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

Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Directed by: Dave Green

Written by: Joseph Appelbaum and Andre Nemec

Year: 2016


Though not a hardcore fan, I did watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon when I was younger. It is such an outlandish concept but it became a phenomenon and a staple in pop culture. The first film of this rebooted series, though critically panned, made plenty of money. As such, a sequel was issued and it has now hit theatres. Does this second installment provide the same quality the cartoon offered, or is it really a glorified money grab?

After having been defeated in the last film, Shredder has escaped police custody and has a new evil plan to destroy the planet. It is up to the turtles, April O'Neil, and their new friend Casey Jones to stop Shredder and the Foot Clan from obtaining the three pieces they need to end the world.

If there is one thing these movies absolutely need to get right, it is the personality of the turtles. Whatever you may think of this film, it is hard to deny that each of the turtles was portrayed rather accurately to their original counterparts. Pete Ploszeck and Alan Ritchson do an excellent job at voicing Leonardo and Raphael, respectively. They both capture the spirit of the characters almost perfectly. Jeremy Howard as Donatello sounds a bit strange at first, but over the course of the film, he grew on me. The one voice I never warmed up to was Noel Fisher's as Michelangelo. The general overview of the character is done right, with his being the jokester and all, but I cannot stand Fisher's voice. His line delivery made me dread every second Mikey was on screen.

Megan Fox does a passable job as April O'Neil. She is not very noteworthy, but just good enough so that the audience can buy into her character. Stephen Amell is gleefully charismatic as Casey Jones. He has an infectious smile and is one of the more enjoyable parts of the film. It is good to see Amell play a more joyful character, which is very different from his dark performance as Oliver Queen on Arrow. Tyler Perry is tremendously goofy as Baxter Stockman, and I do not mean that as a compliment. Perry is too unbelievable in the role and his performance does not convey the intellect the character boasts. Will Arnett reprises his role as Vernon Fenwick and I could not stand his character. The way he is written seems like it was part of a challenge to see how annoyed the audience could become with the character, and Arnett's performance does nothing to remedy this.

Brian Tee leaves little to latch onto as Shredder, which is such a disappointment. Shredder is such an iconic villain and yet the performance behind the character is lacking. Not only that, but the plot really undermines Shredder in an awful way, which I will explain later. Gary Anthony Williams and Sheamus O'Shaunessy play Bebop and Rocksteady, and they are entertaining enough, but often vexing. They have a few good lines every now and then, but their characters are terribly intolerable. Krang was always an annoying villain and that aspect of the character has unfortunately carried over to this film with amazing perfection. Brad Garrett provides the voice for the world conqueror and he manages to make the pink blob as insufferable as ever (though the script is also to blame).

To shed some positivity on this film, I will say that the first two acts are surprisingly gripping. I was invested in April O'Neil's investigation of Stockman; Shredder's breakout is well executed and fun; the possible "cure" to the turtles mutation is presented as a moral fork in the road; the airplane scene in Brazil is exciting; the sequence at the police headquarters is rather suspenseful. There are many moments within the first two acts that truly elevate this film's quality and make it seem as if the franchise is headed in a new direction.

What betrays this film is the abysmal third act. It is no secret that Krang is the main villain of the story. As an antagonist, Krang is very weak. He is barely in the film, he is completely over the top in a manner that does not fit the film, and he takes the spotlight away from Shredder, who is a much better villain. In addition, the final action scene is very poorly done. The dramatic tension is absent, the action is stale, and the plot becomes very convoluted. The fight that the turtles have is unforgivably repetitive. All they do is charge, get thrown back, and charge again. It pales in comparison to the final fight from the previous film. The turtles feel more at home with a smaller scale villain than a world conqueror. Also, just how skilled is the Foot Clan? Seriously, they pose zero threat in this film. Not only do the turtles take them out with ease, but so does Casey Jones. And the fact that April and Vernon can sneak around them really has me questioning their abilities.

This brings me to my next point, which is the lack of fights. For a film about the ninja turtles, there is a severe lack of fighting, or action for that matter. There is quite a bit of sneaking around and fancy acrobatics, but not much fighting or action. Aside from the final fight, the action scenes we do have are done well, which left me wanting more from this film. The lack of action makes this film feel more dull than it should.

The visual effects are pretty good. The turtles look great, as do Bebop and Rocksteady. Their skins are very detailed and the characters are fluidly animated. However, these characters do not fit the backgrounds. There are moments where they look awfully superimposed. Also, I am not a big fan of all the paraphernalia that the turtles carry around with them. I think the turtles would appear much better if they looked less busy. For instance, Mikey wears a few necklaces and has glasses hanging from his neck, while Donnie wears special goggles and has a bunch of gizmos and gadgets. These items do tell us more about the characters without needing dialogue, but it does not come across very well.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is trying to be a good movie, it really is. The addition of Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang, Casey Jones, and Baxter Stockman shows that the filmmakers really want to make this a cinematic universe. But the film is too overstuffed and often does not know what it wants to be. It is too goofy at the wrong moments, and too serious when it should take the cheesy approach. Almost everything having to do with the turtles is great, and the introduction of Casey Jones is a good fit for the series. But there are too many villains, with most of them either being non-threatening or too silly. The first two acts provide a lot of excitement so long as you roll with the concept, but the third act is riddled with plot holes and is too overblown. There is fun to be had with this film, but it does not compensate for the other mediocre or horrible features.

Grade: C