CinemaNerdz

Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Dane Jackson

FULL DISCLOSURE: I grew up a product of the 1980s and 1990s, which means I was a big fan of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books from Eastman & Laird, the original cartoon, and the first batch of live action Turtles flicks. I still have fond memories of riding my bike to the Fox Village Theater to see the original live action flick multiple times. Hell, I even had the movie novelization and soundtrack.

If the above disclosure describes you in way or the other, then Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was made with you in mind. It essentially feels like an almost two-hour apology to the hardcore fans of the series. As the movie runs along, tonally it felt like a live-action adaptation of a four-part episode of the original cartoon. In a sense, Out of the Shadows does for Ninja Turtles what G.I. Joe: Retaliation did for those Real American Heroes. In just under two hours, fans were treated to what they should’ve been given in 2014. I would even go as far as saying Out of the Shadows also succeeds in righting the wrongs of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) as well.

This movie opens up to a world where Shredder (Brian Tee) is in prison, and to stay hidden, the turtle brothers have devised a plan with bumbling cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to take the credit for Shredder’s downfall. Of course Shredder doesn’t stay in prison. Instead, he’s broken out by the evil scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry), the Foot Clan (no guns this time), and two thugs who just happen to be in the same transportation convoy as Shredder. Of course, these thugs are none other than series favorites Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (WWE’s Celtic Warrior Sheamus). They’re filled with bad jokes and stupidity – just like in the cartoon. During the escape, Shredder is inadvertently teleported to another dimension where he meets Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett). Together, they hatch a plan to launch an Avengers-esque alien invasion of New York. In order to do that, Shredder has to collect three fragments of a teleportation device. In order to do this and keep the turtles at bay, Krang gives him some ooze that will allow him to create super soldiers. Unfortunately for Shredder, he gets stuck with the bumbling duo of Bebop the Mutant Warthog and Rocksteady the Mutant Rhino. The movie then morphs into three to four set pieces that allow the good mutants to square off against the bade mutants. There’s really not much more to it. Out of the Shadows is the pure definition of summer popcorn movie – it’s fun for what it is, it doesn’t try hard to be anything it’s not, and as a movie goer, you’re treated to two hours of mindless entertainment.

One of the major flaws of the 2014 series reboot is that it focused too much on the humans and not enough on the turtles. Director Dave Green seems to realize this because screen time was drastically reduced for Megan Fox’s April O’Neill. Even newcomer Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) is relegated to a supporting role. The fact that this movie lays its emphasis on the turtles is key. For as mindless and predictable as it is, the film is at its best when the turtles take the center stage – which is often.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows doesn’t break any new ground, but it also doesn’t try to. It follows many familiar beats from other summer action blockbusters, so if you’re looking for something fresh and exciting, you’re best to look somewhere else. Where it lacks in creativity, it makes up for it with fan service. This is how fans have wanted to see the turtles portrayed on the screen. Sure, they may still look silly with nostrils, but the four ninja brothers are a fun bunch to watch when written correctly, which they are. At the end of the day, if you’re a big kid (of the young or grown-up variety) who likes the ninja turtles, you’ll love this movie. The writer and director paid a lot of fan service in this movie. Seeing the Technodrome on the big screen for the first time was especially cool. On the flip side, if you don’t like the turtles, don’t expect Teenage Mutant Turtles: Out of the Shadows to change your mind.

Dane Jackson

Dane Jackson has been writing about movies since high school when he had a monthly column in the school paper about cult movies. His cinematic tastes have matured (slightly) since then.
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