Review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) by Sunera S — 22 Apr 2015

This movie is a vast departure from previous TMNT films, and not just because Michael Bay had his hands in it, though that certainly is worth noting. Unfortunately, it is not as fun or funny as its forebears, and while Megan Fox does a great job of looking exasperated, and the plot is at least tight and somewhat sensible for a film focused on four mutant turtles, it lacks the development and heart of previous installments. The origin story is also dialed back severely from the other movies or the comic books, or the cartoon series.

It was also very easy to identify William Fitchner's character as the villain from the moment he is introduced, which was before we knew April's dad was dead. That's either a statement on the actor or the transparent nature of what was being put on screen. Shredder isn't even given much development, which given the change in the origin story shouldn't be a big surprise, and is more like a big knifey boogeyman.

The action is fine, the dramatic slow-motion sequences are what we have come to expect from Michael Bay-influenced movies, but it just never gets to a point where it's lose-yourself entertaining, and these versions of the Turtles just aren't interesting enough to keep the narrative going.