Director Dave Green
Genre Action | Adventure | Comedy
Cast Megan Fox, Will Arnette, Stephen Amell, Allen Ritchson
Rating PG-13
Release Date June 3rd, 2016
“As Shredder joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady to take over the world, the Turtles must confront an even greater nemesis: the notorious Krang.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the sequel to the 2014 film, which received less than favorable reviews. The 2014 film ended up doing rather well in the box office, even though the majority of its earnings were from foreign markets. At the end of the day, money is money. The sequel stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Kinney, and Stephen Amell.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is an entertaining popcorn-flick that delivers a healthy dose of nostalgia to casual and hardcore fans alike. I enjoyed the first film but I felt like this one put in extra effort to satisfy a very committed fan base. The sequel includes the welcomed addition of the hockey mask wearing Casey Jones and the idiotic yet nearly impossible to dislike duo Rocksteady and Bebop. Fans who grew up watching TMNT will find it difficult not to smile when watching the characters that helped to shape their childhood (for better or for worse). The film struggles to take off and never really seems to get a full head of steam after one of the early action scenes. I did enjoy the identity struggle the Turtles faced and I felt that an important message was conveyed. Something we battle with everyday which is the idea that it is okay to be different, because our differences make us who we are. Granted none of us are baby turtles that mutated and were subsequently trained by a martial arts master rat in the sewers of NYC, but you get my point.
To say acting is an afterthought in this film would be an understatement. Fans voiced their collective displeasure over the casting of Megan Fox as April O’Neil, and I get it. She sucks as an actress, but so does Kristen Stewart, yet she continues to get roles (granted she tends to sleep with the directors but still). What Megan Fox is that Stewart isn’t? Ding ding ding, you guessed it. She is attractive! That is why she was given the role and the sooner people accept that the better. Would I have preferred Natalie Portman? You’re damn right I would have but that sweet goddess is busy making films that hope to be mentioned come award season (I just took a glimpse at her IMDb page and her profile photo made me a bit lightheaded, unreal). To conclude my April O’Neil rant, Megan Fox is good enough as an attractive female with mediocre to below average acting skills, Natalie Portman is the love of my life, and Paige Turco who played the role of April in 1991’s TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze, remains my all-time favorite for the role. I also enjoyed Stephen Amell as Casey Jones and WWF/WWE wrestler Sheamus was fun to watch as Rocksteady.
I was a hardcore fan of the mutant turtles turned crime-fighting ninjas growing up and to this day I consider the Ninja Turtle van I was given for one of my birthdays to be my all-time favorite toy (I must have been 7 or so as it was around the release of the first movie in 1990). In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t beaten the living crap out of it so it would have lasted longer but I had my fun. What can I say I was a destructive little boy. When the release of the 2014 remake/reimagining was announced I held out hope that it would be a darker film that focused on the realities of the struggles faced by the turtles. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Instead we were given a very goofy CGI heavy version of our childhood heroes. Although I have enjoyed the new films and appreciate a helping hand for the walk down memory lane, you just can’t compete with the first two and 1991’s The Secret of the Ooze remains my favorite (I literally choreographed every fighting scene in my living room as a kid while wearing a Ninja Turtles onesie). Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is worth checking out for fans but I suggest keeping expectations somewhat reserved.
