It’s fair to say that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, was a lot worse than the first movie. Honest Trailers often seems so flat out mean to movies when it points the finger at their faults but this one is about as accurate as it can be since the second movie had some great effects but those couldn’t help the story line that was almost desperate in its delivery. One big issue is that while it did bring in more characters, finally, it did so in a way that really showcases how the writers either didn’t grow up in the era in which the Turtles were popular, or just weren’t TMNT fans to begin with. It’s easy enough follow source material for a movie but really this seems like they were just tossing in things that were there to use already and then attempting to bolster them with a plot that seems like it was hatched overnight with writers that were simply too tired to give more than a half-baked plot because they couldn’t think straight. It’s funny, some people run on instinct and they produce awesome results. Others just throw whatever comes to mind on the table and it gets made into a movie that sounds good but comes out horrible.
April O’Neil could have been left out of the movie but for a few scenes and this might have been better. In essence she’s the draw for adolescent males that still like Megan Fox and not much else. Her character has always been more vital to the Turtles and their story but honestly her rendition of April has really been horrible since the first movie. The original TMNT movie that was released back in the 90’s was great, and April O’Neil was excellent since she was a prominent part of the story but didn’t drown out the rest of it. Megan Fox kind of diva’s up the joint a little too much when she’s onscreen and it really takes away from the movie.
And let’s not forget Steven Amell’s version of Casey “nice guy” Jones. If you’re rolling your eyes right now then remember back to Elias Koteas and when he played the hockey mask-wearing vigilante. He wasn’t big and buff but he had the right attitude and wasn’t some fresh-faced nice guy that wanted everyone to know that he was going to be a detective someday. When in the world did that development happen by the way? Casey has been a vigilante for as long as anyone can remember. Plus, one thing Casey has always done is fight ALONGSIDE the Turtles, not continually opposite from them. It was interesting to see a vendetta between Casey and Bebop and Rocksteady, but really those two have always been against the Turtles more often than not as it’s been shown in the past.
And Krang, hoo boy. The sentient brain creature looked more like wad of used chewing gum with teeth than a serious villain. The effects in this movie might have been on target but the plot could have used a lot of work. A LOT of work.
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