Official 2014 Review Thread

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

Also Black Nerd, Would like to see hear his review of the film too.

Yes, and maybe the Shmoes, but sometimes the Shmoes are more annoying than helpful.

I did like The Black Nerd's point of looking at this as another dimension of the TMNT world, which we got a hint of in the Nick toon. I like this theory, because I would love to see some sort of interaction with the movie Turtles vs the Nick Turtles in the future.

[Puddinpop]

Originally Posted by Vicky82

Another video review, I only watched the 1st minute and this guy looks stoned.

Ut Oh... It has it's share fair of Flaws
Between this kid and the other one I'm not sure which one made my ears bleed more. Absolutely painful.

[Addison81]

This film will get bad reviews. You can tell most critics were looking down at it before they even saw it. How many reviews are going to compare it to GOTG and say something like "just go see GOTG again". I'm just looking for a fun movie with some good action with the turtle personalities I grew up with. So when this is at a 40% Rotten Tomato score I won't be surprised or discouraged. It's already at a 63 on the Critics Choice site.

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

Yes, and maybe the Shmoes, but sometimes the Shmoes are more annoying than helpful.

I did like The Black Nerd's point of looking at this as another dimension of the TMNT world, which we got a hint of in the Nick toon. I like this theory, because I would love to see some sort of interaction with the movie Turtles vs the Nick Turtles in the future.

And hopefully not from Red Letter Media, I don't really like there reviews, They are too nit picky about things.

[Xiewin]

Originally Posted by Addison81

This film will get bad reviews. You can tell most critics were looking down at it before they even saw it. How many reviews are going to compare it to GOTG and say something like "just go see GOTG again". I'm just looking for a fun movie with some good action with the turtle personalities I grew up with. So when this is at a 40% Rotten Tomato score I won't be surprised or discouraged. It's already at a 63 on the Critics Choice site.

Yeah I'm not expecting this film to get a good score on rotten tomatoes. It's probably will get an 50 or 40% on the site.

[DioLeo451]

Originally Posted by Xiewin

Yeah I'm not expecting this film to get a good score on rotten tomatoes. It's probably will get an 50 or 40% on the site.

Pretty Much

[Bry]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

And hopefully not from Red Letter Media, I don't really like there reviews, They are too nit picky about things.

They're very smart, though. They know their stuff when it comes to storytelling, and when they get in-depth (the legendary Star Wars prequel reviews) they tend to give plenty of points and observations to really think about.

[graphic_content]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

Only one I am waiting for would be JeremyJahns. He usually gives some decent reviews. Usually. And when he really likes a movie, he really gives it this impression that it is the most awesome thing out there, when really it isn't. But, I still like his hyper attitude vs the doom and gloom from most critics.

I follow the guy pretty religiously bc he's honest, and genuinely funny. I have a feeling he is gonna tear apart the Turtles, but still want to hear his opinion.

[Rooish]

No one actually expects this to get good reviews do they? The last movie got like 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers have never liked TMNT. The general audience who was not familiar with TMNT will rightly think the premise is ridiculous. This film is going to rely on people who loved TMNT as kids and can get behind the designs.

Is this thread for our reviews as board members? Or for those of random assholes on Twitter? Just wondering.

[Jester]

A little of both, really.

[Commenter 42]

Saw GOTG last night. Wasn't bad, but a little over hyped. Definately more of a kids film than anything, aside from some overtly adult moments.

I've got an advanced screening of TMNT ticket. I really don't want to see this movie, at all, but the tickets free. I'll post if i decide to attend.

If it is good, at all, I'll be honest. I just can't imagine it will be.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by graphic_content

I follow the guy pretty religiously bc he's honest, and genuinely funny. I have a feeling he is gonna tear apart the Turtles, but still want to hear his opinion.

So far, the only thing he seemed to be displeased about was Megan Fox being April, other than that, he seemed to be cool with everything else.

Originally Posted by Rooish

No one actually expects this to get good reviews do they? The last movie got like 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers have never liked TMNT. The general audience who was not familiar with TMNT will rightly think the premise is ridiculous. This film is going to rely on people who loved TMNT as kids and can get behind the designs.

Is this thread for our reviews as board members? Or for those of random assholes on Twitter? Just wondering.

I wonder what it was about the TMNT the critics disliked? Did they ever elaborate?

[Bry]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

I wonder what it was about the TMNT the critics disliked? Did they ever elaborate?

Honestly? Their movie history is spotty at best. I think the first movie is solidly good, but the second one is kinda plagued with moments of cartoonish idiocy (though it has its bright spots), and the third... well, we all know about the third.

I honestly feel that if the first movie were released 10-15 years later that it was, it would have had much better reviews. Comic movies with "ridiculous" premises have become much more accepted on their own merits than they were back then.

[Vulkanthekrusader]

Jo-Blo Review. 6 out of 10.

[Puddinpop]

Originally Posted by Vulkanthekrusader

Jo-Blo Review. 6 out of 10.

Here ya go bud

[The Boston Ninja Turtle]

Originally Posted by Vulkanthekrusader

Jo-Blo Review. 6 out of 10.

that awkward moment where you read "J-Lo" and question since when has jennifer lopez started reviewing movies

a sign i should go to bed..ill have to check these out in the morning

[Addison81]

http://www.hitfix.com:80/motion-capt...t%20at%20least

[Jester]

Emily Laird said on FB:
we loved it! Such a fun movie.

[Puddinpop]

Originally Posted by Addison81

http://www.hitfix.com:80/motion-capt...t%20at%20least

Ultimately, if you're an adult who is upset about the finer details of a movie in which turtles do kung-fu and eat pizza and ride skateboards, you may want to take a step back and ask yourself why. Nostalgia? Sure, I know there is an entire generation that stubbornly wraps itself in the things they enjoyed as kids and believe that is what defines them, but at some point, don't you feel ridiculous about watching the same ridiculous story over and over?

That is the million dollar question

I find it sort of amazing we went seven years between any bigscreen incarnation of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." I thought the animated film "TMNT" was a fairly charming take on the characters, and it managed to do the same thing right that the new film does: it nicely establishes and then plays off of the relationships between the four brothers.

As a movie, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is about as predictable as movies get these days. Once again, a film ends with a bad guy's scheme involving a glowing doodad on a rooftop and people hanging off of things one-handed, and I couldn't care any less about any of that. The film plays fast and loose with established mythology, making April O'Neil far more important to the lives of the Turtles than ever before, and the main result is it makes the world feel much smaller. Everything is related. There is nothing coincidental about April and the Turtles ending up together, and if that drives you crazy, then this may not be the "Turtles" movie for you.

In this new film, April (Megan Fox) is trying to make her bones as a crime reporter even though she's stuck doing cutesy lifestyle pieces for the Channel 6 news. The only person who seems to believe in her is Vernon Fenwick, and when she starts trying to chase down a big story about The Foot Clan, Vernon helps her.

Her efforts to crack the story bring her into contact with the Turtles, and from the moment they're introduced, the film pretty much leans heavily on the family dynamics of the Turtles and their sensei, Master Splinter. They argue, they make jokes, and at the appropriate time, Raphael declares himself finished with everyone. Throw in a pumped up version of The Shredder, and that's pretty much the entire movie. There's a bad guy hiding in plain sight, and all secrets are revealed at just the right time, and it all seems to be very easy.

The greatest thing this film brings to the table is a kinetic fighting style that makes the Turtles seem like they are actual physical threats to the bad guys. There are three big action scenes where the film kicks into a higher degree of fun that, taken together, add up to just enough of a thrill for me to recommend the film. There's one in particular that is inventive and impressive, and if the whole movie had been able to demonstrate that same level of energy, then I might be more enthusiastic about it.

Technically, the film is solid across the board. The character work on the Turtles (design quibbles aside) is actually pretty well-done, and the same is true of Splinter. My kids had a great time with it, and since it feels to me like they are the exact target audience, I'll call that a success. I can honestly say I was there at the very beginning of this long weird phenomenon, thanks to my friend Bill Rosemann. He was the comic nerd in our neighborhood, just like I was the movie nerd, and he told me the week it came out that I should buy a copy of the very first black-and-white comic featuring the characters. I remember thinking how very silly it was, and how it felt like they were making fun of comics in general, trying to be more ridiculous than anything else. This film barely resembles the story and the characters in that first comic, which is why I can't get to worked up about "continuity." This property has been through so many incarnations at this point that there is no single version. It all depends on how you experienced it the first time, and as someone who's seen all of these various incarnations, this one seems to be respectful of the source material and the Turtles, and there's not much more you can ask.

Director Jonathan Liebesman couldn't have had it easy here with the Platinum Dunes/Michael Bay combination riding herd as producers. They can be incredibly demanding and specific, and they've driven other filmmakers crazy at times. Liebesman seems to have come to this ready to play, and at its best, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles" shares something very important with last weekend's "Guardians Of The Galaxy": it is fun. That fun is something that a lot of big summer movies lack these days, and while it doesn't totally add up as a movie, I think the audiences that are excited to see it will walk away satisfied.

There's a poster quote for you, eh?

Decent review

[Xiewin]

6 out of 10? Wow that set a new record for Johnathan Liebesman's directed films lol