Mutant Turtles

Most people who grew up during the same time as I did wanted to be one of the four Ninja Turtles. I think I was more Donatello, but I wanted to be Michelangelo back then. Something about nunchunks rock. Now I think Raphael is incredible bad-ass. But with TMNT returning this March 28th, I'm concerned over their relevance. In a way, their return on the silver screen is a gamble at rekindling nostalgia, as they have tried with multiple re-creations in both animation and video games. A part of me wants to believe that they will be successful all over again, albeit in CG-format and a thinner form, but the other part of me doesn't want the turtles to be worn out any further than they have already. It's just as I feel about all the hope about a FFVII re-make. But all this gamut of emotions is just in line with how I've been clean from fanboyism for more than six years. So any reservations about the turtles coming back are a part of being disillusioned from blind optimism. The turtles aren't really 'teenage' anymore.

Comments 6

Genj Feb 28, 2007

I loved the Ninja Turtles . . . . when I was like 5. I saw a commercial for the new movie and frankly it looks like shit and I could not care less. As much as I used to love the turtles, I'm 4 months away from turning 21 and have no interest in wasting money to see my childhood memories raped by the cheap Korean studio that made the film. I'll pass.

joseph_valencia Feb 28, 2007

Genj:

Try rewatching the 80s cartoon and counting the coloring mistakes in the early episodes. Ninja Turtles is no stranger to cheap asian animation.

Personally, I don't think the new movie looks too bad. I like that they're aiming for a tone and aesthetic that's similar to the original film, and the CG doesn't look as terrible as I would have expected. However, I don't completely dig how they're depicting Casey Jones or April, and some of the humor in the trailer I saw fell flat.

Genj Mar 1, 2007

I don't mean that the animation quality will be bad and that will rape my childhood memories. I was more referring to the way these films usually get "updated" for a current generation. Like if they were to beat up some foot clan ninjas and say something like "PWNED N00B"

pup Mar 1, 2007

For the record, I wanted to be Donatello.

I'm not too hot on the idea of a new TMNT movie either. I've seen a number of the new TMNT episodes, and the creators just seem to miss the point. The turtles weren't about being dark and badass. They were about having fun while doing what was right. TV shows don't always need to have an edge to work. Just look at the Looney Tunes spin-offs. Tiny Toons = excellence. Loonatics = a disaster. At some point I am sure I'll end up seeing the TMNT movie, but I don't have the highest hopes.

joseph_valencia Mar 1, 2007

The thing about the new cartoon is that it draws a lot more from the comics, which were much darker than the 80s cartoon. I actually preferred the new show over the old one, up until they went into that stupid time travel story arc. In retrospect, aside from the first season, the original show wasn't really all that great. Now that I think about it, a lot of my childhood cartoons that weren't Batman or X-Men have aged poorly over the years.

goldenvortex Mar 2, 2007

I thought Rapheal was the best. Man, I remember having all of the turtles action figures and a ton of accessories! I also had Splinter and Shredder!

The new cartoon series of it was terrible. I remember when my brother started watching it. I quickly pointed him in the direction of the old series.