SEQUELS:
It’s all about watching our favorite characters grow up. TRAILERS:
Harry Potter 7… or was it 8? I don’t know anymore…
Well, well, well. Looks who’s turned into a man. It’s my boy Harry Potter. Is it just me or is Harry waaaay too old to be Harry. It doesn’t seem to sit well with me that still, Harry Potter is in Hogwarts (is he trying to get a Phd or something??) and still he’s wearing his glasses (why not magically make your eyes a perfect 20/20?! What the hell???) But aside from my deeply instilled dislike for the series, and the even harsher dislike for the aged but immortally youthful Harry Potter, I think the trailer seems to bring bigger and better things for the franchise. Finally, an actual battle seems to be brewing! And the slightly more aggressive and overtly confident Potter seems ready. Are we? From the looks of it our little Harry has grown up. He probably watched 300 and finally grew some… Add mind-blowing effects, and we have ourselves a movie to watch. 3.5 out of 5 trailer.
Die Hard 4.0
From kids growing up to grown men getting old. Guess who’s back?!?! It’s our favorite hardcore police officer! Before weird lethal weapons and loud-mouth rush hour cops, there was… John McClane. Ooh how I love hearing those British villains draw out his name with such disdain… “MacccccClane….” He’s back now, and he’s no longer a policeman. But do not fret. John is still armed with his age-old swagger and arrogant back-talk, not to mention his usual array of weapons. He may have grown older, but the trailer seems
to hint he’s also way smarter. This time dealing with more highly sophisticated bad guys, John gets to test whether or not he has withstood the test of time. And man I want to go along for the ride. The trailer boasts mostly of high-octane action scenes, which were mind-blowing to say the least. And for this, the trailer scores a perfect A+ for Ac+ion. But for fans like me, it’s McClane’s character that we will want to revisit. The trailer showed limited dialogue from John, keeping our throats dry and yearning. In effect, we want more… What a great marketing strategy! Less is more. And more or less, this trailer was perfect. 4 out of 5!!!TMNT
There are few things that I will speak of with wild-eyed wonder and childlike enthusiasm. Hot girls. Basketball. And fond nostalgia-inducing experiences… Like hearing Alanis Morisette sing Jagged Little Pill… smelling newly baked leche flan like the one your Mom used to make… or discovering an old Buddha bracelet you used to wear to look cool *cringe*... Having had no recent sightings of any earth-shattering hotties (except one princess) and being effectively placed on the injured list of any sport except chess (bum knee), I was left with one task: to take a trip down memory lane and feel like a kid again. And my pals Donny, Raf, Leo, and yes my party animal Mikey, were there to lend a helping hand.
So how was the movie Teenege Mutant Ninje Turtles or TMNT? Hm…. Cue majestic trumpets, fireworks, and belly-dancing middle-eastern women! In a word, it was spectacular. Synonyms of that word? Stunning, fantastic, amazing, impressive, and fabulous (for the more effeminate crowd).
THE NEW
First, let us talk simply of the obvious changes that have been made to the franchise that
have now catapulted it to new heights, starting with the most obvious: CGI. There are no GREEN screens used here my friends. Every drop of sweat and blood (well there’s no blood actually since this is a G-Rated film) you will see onscreen was made with… well the sweat and blood of the computer-animators. And take this as no exaggeration: the attention to detail was sublime. SUBLIME!!! Barring a few seconds of understandably video-game-looking scenes at the start, majority of the film was spent with my effortful and yet equally useless scanning of the entire screen in a desperate attempt to capture the inch to inch beauty of the realistic CGI. It was incredibly hard to follow the fight scenes not just because you wanted to see all four turtles in action, but also because the background for these battles seemed so alive you could touch it! In one scene where the four were in their usual teenage turtle tussle, the winds were constantly churning and swaying the trees with so much realism to the point of individual leaves being tossed and turned with the gusts. And no words can describe the perfection (as well as the intensity) of the scene with RAIN. (MUST SEE!!! GREAT SCENE!!!) And we should not mention just the attention to detail of the CGI, but the amazing “cinematography” they chose to employ. Using their computer-generated images to the hilt, you get everything from the sensation of being with the Mutant reptiles as they soar through the city’s rooftops to running through the enormous battlefields of a time long ago. And the fights scenes are breathtaking.The Turtles themselves have changed as well. In more than one way, they have become edgier. Instead of the childhood cartoons of my day where they were all more round and pleasant-looking, they appear trimmed, cut-up, and fierce (in the lion sort of way, instead of the gross and overused fashion model sense). And for once, they are treated more realistically by being given more individual and unique looks down to the mass of their bodies and the texture of their skins, very much unlike their ancestors who looked generic and ready for mass-production as toys. Everything in this film just looks new and fresh. Even the ridiculous looking Foot Soldiers, who looked more like octopus-mosquito hybrids, have taken a step or two towards looking cool without using the aforementioned Buddha beads.
THE OLD
Who says old is bad? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And I’m glad to say, the new TMNT has kept the most adored facets of the franchise intact. In fact, the story picks up right where the old movie franchise of turtle mascots (No disrespect. This is for a lack of a better term. I loved them just as much.) left off. Shredder was defeated some time ago, and the turtles are in some form of internal and less overt disarray. I shall leave the actual circumstances vague for you to enjoy the applause-worthy realistic situation that causes the silent chaos amongst them. (And it is truly chaos indeed! Imagine Donatello working as a call center agent?!?! What?? Crazy and yet hilarious!)
Better still, the characters have remained unequivocally original.
LEO: Still the brooding, reflective, natural leader, who commands respect and gives it as well. A close-to-perfect (he’s a teenager after all…) and always-willing-to-learn student. However, he has grown a little older, and has become quietly more aggressive. The unquestionable head of the pack, he breeds both confidence and humility into the Teenage team. And he makes them all better, whether he fights side by side with them or not.
RAPH: Although to be honest, his rebellious and later repentant prodigal son character rubs me the wrong way. But that’s been the case since the cartoon series, so true to my word, the characters remain the same. Unchanged in his vigilante ways, he has taken it to the next level as he moonlights as something other than a Mutant Turtle hero. And still with that fickle old temper of his. Quite simply, he is still the most emotional and passionate of the turtles, and at times, that is pleasing to see.
DONNY: O, He of great intellect. As always, his brilliance precedes him even in this movie. His advanced thinking and maturity beyond his years has him hilariously conflicting and joshing with Michaelangelo and his childish antics. As usual, he proves invaluable to the team both as a physical and mental weapon.
MIKEY: Oh my favorite turtle. Mr. Party Machine. He remains as ever the most lovable character of all. Clearly the “bunso” of the family, more often than not, he brings their brotherly squabbles to a halt with his bright demeanor and his dualistic humor, which spans from unexpectedly witty and heartfelt and intentional TO downright funny in a blockhead and adorably corny way. Simply irreplaceable in the family and in the story, he serves as the constant punchline delivery boy... er turtle. And he never ceases to make us laugh. In fact, despite the sheer number of times he interjected one of his jokes, he crossed the line maybe just once, while sneezing heavily and over-dramatically. Everything else was just perfect to a T.
Even though the characters remain the same, they venture off into deeper and somewhat darker territory in terms of their characters, especially the “leads”. Though previously never quite the center of their adventures, their relationship as brothers now takes center stage as the formerly well-oiled fighting machine called the Ninja Turtles are at odds with each other. The seemingly fitted-for-kids movie has more adult content, emotional zing, and a lot more perspective than expected. And this movie is very funny and witty as a whole, knowing when to make fun of itself and its characters in a classy way. Plus, the traditional and always endearing family-moments and the anticipated heroics make it a movie for all ages and for ages to come.
Although I speak to you with the unabashed and violently adamant passion of a true Ninja Turtles fan, you should somehow surmise the core truth of the fact that this film is quite simply well-executed. A must see to say the least, especially for those who are children at heart and who carry with them the undying wish of becoming a Ninja Turtle with a pair of ninjaken, sai, nunchaku, or a bo. I give this a Totally Radical TURTLE GREEN LIGHT!!!!!
Key Scenes that made me go “COOOL…” Or “ANGAS…
Leonardo on a plane’s wheel… What a comeback scene!
Final Scene where they patrol the rooftops… great visuals, great voiceover!
RAIN scene… amazing! Ranks among my top three fight scenes! Sandwiched between Matrix 1 (Neo vs. Smith) and Troy (Brad Pitt vs. his vanity hahahaha).
Michaelangelo skateboarding home… Cowabunga classic! Amazing!
Everything!!!!
