Review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) by Patrick L — 17 Aug 2016

"Surprisingly a big improvement over the 2014 reboot, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" is more snappier and faithful to the original comics and cartoons.".

Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Out of the Shadows.

Date Viewed: June 4 2016.

Directed By Dave Green (Earth to Echo).

Screenplay By Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, Based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

Starring: Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, Will Arnett, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard, Noel Fisher, Tyler Perry, Brian Tee,.

Gary Anthony Williams, Stephen "Sheamus" Farrelly, Brittany Ishibashi and Laura Linney.

Featuring the voices of Tony Shalhoub and Brad Garrett.

Those green, pizza-loving ninja turtles are back and the surprising result is that "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" is a big improvement over the 2014 reboot from two years ago. It's more snappier and faithful to the original comics and cartoons but since this movie is produced by Michael Bay, it is just as loud and overblown as his three "Transformers" sequels. Not only does "TMNT: OOTS" feature not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE VILLAINS! The filmmakers also brought along three-time Oscar nominee Laura Linney and Tyler Perry for the summer ride as well. Linney handles her role as a NYC police chief like an old pro but Perry goes way over the top in his role as a mad scientist who helps the Shredder in defeating the turtles.

The one thing I found totally inappropriate about "TMNT: OOTS" is Megan Fox and her school girl fetish-wear. I know she's supposed to be a reporter doing undercover work but come on Michael Bay, undercover in slutty Britney Spears mode! Nevertheless, the action is better and thankfully there is little turtle-flirting going on compared to the first one. The plot revolves around the Turtles, Leonardo (Pete Ploszek), Raphael (Alan Ritchson), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher) and Donatello (Jeremy Howard) dealing with the return of the Foot Clan and their arch nemesis the Shredder (Brian Tee) who has escaped from prison along with two dimwitted criminals, Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (WWE's Stephen "Sheamus" Farrelly).

With help from the Foot and his new accomplice, TCRI scientist Dr. Baxter Stockman (Perry), Shredder later transforms Bebop and Rocksteady into giant animal mutants. The turtles still fight crime in secret so that allowed former cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to take all the credit in defeating the Shredder. Also thrown into the mix are news reporter and Turtles ally April O'Neil (Fox) and Casey Jones (Stephen Amell, from TV's "Arrow"), a former corrections officer who quits the force and becomes a hockey-masked vigilante after his boss, police chief Rebecca Vincent (Linney) refuses to believe that he saw four ninja turtles driving a high-tech garbage truck.

Meanwhile, the Turtles have an even greater evil waiting in their shells, Shredder also teams up with a brain-shaped octopus known as Dimension X alien warlord Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett). His diabolical plan is to bring his powerful war machine, the Technodrome and use it to destroy all human life on Earth. With Batman, Superman and the Avengers all fighting each other, it is up to the ninja turtles and their human allies to stop Shredder and Krang from taking over the world.

As I said before, the action sequences are more competently staged than the first film and there's even a few funny moments. When the turtles have to skydive off their jet so they can reach to the cargo plane that holds Bebop and Rocksteady on board, Raphael, who is afraid of heights says "What would Vin Diesel do?".

I don't know why Tyler Perry chose to do "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows". How does he go from playing a hot-shot lawyer in David Fincher's "Gone Girl" to a mad scientist who has brillant lines such as "Eliminate those Turtles!". Director Dave Green (Earth to Echo) and screenwriters Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol) capture the kiddie spirit of the cartoons and the early 90's live-action movies but this $135 million cash-bang is as brainless as the plot.

Bebop and Rocksteady make a good two-villain team in this movie but they're stuck with poor material. Even though "TMNT: Out of the Shadows" is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, it's perfectly suited for 10-12 year old boys. It's mostly harmless and kind of enjoyable. I'm not saying I liked this movie what I'm saying is that I'm not one of those Turtle-heads who enjoys "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" 24/7.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" is not a great slice of pizza but there are some flavors you'll likely enjoy so at least it wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be.