Vivid animation, grittier style helps revive Turtles franchise

March 26, 2007 —

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have always been dear to me. Being the ideal age when the original TMNT craze swept the country during the late 1980s, I was completely caught up in the phenomenon.

I didn't just want to watch the Turtles on TV or in the movie theater, I wanted to be one of them. Some kids dreamed of becoming astronauts, others firemen or police officers. I wanted to live in the sewer with a giant rat, eat pizza with absurd toppings, and have occasional run-ins with nefarious characters like The Rat King.

This twisted dream of mine once resulted in me smashing a large wooden block in the face of a playmate during a heated argument over who would be Leonardo while we played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Nearly two decades have since passed; enough time to strip the luster off nostalgia and make me admit the show was really just a poorly animated toy commercial with corny jokes - certainly nothing worth striking a child in the face over.

TMNT is the latest in a string of franchise revivals, opting to build on the original trilogy while going in a new direction with the use of computer-generated animation. As it turns out, the film's computer-generated visauls are its strongest point. Even when the plot runs thin, the animation is so vivid it can be easy to lose sight that not an ounce of live-action footage is included.

Because the franchise is and always has been about four talking turtles and a big rat with a martial arts background, the transition to computer animation is for the best.

Despite admirable efforts in the earlier films, the turtles never looked quite right standing next to humans. The use of computerized graphics creates some sequences that look more realistic than the live-action ones.

That the movie is a continuation of the existing franchise means no Shredder, who as most people my age probably recall, perished at the conclusion of the second installment. Unfortunately, no other established villains are featured, although one is promised in what can be taken as a hint for another sequel.

The quartet of turtles has ceased their crime-fighting ways since viewers last saw them, embarking on other endeavors, and the main plot ultimately becomes secondary to the topsy-turvy relationship between Leonardo and Raphael.

This is nothing new, since Raphael has always been the most hot-headed of the group and seems to quit at least once in every movie, including this one.But TMNT delves a bit deeper into this facet, resulting in some surprising bits of emotional cinema.

Undoubtedly geared towards a younger audience, TMNT appeases fans of the original comic by returning to a grittier style. Screenwriter Kevin Munroe has done a great job of striking a balance between the tone of the comics and the playful nature of the animated series.

Backing up the darker atmosphere are the vocal elements. The turtles are still occasionally energetic and lighthearted, but the voices provided for most of the characters add a bit of sophistication to the mix. Patrick Stewart, who could sound impressive reciting dialogue from Revenge of the Nerds IV, lends his vocals to the movie's primary antagonist, while Laurence Fishburne narrates the opener. But it's not all that good:Raphael sounds more like one of James Cagney's gangster characters more than ever before and Splinter sounds like a slurring drunk at times.

The bulk of the movie's appeal may be nostalgia, but TMNT serves as a respectable entry in the ongoing saga.