interesting. Given that the Triceraton invasion provides the thrust that drives the rest of the series, I’m curious to hear what you would have done instead. I mean, there were still several comic book stories left to adapt, but nothing that really provided a clear structure or narrative—without anything to really shake the status quo up, I feel the series would have fallen into stagnation.

Personally, I think the Triceraton invasion arc is the best story the cartoon has done so far. It’s suitably epic without feeling unwieldy or out of place. It brought a lot disparate characters together, introduced some new ones (Bishop being the biggie, but also brought together the new Justice Force) and gave them all precisely as much screen time as they needed. It moved stories forward: not only did it give the Foot some direction, but it also—finally—got April and Casey together; plus, it destroyed the masquerade, which is a gutsy move and really opened the series up. Plus, I felt that the writers did a really good job of dealing with the consequences—something most shows usually falter with. Sure, it sort of reduces the turtles to observers in their own show, but I thought it was worth it.

[odupianist]

When I saw the ending to part 2, I swore right there and then that I wouldn't waste my time or money on the 3rd.

Agreed.

BttF overall was a great triology as far as triologies go. All three worked together and wasn't weak, but at the same time, still stood up as their own movies IMO.

[TristanHuwJones]

I know, I'm not championing comic adaptations, but that's what I'm saying. While the Triceratons weren't the thrust of the season prior, they were still a significant feature. I liked that we had the Battle Nexus break things up a little. I'm just saying I would've liked a little more build up towards the invasion. When it happened, it was just like "Bang! Invasion!" which makes sense, but we still could've had the status quo shaken up in almost limitless ways exactly the way it does AND had the invasion happen further down the road. I think ultimately, the story should have been a cliffhanger, rather than a season opener.
There was nothing wrong with the writing, everything made sense and it set things up for down the road (all of which were more than adequately followed-up on), I just think that in terms of pacing, it could have been better had it served as a closer, and then the following Season we deal exclusively with the repercussions (as the episodes that followed did).
We could probably go back and forth on this for hours, but the cartoons, like the comics and movies and just about everything else, are totally subjective. There are probably a bunch of episodes, or courses taken that I like that you don't and vice versa. I can see totally where you're coming from, it was just a personal preference of mine.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Introducing new characters from one universe to another doesn't say they will appear exactly the same as in the original. If Bebop and Rocksteady were in the Mirage comics, movies or the 2003 cartoon, they would probably be much toughter guys and a big threat to the turtles and Splinter.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by TristanHuwJones

I know, I'm not championing comic adaptations, but that's what I'm saying. While the Triceratons weren't the thrust of the season prior, they were still a significant feature. I liked that we had the Battle Nexus break things up a little. I'm just saying I would've liked a little more build up towards the invasion. When it happened, it was just like "Bang! Invasion!" which makes sense, but we still could've had the status quo shaken up in almost limitless ways exactly the way it does AND had the invasion happen further down the road. I think ultimately, the story should have been a cliffhanger, rather than a season opener.

To give 4Kids some credit, they did end the 2nd season with the last shot being the Triceraton ship approaching Earth ready to invade.

Originally Posted by TristanHuwJones

Man, I remember when that came out, I don't think I'd been more excited to see anything! I'm talkin' Dark Knight/Phantom Menace anticipation. I also didn't feel like I'd wasted my time watching BttF2....

The Back to the Future model for the 2nd and 3rd films is, in my opinion, often imitated but rarely duplicated. By the time BttF2 ended, I felt like I was ready for an intermission until the 3rd movie. And thought BttF3 had a fresh feel to it what with the pseudo-western and all.