TMNT

Released in theaters March 23, 2007

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is better than you remembered as a youth, closer to the teenage violence respects P-13, and a good family movie. Really.

TMNT was a huge hit in the youngest of the Generation X group. Hitting the comic book scene in the early 80's using a start up printer with black and white pages was huge gamble. The pay off came when the dialog and interactions became more important than martial arts and skateboards. The comic craze led to three live action movies and a popular cartoon. Not to mention the slice of the pie going to skate board manufacturer, martial arts dojo's and eventually at least once, the emergency room.

The CGI adaption of the turtles is great. All the characters are great, though a bit obscure. However the new invention of the turtles is quite clever and the preview of the new Jerry Seinfeld movie 'Bee Movie' hits it right on the head. In the preview it shows a real Jerry dressed as a bee, hanging over a huge flower pot and swinging out of control. Frustrated he decides to make it a cartoon so he doesn't kill himself and the entire scene played out live is then shown animated and the animated Jerry /Bee is flying through cars and dodging explosions and bears commenting on how you couldn't do this live.

In the beginning four turtle brothers are covered in radioactive ooze and along with a rat grow into human size characters. The rat, Splinter, was the pet of a ninja master teaches his students the art of Ninjitsu. The are named after four artists, Raphael, Michaelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello. Each brother has their own strengths and weakness but the main energy is between leader Leo and hot head Raphael.

The movie actually starts with a decent review of TMNT history and begins with the brothers separated; Leonardo has left to gain new insights on being a leader. In a leaderless vacuum the other turtles become extreme examples of their strengths; intelligent, vigilant, enthusiasm. When Leonardo returns he must bring his brothers back together as a fighting team.

Meanwhile an immortal is attempting to change the world and using his family and familiar enemies of the turtles, begins amassing thirteen mystical creatures. Thankfully these scenes are long enough to bring some much needed action but brief enough to get the kids back to turtle screen time. It is very important for a four year old boy to see the turtles in every frame or you get the dreaded repetition of, "Where's the turtles daddy?"

The climax of the movie is really the showdown between Raphael and Leonardo over what direction the team will take and its filmed in a CGI rain storm that is as good as fight scene as anything you will see. The third act fight in the finale shows one family coming together while another is being torn apart.

Very much a family movie that appeals to kids and adults. CGI has come a long way in just a few years and it is a pleasure to watch now. Great skateboard effects, tremendously fun to watch the fluid movements. Villains that are not really villains but scary for toddlers. Great set up for a second movie which I think is pretty much a given with based on the opening weekend take of $24 million and the movie only cost $34 million. Another weekend like that based on good word of mouth and by end of the month production and marketing will be paid for and Warner Brothers will be in the black.

Mighty Mo loved it. Especially all the sword fighting. At four years old he was not scared at all but did want to constantly see the turtles, not an uncommon comment in the theater.