Review of TMNT (2007) by Zack K — 13 Nov 2010

TMNT is all right. It's a sweltering storm of adequacy. It's not the amazingly silly good time that the first two films were, but it is better than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

It has well-filmed fight scenes and expansive, detailed environments, which are even more impressive in regard to the film only having a budget of $34 million, which is considered a drop in the bucket for a CGI-animated film.

After all the negative vibes for the silliness of the first three films, a new creative team was brought in to make this movie like the gritty, violent Ninja Turtles from the comics. However, a lot of the humor from the cartoon was prevalent too, so that did seem to mute most of the themes of broken families, death, and loss.

I also note that the way the script was written, it will confuse the viewer if they haven't seen Ninja Turtles media in one form or another. The pacing is fast, but it is possible for a movie to go too fast. 87 minutes could pass by without anything productive or meaningful gleaned from the plot.

I also appreciate the final role of Mako, the beloved voice actor of series such as Samurai Jack and Avatar: The Last Airbender. He was so dedicated to his art, that he continued to record his lines until mere days before his death.

While TMNT is better than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, it is still lacking the natural silliness and charm that made the first two films so enjoyable. If you're a Ninja Turtles fan, just rent this, and if you must buy something from it, get some of 4Kids revival of the series. That's right. 4Kids!