'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Sequel Fails to Provide a Reason to Care

http://www.ocolly.com/entertainment_desk/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-sequel-fails-to-provide-a- reason/article_0f44a8c2-2d8b-11e6-8e10-8b4d338b3468.html 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' sequel fails to provide a reason to care Brandon Schmitz, Entertainment Reporter, SchmitzReviews Jun 8, 2016 Paramount Pictures Since their big-screen debut in 1990, the Ninja Turtles have gone through a handful of interpretations. None of them have taken themselves too seriously, but some capture the camaraderie among the four brothers -- the core of the series -- better than others. Although the first film in the latest incarnation was met with a lukewarm reception, "Out of the Shadows" looks to invigorate the series with an emphasis on the source material's deeper mythology. Following his defeat at the hands of the turtles, Shredder (Brian Tee) teams up with mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) in an effort to escape imprisonment. However, Stockman's teleportation device doesn't exactly work as planned. Instead, the Foot Clan leader ends up in another dimension and meets the vicious warlord, Krang. From there, Shredder sets out to assemble a device that will bring the talking brain to earth. If anyone's going to stop them, it's the turtles, right? Through dialogue exchanges, as well as in the title, the movie tries to sell the idea that Leonardo and company are masters of stealth that work in the shadows. Setting aside the fact that they're four hulking turtle-men, the crew drives a garbage truck armed with turrets and weaponized manhole covers. Subtlety kind of goes out the window at that point, you know? I've never been a fan of this incarnation's design for the turtles. With this being a live-action movie, I understand the filmmakers' desire to make the brothers look realistic. However, they are still meant to be turtles; their human faces veer too far into the uncanny valley. I would've much preferred the movie go with either a more cartoonish design or ditch the CGI altogether in favor of costumes a la the 1990 film. It would look cheap as heck, sure, but I would rather be charmed by the goofiness of it all than be scared of their current design. Ultimately, the turtles' designs aren't even their biggest problems, as I don't feel as if the characters themselves are handled properly, either. Depending on who's writing for the character, Michelangelo's bumbling demeanor can fall under either charming or obnoxious. It's definitely the latter this time around, but his stronger presence only exacerbates the issue. Michelangelo can work well in small doses, but here, it feels as if he has far more dialogue than any of his brothers. The movie occasionally tries to convince its audience that it's about the group dynamic, but little of it feels earned. This property was never meant to be Shakespeare, but at its best, it captured a sense of solidarity among the four turtles. With this film, we see the beginnings of a subplot that causes friction within the group. However, it ultimately feels like an afterthought and, again, the payoff isn't earned. Meanwhile, their human allies are about as generic as they get. Megan Fox's portrayal of reporter April O'Neil remains just as wooden, while Stephen Amell fails to capture Casey Jones' roguish persona. Similarly, the villains are disappointments across the board. Shredder does virtually nothing that fans of the character would like to see him do, as he spends most of his screen time either spouting exposition or searching for a MacGuffin. His initial meeting with Krang is bafflingly abrupt, too. He forms an alliance with this stranger so quickly that it's no wonder that things pan out the way that they do toward the end of the film. Speaking of which, Krang shows up in only two or three scenes throughout the film. His motivations are about as threadbare as they come, and his novelty as a classic "Turtles" villain wears off quickly. Nearly every scene that features henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady takes the movie from just-another-bad-film to man-I'm-embarrassed-just-sitting- in-this-theatre. Their sense of humor speaks to one of the film's fundamental problems. Similarly to the "Transformers" movies, this one has an identity crisis in that some of the jokes are too childish for adults to enjoy, while others are too risqué for kids. Who's this movie ultimately aimed at? "Out of the Shadows" banks too much on nostalgia alone. If you want to re- experience a bunch of elements from your childhood, trust me: you'll have a much better time dusting off your Super Nintendo and playing "Turtles in Time." [email protected].

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