Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

*** This review may contain spoilers *** I was indifferent to the first TMNT movie. It was okay; it could have been better. It could have also been far worse. So, there was some apprehension going into TMNT: Out of the Shadows, because, traditionally, sequels were worse than their parent films. Well, Turtles wasn't. The second film is actually much better than the first. It still has hard- to-digest action sequences right out of Michael Bay's wet dreams, but this one also had some heart. It had a theme. Being a teenager is difficult enough without, one, having to shoulder the burden of saving the city from an evil ninja, and, two, being forced to hide from the very society they are protecting. The TMNT concept practically begs to touch on things like teen angst, and the feeling of being an outcast that almost all teens feel at some point. But, because they're mutant turtles, this would of course be magnified 10 times. But the franchise, in its various incarnations, hardly addresses this. But the new Turtle film does. It appeals to the sensibilities of people who recall the awkwardness of being a teenager. This movie actually says something. There are some flaws, however. Shredder and Krang meet for the first time, Krang proposes an alliance, Shredder accepts. At no point does Shredder flip out while a talking brain rambles on about his plans for world domination. At no point does Shredder question Krang. He is a banished evil warlord. Why would Shredder trust him? Megan Fox, unfortunately, is still a thing. Would have been nice to have Casey Jones truer to his original character. But where the film works is in the script, and, particularly, the scenes with the Turtles, sans their human friends. And then there's Rocksteady and Bebop. We 80's kids have been waiting 26 years to have them on screen, and, when it finally happens, it doesn't disappoint. There's an interesting dynamic at play with them: While the Turtles yearn for acceptance and to be human, Rocksteady and Bebop, former humans, are happy to be monsters. I guess the ooze is always on greener on the other side. But a pretty good Turtle movie overall, and a lot of fun.

Kinda better than the first film, though by the end it basically levels out as a draw between the two. Too mundane once more. <em>'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'</em> does improve a few things, one being the score - not that it's great or anything, but it's more pleasant than Brian Tyler's attempt. Overall it's a little more watchable, but what affects this most is the messy ending - especially with the CGI, which looks like a video game. Cast-wise it's largely the same, though Johnny Knoxville is dropped - not that I noticed until the credits, mind. Can't say I'll remember any of the cast's performances, just like in the 2014 production. I guess it's a positive that this didn't completely crap the bed, as sequels sometimes do - especially ones that follow poor originals. Still, this isn't good at all - and, unsurprisingly, killed the would-be franchise early on.

Two years after the first CGI turtle-fest, we have reassembled just about everyone for a return match with the "Shredder". It's whilst he is on a prison transfer that he is to break out from captivity and take up his quest for global domination once again. Luckily, the determined reporter "April" (Megan Fox) gets wind of this plan and alerts our intrepid heroes, but it's too late to prevent his escape. Not only that but the wily scientist "Baxter" (Tyler Perry) has managed to develop a teleport device that is going to empower "Shredder". When that malfunctions and introduces him to the powerful "Krang" from another dimension, he becomes imbued with surely some unstoppable technology - as well as giving him two genetically modified hoodlums - "Rock Steady" and "Bepop". Yeah, I know - by this point I was beginning to lose the will, but I think this might be marginally better than the 2014 outing. There's more of a story here as the heroes take on their nemesis, and deal with mutating mutants whilst also raising some philosophical issues around their own "humanity". This latter development causes a little friction amongst our otherwise loyal friends and reminds them that honesty is always the best policy! There's plenty of action and though it ends up very similar to the last in this franchise, I found it a passable effort. Not that I'd ever bother watching it again.