Janet LeighCowabunga dudes! And just like that it’s the 90’s again only (arguably) better and minus the Saturday morning PJs.
With a reckless attitude towards keeping their identity secret, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles find themselves at the centre of evil Shredder’s (Tohoru Masamune) corrupt plot to take over New York.
William Fichtner assumes the role of Shredder’s right-hand-man, Eric Sacks and boy does he do it well. Fitchtner’s brand of bad-guy (the unassuming threat) is apt, complimenting Shredder’s ‘fists out, knuckles brandished, I’m about to give you a beat down’ style.
Former Transformers lead Megan Fox takes on the role of April O’Neil, whose connection to the Turtles runs even deeper than she realised. Never one to play the damsel in distress Fox takes to the role of over ambitious journalist well. For the sake of a scoop O’Neil leads us further towards the heart of the action, endangering her life and the lives of the mutant reptiles.
Director, John Liebesman, has done a brilliant job with this one, wrapping the film up in a perfectly paced, action-packed box that simply bursts with excitement at every explosion.
The fight scenes are particularly entertaining. The combination of crisp audio – making all clashes of metal and chinks of samurai swords come to life – and the sleek visuals make for a gripping watch.
Where the film is lacking slightly is in the humour department. Though peppered with more that its fair share of comic moments, the humour does at times feel forced. This becomes particularly noticeable with Noel Fisher’s character Michelangelo. Renowned for being the joker of the turtle clan. efforts were made to amp up the comedy in his dialogue. However, his one-liners fall disappointingly flat in places. That said nothing is blatantly unforgivable and when it’s right, it’s very right.
Johnny Knoxville, Alan Ritchson, and Jeremy Howard make up the rest of the Turtles and together the foursome do a fantastic job of mixing the essence of the original Turtles with the modern world to satisfy multiple generations.
Great graphics and an interesting plot, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles deserves a big thumbs up.
