I did not imagine I would be starting this blog with a review. However a semi decent movie has been getting a lot of trouble especially with the die hard original fans. That's right I'm talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie.
WARNING SPOILERS DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE MOVIE
Okay I get it. They definitely change the story but guys the movie was meant for adults that was one of the problems. They were trying to take characters that were typically meant for children in the age group of 5 too I guess in my case 17. Don't get me wrong the entire movie I was correcting the littlest details I could find, but I have to say all in all I enjoyed the movie. So in this review, I am going to point out what they did right, and what they did wrong, and some details that I just think were cute
So let's start on the negative note. Okay this may seem like a very small detail but it just bothered me. April O'Neil does not have brown hair she is a redhead or a ginger depending on the depiction. I know that seems like something so small and not worth fighting over but it just bothered me the entire time. Another thing April O'Neil was not coward. The entire movie she screaming and running away, screaming and running away, and then she had that one redeeming scene in the lab. But April O'Neil with a cutting-edge hotheaded hardheaded pain in the rear reporter. She was also the turtles best friend and closest ally and while she was often frightened and sometimes confused she was always willing to throw herself in danger to help the Turtles. She was- I'm not going to say she wasn't a damsel in distress but she was a damsel that could protect herself, and stand on her own two feet. I know someone is reading this and they are much younger than me and they watch the cartoon network version that's not the version I'm talking about, the version and April O'Neil that I am talking about is 2003 and back I could make a book about the Cartoon Network version.
Another thing that I feel the movie messed up. Every die-hard fan has pointed out origin story. So, in the movie April O'Neil once owned the turtles and splinter as pets in her father's laboratory. Instead of ooze like the original story they were injected with the mutant formula. Ok so I understand being mad about this it was really frustrating when I saw it. For those of you who are still here that watch the Cartoon Network series the thing is the original story was the turtles were April's pet, and they were dropped and wash down the sewer. At the same time the container that held you life changing liquid also fell into the sewer a mere coincidence of course. It splattered on a rat and the four turtles. Unfortunately off the top of my head I cannot remember splinter origin story but he was never human he was not a human transformed into a rat like in the new series. No no just no that is not saying in the original story I'm sorry everybody it may sound really cool but that's just not how it was. This I actually understand being an issue that's like for die hard fan that would be the equivalent of taking Captain America or maybe a better example would be Batman and instead of killing his parents they just decided to leave him that would be the equivalent of the change depending on how I was frustrated and annoyed but not offended.
Someone tell me that I'm not the only one that doesn't understand the modern-day need for the one of the turtles to be crazily in love with April. On Cartoon Network its Donatello in this movie it's Michelangelo. Now look don't get me wrong I always suspected at least one of the turtles thought she was cute but it wasn't a big focus point. Now in our modern-day culture and society we spend more time on the romance of things then the content. This is coming from a hopeless romantic okay I'm just tired of it because they obviously have no chance with her she's human. Creepy actually.
Other than that the only other thing I could really complain about was the reporter guy we needed to stop thinking that he was God's gift to April. Look I get it dude you think she's attractive and she was I'll give you that but no just know. I find him annoying and unnecessary to the story other than he drove them. And maybe for comedic relief personally I wish they had brought Casey Jones into it. I really would have been more into it. I don't know why the reporter guy was so important and in fact he was just kind of existing because I think they needed male lead, but it would have been better if it had been hockey mask Casey Jones! But then after watching what they did to April though it seems minuscule in the grand scheme of the movie I'm scared what they would do to Casey Jones so maybe it was for the best.
Okay so that was a negative, and I know it seems like a lot but there were some really good positive aspects of the movie. And I know hard fan is reading this I hope you know that this post will get popular. And they're saying; "no no no there was no good aspect you are wrong you need to get off the Internet you are just no wrong go away." you're the one who came to my blog ok? Did have some redeeming qualities I would not have sat for the movie if I didn't think it was worth it.
One of the things I liked was actually the upgrades to their looks. I don't mean the faces and their bodies because that was just really creepy. I'm surprised I didn't have a giant mutant turtles nightmare. That it was kind of cool how they gave Donatello glasses 2 kind of show off that he was a bigger nerd than we all thought. Although I do not get the point of all of their masks being slightly different. And Rafael can we just discuss how badass Raphael look? I am a huge Raphael fan and I have to say a lot of people weren't a big fan of how he acted in the snow saying he wouldn't have done it in the original series. Or so I've heard I've only heard on the grapevine and through other people no one really talks about this in my school unfortunately. But character was very believable because even know Rafael is very hard on his brothers he has never hated them or one of them better. He's always work towards helping his brothers. In his own rage filled way. Huge fan of this characteristic of Rafael I think it's amazing and very unique to him a lot of people would not want to use an angry character to portray a caring brother however the way that Rafael is crafted in this movie to be such a hardass and a hot head and to give Leonardo such a hard time about his leadership skills. It's clear that above all the brothers he favors Leonardo.
I've commented on earlier I love family dynamics. In the original they did not call Splinter father or dad it was strictly teacher. I actually have to say this is a change that I like. He always refers to them as his sons but I've never heard that call him father except during really tragic scenes like when he's dying in some of the original stuff. I like how the brothers have a sense of unity here they have a father someone they can look up to, someone they can learn from the. No I never do the series though it wasn't spoken that they call him father it was kind of all you already knew it. By how they would act with each other but I don't know the confirmation of the word father in this movie actually made me happy. I thought it was really beautiful I don't know I know again seems very minuscule very insignificant but that especially modern-day you would have expected it back when they had just started to have them call him dad because they were trying to promote the family dynamic. Today it is not uncommon to meet someone who does not have a family, or does not identify with their family. So I was shocked to see that and they stress it a lot. Well I thought they did. So again it seems to me it was a real selling point for the movie.
finally I would like to comment on the comedy level and how they balanced it with the tragedy level. In particular that shows this would have to be the scene when the turtles are being drained of their blood for the serum. Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Donatello were all captured while they were trying to save their father back in the lair. Because April was stupid and got tracked. Rafael again shows his love of his brothers by going to save them as I feel any of us would do for siblings. You may say we hate them but let's face it we do love them in Some respect. So seems really sad, gets in his brothers are too weak to even move. And he's looking at Leonardo saying do something do something you know you're the leader or something like that I barely remember. I was really upset during that scene. So you know he goes down and he fights and you think that he is about to die as he has been knocked out. Does her first smart thing throughout the entire movie and does as Donatello says and pumps adrenaline. Oh my god this scene was just hilarious. You see them bust out of the glass chambers they have been captain, and you expect them to go straight to ass kicking mode. Leonardo start saying "who feels like cleaning I feel like cleaning I'm going to clean the whole layer!" now and then they go find Rafael who does not have an overdose adrenaline coursing through his veins. They start screaming about the plan and finally Mikey screams everybody stay calm look how calm I am as he's running in circles. I'm sorry that was probably my favorite scene. No that's a lie.
Not that any of you probably care but my favorite scene is when they think they're dying or that they're going to die so Rafael does this whole speech about how the reason he was the way he was was because he was afraid that he wasn't good enough to be with his brothers and that he wanted to push them and that he loved them no matter what. It was just beautiful.
Love it or hate it that's the movie. Leave a comment I'd love to debate or just simply talk with you about the movie. Gladly discuss key points in the movie if you feel I didn't cover something if you feel I didn't cover something enough let me know! I don't bite I promise. So that's it for this post
Signing off
Xalia Kirk
Xalia Kirk
