Review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) by Thequietgamer — 29 Oct 2016

A pretty big step in the right direction. April O'Neil (still not a redhead) and Vernon are kept in their sidekick roles, we get a more respectable portrayal of Shredder, there are more classic villains, and the turtles are the main focus like they should have been in the first movie. The result is a movie much more enjoyable for TMNT fans.

The plot is pure nonsense. Both the enemies and the turtles have access to some absurd technology that serves only the purpose of making it as convenient as possible for the villains to have a plan and the turtles to pick up on it. From there it's the standard save the world from ending by powering down some crazy device plot setup that we've seen so much since the start of the superhero movie craze. At least the heroes in a half shell have their own identities this time around, despite the nonsensical and borrowed plot.

Aside from basically being April O'Neil: The Movie, one of the more key flaws to the first of this rebooted series is that it's tone borrowed so much from the other heroes we've seen onscreen lately. There was some of The Dark Knight, Man of Steel, Spider-Man, and so on. The turtles themselves had their signature personalities, but it was hard to pick up on it with all these other superheroes' tones floating around. The fact that the spotlight was on Megan Fox's O'Neil for so much of that movie didn't help either. It ultimately just didn't feel much like a TMNT movie. Out of the Shadows helps to rectify that mistake.

The turtles are front and center in their own movie, like it should have been the first time around. Their lovable personalities are intact and come together just as excellently as ever. The results are a lot of laughs and four dudes you just can't help but root for. Sure we've seen their "we can't work together" drama brought on from their differing personalities repeated in countless forms of TMNT entertainment ad nauseam, but it's worth putting up with just to see these guys return to form on the big-screen.

The action is still CGI-fueled big spectacle. Expect to see a lot of stuff go boom. Thankfully though, despite having Michael Bay's name attached to it, this never reaches Transformers level of visual noise. With the turtles at the center of it, it's still really entertaining to watch. Even if doesn't make much sense how the side-characters are able to take out groups on ninja's without the help of the brothers. Villains like Bebop and Rocksteady make things even more exciting.

While not completely out of the woods yet, the rebooted series gets better with this sequel. The writing could still use some work, but the turtles feel more themselves. The inclusion of classic characters and elements make it a bigger hit for TMNT fans young and old, although the stronger language is not appreciated and may have some parents wanting to cover the younger watchers ears. It may still be big, Hollywood superhero absurdity, but there are enough improvements to maybe get you to slip out a cowabunga or two.

7.