TMNT (2007)

Although the initial Turtlemania wave died down at the tail end of the 1990s, the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) cartoon proved to be the adrenaline shot that the franchise needed to continue forward. As such, this would eventually lead to a new theatrical film in 2007, simply titled TMNT (TMNT 07), only this time fully animated in CG. While my first viewing was some years after the film initially released, I decided to give it another try after watching the original live-action trilogy, in part because it is meant to serve as a sequel to those films. It did make a lot more sense in this context, but it still had some issues.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

As Turtle Mania continued into the ‘90s, it was natural to follow up the success of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) film (TMNT I) with a sequel, this one coming just one year later in 1991 as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (TMNT II). Much like the first film, this was one I was vaguely aware of since childhood, but didn’t watch for the first time until around the release of the 2016 TMNT film, Out of the Shadows. After rewatching TMNT I, I decided to give TMNT II another fair shot, finding it to still be enjoyable, if weaker than the first.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

While Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) debuted in 1984 with a sleeper hit independent comic book series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it didn’t truly become a global phenomenon until it was adapted into an animated series in 1987. With Turtle Mania going strong, the next logical step would be to adapt it into a live-action film (as was the style at the time), also named Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT I), in 1990. As a kid, I was vaguely aware of this film growing up, but I never watched it until the Turtle bug bit me much later. Although my first viewing was around the release of the 2014 film, I felt like giving it another shot after attending a pre-release for the Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles expansion. Even without having any personal nostalgia for it, and it isn’t perfect, it’s easy to see why this film is so beloved and is easily the best of the original film trilogy.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

The success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has evidently had an impact on the animation industry, as it led to DreamWorks Animation taking risks with The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. This new wave of experimentation has now hit Nickelodeon, with the latest installment in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, Mutant Mayhem, featuring a unique style not seen before in other TMNT media or even any major animated films of recent memory. As a TMNT fan whose entry point was the IDW comic (and whose personal favorite iteration is the criminally-underrated Rise of the TMNT cartoon), I had mixed feelings on the announcement due to producer Seth Rogen’s reputation, though the visual style and premise were interesting enough that I still went to see it on opening day, ultimately leaving curious to see more.

2016 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

This year turned out to be a bigger year than in the last few years for me for both games and movies, though mostly movies, as there were more that I happened to be interested in seeing. As such, the following list is much longer than in previous years, to the point where I liked so many movies I split the ones I liked the most between live-action and animation. That aside, the way in which the list is presented is as normal, in that it is a collection of my favorites and disappointments of the movies and games I watched/played this year, presented in no particular order and with review links where applicable.

Top Live-Action Movies of 2016

Deadpool

To put it simply, Deadpool is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, and its timing was perfect as it takes jabs at the recent trends in superhero movies, primarily the type of movies seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Note: As a 20^th Century Fox movie, Deadpool takes place in Fox’s X-Men universe, which gets a number of shout-outs). What sets this movie apart and makes it seem fresh is that it was a smaller movie, leading it to be a scaled-down, more personal story, plus it stays extremely faithful to the source material in terms of character traits and personalities while also giving it its own identity separate from the comics. The jokes in the movie also manage to stay funny upon multiple viewings, though to prevent it from losing its humor value, it is recommended that one savor the experience like a fine wine.

10 Cloverfield Lane

As a sequel to the 2008 movie Cloverfield, I wasn’t sure what to expect since the trailers made it appear like a movie that had nothing to do with the first. What I did get out of it is a very intense psychological thriller fueled by the superb acting ability of John Goodman, which left me thinking about it for at least a week after initial viewing as I tried to grasp the nuances of the narrative. The ending promises a third Cloverfield movie, though unlike the original, this movie actually made me want to see more.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

As a prequel to the original Star Wars movie (retroactively labeled A New Hope), Rogue One achieves what the so-called Prequel Trilogy could not do entirely well and actually tell a meaningful story that ties directly to the events of the Original Trilogy. The new characters introduced in this movie are given just enough of a personality and history for the viewer to become invested in them, and the plot of obtaining the Death Star plans ultimately creates a very nicely-executed transition point to the original Star Wars that makes the two movies prime material for a double feature.

Keanu

Though I had not watched the Comedy Central series Key and Peele before seeing this movie, I thought the two actors were really funny in Keanu, where they play cousins Clarence and Rel, who end up having to pretend to be gangsters while attempting to recover a kitten that happened to previously belong to a drug lord. If, like me, the adorable kitten Keanu attracted you to watch this movie, you should stay for the laughs.

Top Animated Movies of 2016

Zootopia

When I first heard about this movie, I became intrigued by its premise and wanted to see what Disney could do with it. As it turns out, I found myself becoming very invested in its two main characters, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, as well as what I saw as infinite potential for storytelling with its setting and premise. The movie notably deals with racism in its plot, however this movie was better at addressing the subject since it did not base itself on any real-world events and the usage of anthropomorphic animals (with the racism angle being between “predator” and “prey”) helped the message it was sending be more universal without feeling forced. The movie's tie-in material helps to expand on the unique setting of the movie, and is something I really wish to see more of in the future.

Ratchet & Clank

As a fan of the Ratchet & Clank series, I was really looking forward to this movie when it was first announced. I found this movie to have delivered a solid Ratchet & Clank story, re-imagining the basic events of the original game with some interesting twists and a good amount of well-executed humor. The only problem I had with this movie was the fact that I ended up watching it in a mostly empty theater upon release, since I found this to be a good introduction to the world of Ratchet & Clank and a great animated movie in general. Hopefully it sees success through the home video market.

Kubo and the Two Strings

In terms of animation, this is Laika’s best effort to date, with many effects that will leave you wondering how they managed to pull it all off in stop motion. In terms of story, it is one that is very well-written and can actually get rather emotional at certain points. A must-see for fans of stop motion and of animation in general.

Top Games of 2016

Ratchet & Clank (2016)

In relation to the movie mentioned above, this PS4 re-imagining of the original game takes Ratchet and Clank’s origin story in an interesting new direction, both in terms of plot and gameplay. The game takes the basic mechanics introduced in the original game and combines them with all the best parts of more recent games, plus it has added replay value with the introduction of card collecting. Overall, I found this game to be far superior to the original and any prospective fan can use this game as a good jumping-on point.

Skylanders: Imaginators

In this year’s installment of the annual Skylanders game series, the ability to pilot Vehicles in SuperChargers is followed up with the highly-requested ability to create your very own Skylanders, known as Imaginators, achieved via special Creation Crystals. While this sounds really amazing, my only hesitation with actually creating a Skylander in the game is the fact that, while you have to select 1 of 10 Battle Classes before creating an Imaginator, the choice of Battle Class is applied permanently and cannot be undone without somehow resetting the Crystal (thankfully, the internet has found workarounds that don’t require buying a whole other Crystal). That aside, the game is a great improvement over previous entries, with a huge world to explore and a great deal of replay value in the collectible Imaginator Parts and Chests, in addition to the amount of customization options presented in creating Imaginators. The creation option is, at the time of this writing, also available as its own app, Skylanders Creator, allowing you to experiment freely with the customization options available and also purchase 3-D printed figures, trading cards, and T-shirts displaying your custom Imaginator. Hopefully the future of Skylanders shines bright.

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

Admittedly, what got me curious about this game was the art direction, as well as the praise that it had gotten. Sometime after its initial release, I heard about a physical edition, released as the Definitive Edition, and so waited until then (partially so I could have an excuse to use my Xbox One). While this was one of a handful of Metroidvania titles that I ended up playing this year, I found the gameplay to be interesting, though I learned the hard way that certain abilities were required in certain sections of the world, and I was well invested in the story until the end. From my understanding, the Definitive Edition includes some additional features to the base game that make it easier to play through, although the original release is also included with the Definitive Edition for those that are curious (plus it comes with a physical CD of the soundtrack).

Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls

I became a fan of Yo-kai Watch, about spirits that affect people’s lives by inspiriting them, through the anime airing on Disney XD (at the time of this writing), and so became somewhat interested in the game. Though I have not completed the main story at the time of this writing (I have gone through a good majority of it), I was able to get into it since I had previously seen Yo-kai Watch: The Movie, for which this game and its counterpart, Bony Spirits, are the source material. That aside, the game has an interesting combat system, involving a party of 6 Yo-kai split between front and back rows, and the Yo-kai themselves are fairly memorable due to each one having their own personality.

Top Disappointments of 2016

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

This movie is what you get when you hype up a sequel to Man of Steel and take too long to get it off the ground. The pacing was extremely slow to the point where I was constantly checking my watch every 10 minutes, plus it was difficult to follow along with what was happening since it seemed like the plots of 2 or 3 other movies were crammed into one in an attempt to establish the idea of the DC Extended Universe. Incidentally, the actual fight that was hyped up all this time only lasts for 10 minutes within the last 30 minutes of the movie and with absolutely no payoff, making me feel like I had essentially wasted my time. There are hints of what’s to come in the DC Extended Universe, which I want to all be better than this movie.

Suicide Squad

While certainly an improvement over Batman v Superman, it’s really not saying that much in the grand scheme of things. This movie felt as though DC and Warner Brothers were trying to copy the successful Guardians of the Galaxy, by developing a more ragtag group of characters to the tune of older music against a theoretically more light-hearted story, and falling short of that endeavor. Whereas Guardians succeeded in developing all five of its main characters enough to where you understood who those characters were, Suicide Squad only really focused on Harley Quinn and Deadshot most of the time, plus the editing of the movie makes its events really hard to follow (not to mention scenes involving the Joker don’t really have much of a payoff). My only hope is that the first 3 installments of the DC Extended Universe so far, including this one, do not set a permanent precedent of the rest of the franchise.

Warcraft

Unlike Ratchet & Clank, I came into this movie as a non-fan hoping the story would be able to stand on its own, and also because it was directed by Duncan Jones (son of the late David Bowie), and I left rather disappointed. While I can agree that it looks accurate to the games (from what I have seen of them), the plot requires you to have prior knowledge of Warcraft lore to able to follow along, plus I found myself getting lost with all the unusual character names (some of which get somewhat obscured by prop Orc teeth) as well as the Orcs generally looking rather similar to each other. In short, if you are looking for a good introduction to Warcraft lore that doesn’t just drop you in the middle of everything, look elsewhere.

Ice Age: Collision Course

If you ever needed evidence that the Ice Age franchise has been running for too long, this movie would be it. I will admit I felt a little confused by a sudden increase in characters because I managed to skip the fourth installment, Continental Drift, however even with that, I could not get into the inherent wackiness of this particular movie, partially because of its odd pacing and the out-of-place references to modern times, as though there wasn’t much thought put into delivering a good story (not to mention the weird focus on jokes involving male nipples). The only reason to watch this movie is for Scrat, and even then, it still had me wishing the plot-important meteor would actually hit the Earth and finally end the Ice Age.

The Secret Life of Pets

Since animation studio Illumination made the great Despicable Me, the original movie so far being the best the franchise, I wanted to like this movie despite what the trailers had shown (not to mention their overuse of “Bounce” by System of a Down). Rather disappointingly, all of the potentially good moments in the movie were in said trailers, and my enthusiasm for those moments waned due to overuse in advertising, plus the story is essentially a rehash of Toy Story, except with animals in place of children’s toys (Toy Story also did it better). Not seen in the trailers, the movie also gets surprisingly dark at times, which justifies (and possibly stretches) the PG rating. I want success for the studio’s upcoming Despicable Me 3, though I’m also a bit on the fence about watching Sing after having seen Pets.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan

As a recent convert to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles via the IDW Publishing comic, it was really nice to see how well TMNT artist Mateus Santalouco’s art style was able to translate to 3D, and combined with the writing and voice acting felt like seeing the comic come to life. While the gameplay itself was actually pretty interesting, including the ability to switch between the four turtles at will, the main thing that makes this a disappointment is that, compared to the prior Platinum game Transformers: Devastation, this game felt like it was a bit short on the story side and it didn’t feel like it had much replay value outside the main story and the ability to collect comic book covers. For what it is though, the ride is fun while it lasts.

Honorable Mentions

Seasons after Fall

As with Ori and the Blind Forest, this is a game where the main draw for me was the art direction, as well as, in this case, the core gameplay mechanic of being able to control the four Seasons to solve puzzles. Not only did this game deliver on both fronts, it also presented a rather interesting mythos involving the way the Seasons work in-universe. Though it did get a little difficult at times, mainly in finding whatever was required for 100% story completion, I still had a good time playing this game.

Stories: The Path of Destinies

Another game where I was attracted to the art direction, what I got was a hack-and-slash containing elements of a choose-your-own adventure book, where you have to play through the game enough times to figure out the Truths within the narrative and be able to get the best ending. The gameplay does admittedly get a bit repetitive after a while, however it is worth exploring each level as much as you can, plus I got very invested in the story and wanted to see how it would all actually play out. For those like me that prefer physical media, it has been released as a physical game disc for PC by way of a partnership between Indiebox and GameTrust, GameStop’s new game publishing arm.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

After the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), directed by Jonathan Liebesman, it only seemed natural that a sequel would soon follow. This sequel has now materialized as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, directed by Dave Green. As seems to be common with blockbuster franchises, Out of the Shadows has a much larger scope than its predecessor, featuring a larger cast and clocking in at nearly two hours. Though the end result feels sillier in some ways, it does somehow manage to balance these elements into an enjoyable viewing.

One year after the events of the previous film, the evil Shredder (Brian Tee) is being transported, by corrections officer Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) to a higher security prison along with the prisoners Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Sheamus). The Foot Clan attempt to break Shredder out of the transport vehicle, only for the Turtles to thwart the effort but fail to capture Shredder themselves. After this escape, Shredder collaborates with Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) to enact a larger scale plan than simply taking over New York, also enlisting the aid of Bebop and Rocksteady. Meanwhile, Casey Jones sets out on a quest to redeem himself by tracking and capturing Bebop and Rocksteady, as they had escaped his custody with Shredder. At the same time, April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and the Turtles work to investigate TCRI, where Baxter Stockman works, and bring down Shredder while resolving a family dilemma. While Leonardo (Pete Ploszek) and Donatello (Jeremy Howard) are content with staying within the shadows, Raphael (Alan Ritchson) and Michelangelo (Noel Fisher) long to be accepted by the humans outside of their small circle.

Casey Jones as portrayed by Stephen Amell.

The general story seeks to embrace the inherently silly nature of the Turtles brand while also striking a balance with the more generally serious aspect of the Mirage and IDW comics series. Overall it seems to succeed, taking itself just seriously enough to further develop the Turtles and deal with their struggle to remain silent protectors of the city while remaining lighthearted enough for the many situations and character interactions to be more upbeat and fun. Despite the numerous subplots and new character introductions, the movie also manages to be pretty easy to follow and maintain the viewer’s attention. However, at least a couple of smaller scenes fall apart a little when you think about them and at least one plot thread seems to go unresolved, though perhaps a potential third installment would take these into account.

One area which received improvement is the special effects, which are rather impressive and contain plenty of small details, including a humorous moment where Bebop, as a mutant Warthog, is finishing off a strand of spaghetti; you can see the strand unwind twice around one of his tusks before whipping his eyes and finally ending in his mouth, complete with sauce stains. In addition, there are some small Easter eggs for fans, including a subtle use of a turtle head from the 1987 cartoon. The designs of the Turtles also seem more streamlined this time, with less bulky equipment, and the action is fast paced, featuring more application of ninja moves. There are also some creative setpieces, which are woven pretty naturally into the context of the story.

Also good is the acting, particularly notable with the larger cast size. The four Turtle actors are very good at distinguishing the personalities of each character from each other as well as establish a unique and engaging dynamic between the brothers and their master/father Splinter (voiced by Tony Shalhoub; motion-capture by Peter D. Badalamenti). Gary Anthony Williams and Sheamus also do a great job portraying Bebop and Rocksteady as total bros who are able to stay optimistic despite everything that gets thrown their way. One interesting performance comes from Will Arnett, returning as Vern Fenwick. It would be easy for him to be portrayed in such a way as to get grating, but Arnett manages to play him in a more balanced way, remaining in character while not being obnoxious and making him a good source of the film’s humor.

Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Sheamus) share a humorous "bro" dynamic.

While not a fantastic movie, Out of the Shadows is an overall better installment than its predecessor. This is achieved by engaging performances, action which never leaves a dull moment and an easy-to-follow story despite the higher amount of new characters and subplots. What also helps is the improved special effects and the increased number of laugh-out-loud moments mined from the mostly smart sense of humor found in the dialogue and character interactions. Though not the best film to come out this year, it’s one which will entertain Turtle fans old and new, as well as those who simply want to have a good time in the theater this summer.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) - Heroes In A Half-Shell

In 1984, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird released a comic through their Mirage Studios label titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT/Turtles/Ninja Turtles). Released with low expectations, the comic ended up becoming a massive mega-hit, leading to a highly successful animated series in 1987 that spawned a massive media juggernaut that continues to this day, which among other things has included a musical production, a plethora of video games, and numerous pizza promotions. Though there have been other iterations of the Turtles on TV over the years, including another animated series in 2003 and a new one that began in 2012, as well as the live action 1997 series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (do not bring this one up to Peter Laird), comics have continued to be published beyond its time with Mirage, including the likes of Archie, Image, Dreamwave and, currently, IDW Publishing. The Ninja Turtles are no stranger to movies either, as they have had a live-action film in 1990 that was followed up by two sequels (II: The Secret of the Ooze and III, the latter of which has been mistakenly referred to as Turtles in Time), a separate CG animated feature in 2007 called TMNT and a new one this year, simply named Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the subject of this review.

As a bit of a disclosure, my personal interest in the Ninja Turtles brand began not with any of the cartoon series’, though I have been aware of them, but with the IDW comic series in 2011, which has heavy involvement from Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman. When I heard about this comic I became mildly curious about it, since at the time I was hearing a lot about the TMNT franchise in general. So when I saw the first issue of the IDW comic on the rack at my local comic shop, I decided to pick it up, managing to get covers A through D in the process since they go together, just to so I could see what all the fuss was about. To this day, I have yet to regret this decision. While the series also has a handful of mini-series tying into it in addition to one or two Annuals, it is actually a very well-written series that I would not only recommend to existing Turtles fans, but also to newcomers (like me) as an excellent jumping-on point; there’s another TMNT comic from IDW based on the 2012 cartoon from Nickelodeon, but I have not read it since I haven’t been watching the show. In any case, it is because of the IDW comic that I have grown somewhat interested in Ninja Turtles lore, and though I have become mildly curious about past cartoon series due to the positive feedback that I have heard about it and have since read and enjoyed a reprint from Comic-Con of the first issue of the original Mirage comic, I have decided to finally branch off into other parts of the franchise starting with the new movie, directed by Jonathan Liebesman. After seeing a free 3D screening of it at Paramount Pictures, I found myself actually enjoying it.

If you haven't already, go read this. (Pictured: IDW comic #1, Covers A-D combined.)

In New York, a mysterious group known as the Foot Clan has been causing a lot of trouble, making it a common news item. April O’Neil (Megan Fox) is a reporter for one such news station, Channel 6, though she tries to do what it takes to dig deeper into the case. One night while walking around, after reporting what she considered an underwhelming news story that day, April happens upon the Foot Clan committing a robbery and decides to try and get a closer look. As she tries to gather evidence, a mysterious group takes down the Foot, though she believes to have only seen one. In the end, the best evidence she can gather is a picture of a set of Japanese Kanji on the side of a shipping container; when April attempts to relay this experience later that night to her roommate and the next day to others at Channel 6, including her boss Bernadette Thompson (Whoopi Goldberg), they all think she’s crazy. Later, when driving around with co-worker Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett) in a news van, April sees people running from the subway and goes to check it out. It turns out to be the Foot, led by Karai (Minae Noji), taking people hostage. When April tries to sneak a photo, she is spotted by the Foot and about to be shot, only for the mysterious strangers from before to emerge from a passing subway train and rescue the hostages. Not long after, April hears the group talking amongst themselves on a rooftop, climbing up the fire escape and taking a picture, causing them to take action and their appearance causing her to faint. When she comes to, the group of four, Leonardo (Pete Ploszek for mo-cap, Johnny Knoxville for voice), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), and Raphael (Alan Ritchson), introduce themselves to her as being “teenagers”, “mutants”, “ninjas”, and “turtles”, letting her go after erasing her evidence so long as she promises not to tell anyone.

April O'Neil (Megan Fox) meeting the Turtles for the first time (Leonardo pictured).

The story, while not perfect, is actually pretty well-written and does a good job with the Turtles’ origin story and the handling of familiar characters. Having read the IDW comics released so far, the backstory of the Turtles made me think of said comic, as well as how April O’Neil relates to them. The personalities of each Ninja Turtle are also very distinct and stay true to previous incarnations, as with characters such as Splinter (Danny Woodburn for mo-cap, Tony Shalhoub for voice). Aside from the lone instance of crude humor in the entire film (a single fart joke), the movie has a great sense of humor that helps keep the story from taking itself too seriously. Some of the jokes are small cultural references, but they are worked in such that they feel natural and add to the humor value without detracting from the experience. When it comes to important plot points, the movie doesn’t go out of its way to hammer them into your head; rather they feel natural and come up in such a way that they make sense. The story admittedly has a few minor issues though, but it is rather enjoyable anyway.

The acting is another positive, which aids the quality of the storytelling. Megan Fox does a pretty good job portraying April O’Neil and the voice actors for each of the Turtles and Splinter really sell their respective personalities. William Fichtner plays the human character Eric Sacks well (no spoilers) and Will Arnett does a good job portraying April’s co-worker Vernon Fenwick without taking away from the experience. It is a little odd that, of the five mutants present in the movie, Leonardo and Splinter are the only ones whose motion capture and voice actors are different, but this fact didn’t really bother me.

The special effects are pulled off rather spectacularly, with the Turtles and Splinter worked seamlessly into the movie, as if they had a physical presence rather than being obvious CG effects (the mo-cap work from the actors probably helps). This goes hand-in-hand with the action sequences, which are excellently framed and provide a good amount of thrills. A stand-out example is a sequence shown in the trailers where the Turtles have a battle with the Foot while sliding down a snow bank, which flows really well and has a good amount of creativity put into it. I also liked the effects applied to Shredder’s armor in this version of the story, though without giving it away there is one rather creative addition that has not been seen in previous iterations (from what I have seen).

Shredder (Tohoru Masamune) as he appears in the movie.
(Splinter is in the foreground.)

The music, composed by Brian Tyler (ex. Transformers: Prime, Thor: The Dark World, John Dies at the End), helps give the movie some amount of depth as it knows how to set the tone of a scene without becoming intrusive, something Tyler has shown he knows how to do well. There is also an original song in the movie called Shell Shocked by Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign, and Juicy J feat. Kill the Noise and Madsonik, which, while not exactly anything to write home about, does admittedly kind of grow on you after a few listens. There’s also a rather hilarious use of a familiar song by The Turtles (see what they did there?), but I don’t want to ruin the context for anyone that hasn’t seen the movie yet.

While not perfect, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) is a good representation of TMNT lore and an all-around fun movie to watch. The story and acting are good, the action is amazing, and the humor gives the whole thing a more light-hearted tone (in a good way). Fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in any capacity should give this movie a try, though it also proves a worthy jumping-on point for newcomers to the franchise (my parents, who also enjoyed this movie, had never had any previous first-hand experience with anything TMNT related). While I wouldn’t do so right away, this is a movie I wouldn’t mind seeing again, and if the inevitable sequel is made from this continuity, I wouldn’t mind seeing that either.