The Big Picture: Turtle Power - The Older, Better TMNT Movie

[marioandsonic]

Bob brings up a good point: The series has gone through so many interpretations. And I'm all for updating the turtles if it's done well.

Anyway, as far as the movies go, my rankings are:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze > TMNT >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

I did enjoy the original cartoon series, but I was born in '89, so I was a bit late to the party there. Also, I couldn't see any of the live-action films until later when I saw them on VHS at my local library (and now I feel really old).

Funny thing, though: I could only see the second and third movies, because my library didn't have the first one. Maybe they couldn't find a copy at the time, I dunno. In any case, the second one I thought was funny and enjoyable, but even when I was little, I thought the third one was bad.

When I got older, I finally found the first one on DVD for rent at a nearby Blockbuster (again, old). I thought it was AMAZING.

The second movie to me has the same feelings I now have for the '87 series. Yes, it's corny and its age is pretty easy to see, but I still enjoy it. Had some great lines, too:

Spoiler

Leo: You take the ugly one.
Raph: No, YOU take the ugly one!
Don: I'LL take the ugly one!
Mike: Which one's the ugly one?!

Even though I didn't see the 2003 series when it was airing (though I heard it was good), I did enjoy the 2007 CGI film. And I even like the 2012 series currently airing on Nickelodeon.

Haven't seen the new one, and I really don't want to.

Also...I haven't read any of the comics. *dodges barrage of tomatoes*

 

[ace_of_something]

Oh Bob's New England accent, why must you add an "R" so as to say "Ninjurs" only 25% the time.

I was about 10 or 11 when the first turtles movie came out. Right smack dab in the target audience at the time. I've always assumed I liked it due to nostalgia.

I showed it to my children (5boy ,7girl ,10boy ,13girl) all of them having recently seen the Mike Bay movie (which was just... weak) agreed that they liked as they said "the classic" version much better.

Next week the sequels... we'll see how that goes.

 

[Trucken]

Yeah, can't agree with you (or anyone else in this thread for that matter). Look, I absolutely LOVED the Turtles when I was a kid and still kinda do (seriously, the current show on Nickelodeon is fnuggin' awesome) but I watched the first movie a couple of weeks ago and... yeah, I should've left that one to nostalgia. It's bad, plain and simple. Maybe it was a decent movie when it came out, but now? It has aged poorly I'm afraid.

 

[NoaNeumann]

Yeah, can't agree with you (or anyone else in this thread for that matter). Look, I absolutely LOVED the Turtles when I was a kid and still kinda do (seriously, the current show on Nickelodeon is fnuggin' awesome) but I watched the first movie a couple of weeks ago and... yeah, I should've left that one to nostalgia. It's bad, plain and simple. Maybe it was a decent movie when it came out, but now? It has aged poorly I'm afraid.

Well most of us aren't saying that the 90's movie was the best THING ever, when it comes to the turtles, but when it comes to TMNT 'movies' yeah...it is (ignoring numbers 2 and 3...ugh). Especially when you compare it with something like the Bay TMNT Train-wreck that we all know is going to be watched but a ton of little kids and thus is going to make tons of money because in the end that's all Bay wants, tons of cash, he has gone on record stating that's what he wants and sadly, that's what he often gets. I'm sorry, but if a Rat learning marital arts while watching his master, whilst in his pet cage makes more sense then what Bay did, then you're doing something wrong. Oh and the only thing I will disagree about with Bob, is that last scene, a lot of people thought it was anti-climactic, what with the basically cartoony sidestep, but it sure beats how they 'ended' the shredder in Bay's movie.

 

[Evonisia]

It's been a while since I watched this film, but now I feel the need to watch it again. I also see this episode as a kind of weird parallel to Superman Revisited in that it's a analysis of the original film in the "x" series but unlike Superman Revisited this is after the film which Bob thought turned out to be crappy (though I don't hate Man of Steel as much as some).

 

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

I don't think the '03 series gets enough love. Maybe it's just because that was the one I grew up watching, myself being 8 years old at the time of the series' start, but aside from the final couple seasons, which were sudden, rushed and jarring changes from the previous established setting and canon due to the network wanting to move more merchandise, I thought it was pretty good. Much like the movie, it had more personality than the comics and more substance than the original animated series. It's a lot less goofy than the movies, but the darker aesthetic and themes made it rather gripping for a children's cartoon of its type. Plus, I think that the visual design of the turtles themselves is pretty good; they all manage to be visually distinct while sticking to the same style.

Maybe it wasn't as good as I'm remembering it, but I never see it brought up in Ninja Turtles discussions and videos.

 

[spoonybard.hahs]

I think we can all sense the pattern with Michael Bay sort of like Gearbox Software. They can't handle other intellectual properties without any problems to follow.

Back to something TMNT related has anyone else noticed how catchy the them tune to the 80'S and 2003 cartoons are because like Duck Tales once you listen to it it will be a while before it leaves.

It's not other people's IPs. He genuinely dislikes Transformers and TMNT or anything of the sort (he's said so in interviews), but takes the jobs anyway because he's kind of a whore like that. Bay has a certain film style and aesthetic that works when he applies it to projects he has a genuine interest in (see: Pain and Gain). But when it comes to the Hero Myth or anything having to do with characters that are intrinsically good or evil, he loses control of the wheel because his brain cannot process the four cardinal directions.

 

[Itchi_da_killa]

I see your point, but this is the best movie ever made on the subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdtM66SxZeI

 

[Bonecrusher]

I watched the original movie today (before seeing Bob made a video about it).

It is still awesome today. No, more than awesome, I think it is a perfect mix between original comics and original cartoons.

There is a thing... In last years, I keep hearing that "critics" keep talking about same thing over and over:
- 80's popular cartoons were not faithful to the source material.
- Hey did you know that there were comic books before the cartoon?
- 2003 TMNT cartoon was better than 80s cartoon series.
- 2000s cartoons were faithful the comics.

OK, the year is 2014, and I am sure that the people watched and liked original cartoon series, definitely knows or heard the cartoon series were adapted from comic books. So, it is kinda pointless that is continously getting mentioned.

Back to the movie. That movie is still amazing. Why? Because it sometimes moves slow, give personilites to the characters, and goes aggressive whenever the action scenes come. You can see every scene has its own identity, there are some details here and there, and they use grunge style of 80s/90s. Sometimes the movie is calm, sometimes dramatic, and sometimes funny.
You can find different emotions in that movie.

OK, I know 2003 series were very very popular in USA, 2000s. However, I always loved the first season of original cartoons.
When critics start to talk about the original series, they only talk about the later seasons of the series, and how goofy, cheesy or watered down they are.
I am not against that, but the first season had a very different style than those later seasons.
And I think first movie carried out that unique style very well (and combined elements from comic books.)

The new movie doesn't contain anything above.
It is just a marketing ploy to appeal "GEARS OF WAR" generation.
The movie just contains action. Scenes are fast, faster, more faster and much more faster. Thinking, dreaming, and imagination have no place in them.
Michael Bay loves to make the CGIs very detaily, however they don't actually contain any "meaning".
While you watch original movie, every detail gives you another emotion and feeling.
The new movie, don't give necessary time for appreciating the details.
OK, You can put millions of details into CGI, but they don't have meanings, or don't look as "realistic" as the original movie.

I think new Nickelodeon cartoons are hundred times better to combine original comics, original cartoon, original movies and that 2003 cartoons, than this meaningless thingy.
Turtles are steroided goliaths, they are very loosely based to the source materials, and it has no respect to original fans...

But, it has economical success... Great, today Hollywood thinks only about money, it is successful if it sells in theaters. Don't care what happens to it after one year...

 

[synobal]

I always thought secret of the ooze was better.

 

[tzimize]

Yeah....the first TMNT was brilliant. Especially since it actually had some emotional depth to it (the brotherhood of the turtles, and their relationship to their father figure).

Also, since it was actually mostly about the TURTLES. It seems Michael Bay is hell-bent on taking old franchises and making movies about them, while at the same time not actually having the movie about THEM.

Transformers needed more transformers. A LOT more transformers. And while I havent seen the new TMNT, from what I hear, it leans HEAVILY on April O'neil. Thats not who we're there to see...and neither do we need a human being to have an emotional connection.

I cried at the start of UP. And at the end of Toy Story 3. Nothing about those movies were real, and one of them had living toys as the main characters. Stories and good characters will deliver emotional investment. Tacked on human stories, do not.

 

[SweetShark]

Oh Bod. Do you really think the old movies was really good?
I don't want to make a comparison with the old and new movie, but a comparison with the movie and the cartoon.
It watchable, but it is not a very good movie.

My biggest disappointment was the Footclan plot of the movie. Seriously? You made the most awesome Robot Ninjas into a group therapy of little kids rejected from other people?
I didn't liked April.
Shredder plan is not suitable to his personality.
Where the f*ck is Krang?
Where the f*ck f*ck are Bebop & Rocksteady?
Why the f*ck the children are stupid morons?
etc,ect,etc

No......Bod I will watch the new TMNT movie and maybe I will like it.

TMNT 1990 movie, 7-10
Good movie, but it is SO Overrated with many mistakes/changes which personalty irritate me.

 

[Guffe]

No Bob, you're wrong!

Spoiler: This is the best thing this franchise has produced

I think the only turtle thing I've ever watched is the animated show there's a glimpse of in the episode.

 

[darthdenim]

I personally liked the way Shredder went out in the movie.

I don't think we needed this big, huge fight scene between Splinter and Shredder. Splinter being able to beat Shredder with one quick move made Splinter seem all the more badass and mysterious.

It's kind of like how Yoda became much less interesting when we saw him leaping around with a lightsaber in the prequel movies.

 

[i4njw]

Really? No one's talking about the awesome current comics run from IDW? It's great. If you haven't read it, give it a shot. It blends elements from a lot of previous incarnations, most notably the '80s cartoon and the original comics (which makes sense, as one of the writers for the series is Kevin Eastman, an original TMNT creator). I love it.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Yeah, the movie isn't great, but it's fun, has likable characters, great atmosphere, a villain that has presence and menace, and some surprisingly good stuntwork and action beats (seriously, fighting in those suits must have been a challenge but they made it look good). It's a fun movie that doesn't make its audience feel like idiots.

It's not other people's IPs. He genuinely dislikes Transformers and TMNT or anything of the sort (he's said so in interviews), but takes the jobs anyway because he's kind of a whore like that. Bay has a certain film style and aesthetic that works when he applies it to projects he has a genuine interest in (see: Pain and Gain). But when it comes to the Hero Myth or anything having to do with characters that are intrinsically good or evil, he loses control of the wheel because his brain cannot process the four cardinal directions.

Though fittingly, no one wanted to SEE Pain and Gain. I think Bay likes to think of himself as some kind of artsy guy, but anyone into more dramatic, character-driven pieces hates his style. He's like a reverse David Fincher; both started as music video directors, but Fincher was able to use his style to accentuate and elevate his films whereas Bay hasn't evolved passed empty spectacle and remains stagnant.

 

[Foolery]

Really? No one's talking about the awesome current comics run from IDW? It's great. If you haven't read it, give it a shot. It blends elements from a lot of previous incarnations, most notably the '80s cartoon and the original comics (which makes sense, as one of the writers for the series is Kevin Eastman, an original TMNT creator). I love it.

I mention it every chance I get on these boards. You're the first other poster I've seen bring it up.
It's definitely in the same vein and excellent quality of the 1990 film.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Thanks for that stroll down nostalgia lane Bob. That TMNT movie was awesome and the effects were actually pretty damn good for their time.

 

[RJ 17]

I've actually still got this movie! And watching this Big Picture has given me the urge to go watch it. I don't tend to agree with Bob on much, but I will say he was right about how this movie actually delved more into the individual characters of the turtles. And that meditation scene.....just seeing a clip of it made me a bit misty-eyed. Bob's right, a scene like that just wouldn't fit into the more recent incarnations of the Turtles, especially the most recent one.

Seriously, you know they're on the wrong track when originally they wanted to make them fucking aliens.