Today, in this blog post, we'll talk about if there's a good reason for totally being upset . . . or if we're just whining for the sake of whining. I, for one, am excited for this movie. Sure, the people behind this movie may not have the best track record. And, sure, we may not get the best movie in the whole wide world.
But these are the turtles. And I love the turtles. So the question here today is: Are the turtles in this movie the turtles we all know and love? Are they staying true to what has happened in the past? Or are these turtles WAY off base from anything we've ever seen?
I'll talk about all the controversial subjects along the way, so please join me for the ride.
April O'Neil and the Sex Appeal (A Megan Fox Story)
Let's start out with this controversial subject. Hmm.
When it was first announced Megan Fox would play April O'Neil, I was super disappointed. As Peter Laird has said, "I think it's safe to say that there are probably hundreds of better choices for the role". Amen to that, Peter.
April O'Neil isn't meant to be a sex icon, but that's basically all Megan Fox is known for. Her acting chops haven't been the best in previous films. The only reason she gets those parts are for her looks and sex appeal. It's to bring men into the audience to have something to lust over. That's not who April O'Neil is. April O'Neil doesn't care about looking 'sexy' or 'hot'. Her goal isn't to draw in the men. She would rather just hang out with some mutant turtles.
Don't believe me, that April doesn't exactly care about her looks? Check out the beginning of this episode:
Those were my thoughts when I heard she was originally cast. But then set pictures released, and I saw (from what we could see, at least) that it wasn't blatantly obvious that they were using April as a tool to get men in the theaters. She wore modest clothing (instead of the clothes she wore in Transformers), and that started giving me a little hope. (Except that trampoline scene is obviously in there for certain reasons.)
From set pictures, it looked like April was a true reporter. And since the movie has a lot of inspirations from the 1987 cartoon, that's pretty cool. But, still, I would've much had someone else as April. (There were at least three other actresses up for the part: Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Olsen, and Jane Levy. I would've LOVED if Jane Levy played April, since I had already thought of her to play that part before this information was released. She just strikes me as April.) But, if they are going to take that blatant sex appeal away and focus more on personality and character, than I'm going to be more excited to see Megan Fox as April, if I would have preferred a different actress.
Then the teaser was released. There was nothing that raged a passionate fire full of hate inside of my soul regarding Megan Fox in it, and I thought she was fine.
Also, recently, an EW interview with Megan Fox was released about TMNT. When I read it, my spirits lifted about April in this movie a few notches. Here's why:
1.) She's a big fan of TMNT. Sure, we already knew that, but it's awesome to see a fan of the franchise jump in as a role. Alan Ritchinson (Raph) doesn't care at all for the source material, but here we have Megan Fox, who is a fan of it. That's cool, and hopefully it inspirers her to strive to doing well at her role.
2.) "She's more of a leader when she explores her relationship with the turtles instead of just the human companion that gets dragged along on the adventure." This is something great, and something the 1987 show kind of fell flat on. April, episode after episode, usually got in the way and was used as a plot device (damsel in distress). She was bold and confident, but wasn't THAT important to the particular situation in certain episodes. But if, in this movie, April is actually important to the story (the April we all know and love) and isn't used as a plot device to move the story along, that's really cool. And I'm excited to see that.
3.) Also, Megan Fox is "completely clothed the entire movie...Jonathan" [Liebesman, the director] "was really insistent on not wanting her" [April] "to be sexualized or to take that sort of typical role we've seen women take in movies thus far, and that I've" [Megan Fox] "taken in particular." That is super awesome, and broadens my hope on a characterized interpretation of April.
I think we should give Megan Fox a chance. Is she the best actress? Nope. But let's hope she's learned some things in her career and brings her 'A game' to the movie.
Boom! Pow! Whoosh! (A Michael Bay Story)
Transformers? Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen? Transformers: Dark of the Moon? Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell II? Yes, these are all on Michael Bay's resume. And let me tell you, a lot of people ... really don't like his work. Why is that? Well, regarding the Transformers movies, which are the best to compare to this TMNT movie (sorry Meat Loaf), it's a few things. His main characters are the humans, not the creatures/objects the movie was named after. The numerous explosions. The subpar plot.
But will this TMNT movie have the same problems as Transformers? And are some of these subjects even problems? That's what I'm going to talk about in this section.
Let's address 'the movie focusing on the humans more than the turtles'. Actually, I don't have a problem with this. Blasphemy, you say? Well, you didn't let me finish. I don't have a problem with this IF DONE RIGHT. There's so many different stories in the TMNT universe regarding humans, and that's awesome (especially April and Casey, but we'll just focus on April since she's the only one in this movie). If the main reason they want the humans to guide the story (starts out with April, who then discovers the turtles) rather than the turtles guiding the story (starts out with the turtles, who then discover humans) is to help the audience member relate to the story, I'm fine with that. And it's a cool different take on it. It follows April's journey, how she is before she meets these mutant turtles and then after.
However, there can be the problem of the humans taking too much screen time away from the turtles. It is a turtles movie, and having us see the discovery of the turtles through April's eyes shouldn't take away from the experience of this being a turtles movie. Also, the humans (April and Vernon) shouldn't be TOO important. I said when I was discussing April in the category above that it'd be nice to have her be more important. But we shouldn't have her (or Vernon) be TOO important.
What do I mean by that? In the original 'Blue Door' script (which I'm about to read soon, and for those of you who don't know, this is the original script for the movie, where the turtles are aliens from a turtle race and the movie is very focused on Casey and April), April and Casey are the ones who defeat Shredder. Not the turtles. That's TOO important. That takes away from the experience of it being a turtles movie. The humans (Vernon and April) aren't meant to be that important. Yes, they can help out in the fight. But they shouldn't be defeating the enemies. See what I mean?
So I have no problem with April guiding the story, as long as it doesn't go too far.
Next is the EXPLOSIONS. This is one subject everyone likes to talk about in Michael Bay films. And I totally get it. Have you seen the SuperBowl trailer for Transformers 4? Bunch of explosions, you can't even count them! (Okay, I may be exaggerating a little.)
But here's the real question: Are explosions necessarily a bad thing?
My answer: No. It all depends on the way you use them. The explosions have to make sense in the story that you're telling. They shouldn't just be there for the sake of being there. If an explosion is relevant to what's going on, I'm definitely fine with it. (But that doesn't mean you have to go overkill.) As long as they do this, I think it'll be fine. (And there weren't any outlandish explosions in the TMNT teaser we got [like the SuperBowl trailer for Transformers 4].)
Plus, there's been NUMEROUS explosions throughout the Ninja Turtles franchise.
Don't believe me?
And that's only from three Mirage issues, two 2003 episodes, one 1987 episode, and one Nickelodeon episode.
Next is the 'subpar plot' that I've heard people complain about Michael Bay's Transformers movies. (I have to admit right here, I haven't seen one single Transformer movie yet, so I'm not going to say I have an opinion on it and accuse it of something when I haven't seen it at all, so this is based off of what others have said.) A lot of that has to do with the writers, but guess what? Michael Bay gives the go on the script. He, from what I've seen, also gives a lot of input into the things he makes. He doesn't just direct a film, he makes his mark on the visual AND the story.
But that's when he's directing. Michael Bay is PRODUCING this movie. And keep in mind the wheels of TMNT were being set in motion as the wheels of Transformers 4 was also being set in motion, which Michael Bay is DIRECTING. Which movie do you think Michael Bay is going to be more focused on? His baby, Transformers.
I really don't think that Michael Bay was waist deep in this film, giving his input and changing things up. I think he gave his blessing, some tips and advice (I'm sure he changed some things too ['bigger and better', more on that later]), and left this TMNT movie to others while he was occupied on Transformers. That means we have to trust the writers of this film and Jonathan Liebesman. But are they really a step up from Michael Bay?
Shaky Cameras, Awkward Close-ups, and Repetitive Praise (A TMNT Crew Story)
Jonathan Liebesman, the director of Battle Los Angeles, is directing the new TMNT movie. Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec, the writers of the alien-based TMNT 'Blue Door' script, are still on board writing this movie. How is this good?
Looking back into the past, it really isn't.
Let's just hope Jonathan Liebesman has learned from mistakes he's made in the past, and brings his 'A game' (just like Megan Fox) to the film. From what I've heard, Jonathan seems to be a fan of the turtles, which is good. And the teaser we were given didn't display anything that I thought was cringe-worthy (except those two fast, awkward zoom in/close ups into April, and later April and Vernon), so his directing in this may be just fine. The cinematography really doesn't look bad (so far), and that's good. Not witnessing much shaky camera either (which has been a problem with his previous films [or so I've heard]), so I'm holding out hope, and that's what I suggest you do too. Jonathan has yet to prove himself as a great director, so hopefully he steps it up this film and shows us how talented he really is (and let's hope he's insanely talented). I may seem harsh on Jonathan, and I admit I haven't seen any of his movies, but I'm basing my opinion on what others around me have said. (Don't try that at home, kids.)
Now let's address Josh and Andre, the writers of this screenplay. First of all, they've done EVERYTHING together. IMDb shows the exact same things on their resumes. Which is really weird. Hopefully they've already learned each others strengths and weaknesses, and they work as a productive team. Their most substantial achievement is writing the screenplay for Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, which has a 7.4 score on IMDb.
However, later in the process of writing the screenplay, a more noteworthy writer joined the project: Evan Daugherty (who wrote the screenplays of Divergent, Killing Season, and Snow White and the Huntsman). Let's hope he added a cool mix to the film. His more professional resume alone gives hope that he gave TMNT a little spice, even if his movies haven't gotten praised with repetition.
Recently, there was an interview with Andre about the script, and ultimately, the movie. It's a HUGE interview, but what did we discover? Actually, about absolutely nothing. Andre avoids and snakes around most questions, but something he really touches on is the characters. Who they are and how they act.
And what we find is that they are staying true to the source material. Each turtle sounds like himself. They still have their personality, their character. April is still the same girl (personality, anyway) as the 1987 show's determined reporter.
The turtles personalities are a key element to any TMNT story. Take it away, and it doesn't feel the same. There can be an intriguing story, a cool setting, a stunning visual. But do you know what we really all fell in love with when we first discovered the turtles? It's the characters themselves. Who they are, how they act, what they do. It would've never been the same without them if you would just take that away.
So this story may be very different, but if it has the same turtles that we love in other incarnations, shouldn't we give it a chance? We may be very surprised at what we see, and see that these turtles DO fit in the story this movie is trying to tell.
But the question is if this truly is a movie that fits into what we all know and love.
So let's address the origin and plot, and see if this movie has more than just the same characters and personalities we enjoy seeing.
The [Deceptive?] Origin (A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Story)
"Heroes aren't born . . . they're created."
So it looks like in this movie version of the turtles, the turtles are created. Not caused by an accident. Some people think the trailer implies that Shredder is the one who creates the turtles (which I kind of got that feeling too). Also, Shredder created the turtles with April's father. Some people even go as far to say that April's father will be Splinter.
Now, trailers can be deceiving and misleading. Bunch of cuts and voice overs are thrown together, making us draw conclusions that may or may not be true. Don't exactly understand what I'm saying? Let's give the example of Eric Sachs telling April "that's what your father and I were trying to do" after a long monologue from Sachs. The teaser makes you BELIEVE Sachs is talking to April (which may very well be true). But why do we assume this? We were shown April in that room, and then Eric and April in the room, and now we have a close up of Sachs saying this. It's obviously the same scene, right? Wrong. Trailers can be tricky like that. For all we know, Eric Sachs saying "that's what your father and I were trying to do" may be a whole different scene! And totally separate from the whole speech he gave in the voice overs! It doesn't show April in the same frame as he says his line, and in the way the trailer was done, we don't know 100% that's the same scene.
Long story short, it's hard to conclude a lot of evidence from teaser trailers like these. When they jump around, showing different things as people say certain things, we assume things without certainly knowing them. We're left guessing, or left assuming (and, don't get me wrong, those assumptions may be right. Sometimes studios don't try to mislead us at all. But sometimes they do.).
So when I talk about these turtles 'origin' and what will be in this movie, I am basing it off of the assumptions the trailers made me and millions of others believe. Once we get more trailers and eventually the film, we will know if the teaser led us down a path of truth or of Hollywood deception.
The trailer leads us to believe that the turtles are created. Created by Shredder. Now is this a bad thing? A good thing? I think it's all up to personal preference, but I'm going to give mine. We've seen the turtles accidentally created over and over. Now, that's not a bad thing. But this movie is trying to set itself apart to be different. When we go into this movie, we need to realize that there will be change. And I suggest being open to change ... depending on the change that is made.
Not all change is a good thing. Turtles as aliens? Now that's too far. That changes who the Teenage MUTANT Ninja Turtles are. But changing the turtles creation from accidental to purposeful? It could be good, if done right. We already know what happens when the turtles are accidentally created. We already have a movie like that. They want to explore a new option, a new scenario, and if the Shredder creates the turtles, I'm fine with that. It begs the question WHY? Why does the evil Shredder create hero turtles?
Good question. The teaser actually seems to sell him more as a good guy. That throws a lot of people off. Except, think about it. Eric Sachs (the public 'savior' of the town, who acts all good and has influences on everything everywhere) is talking to April O'Neil (a reporter who will report anything he says) about the hero turtles he made with her father (which it sounds like he made them to save the city). Would this menace uncover his 'wolf in sheep's clothing' scam by displaying his true motives to a reporter? No. He's full of lies in this trailer, and that's a trait from Shredder that is very iconic. (It's very iconic in almost any baddie.)
Some people are disappointed that April's father was involved in the making of the turtles. "Everything has to be connected nowadays", they say. But this movie isn't the first turtles incarnation to connect April to the turtles in some other way than just a friend. In the IDW comics, April's father helped make the ooze/mutagen that made the turtles who they are today. April's father was connected to the origins of the turtles, and supposedly so is April's father in this movie. And even April was working alongside the turtles before they were mutated.
"April's dad is Splinter!" people say (another stretched assumption). The trailer didn't show Splinter. So where is he? If the turtles were created by Shredder, where did Splinter come from? How does he fit into the story? Does he help create the turtles because he thinks they'll be used for good, but finds out that Eric Sachs actually wants to use them as pawns for his plans, and accidentally or purposely mutates himself and trains the turtles up in the good ways of martial arts, so they won't ever be used for Shredder?
If this large assumption turns out to be true, I don't know what to think. It's definitely a change that could ... grow on me. Or maybe not. I don't know. It all depends on how it's done. But how does April's dad know martial arts? How is he mutated? Why is he trying to help or train the turtles? I would definitely agree with the complaint that everything is TOO connected nowadays regarding this subject. It's changing the story just to make things tie up better into a little bow. I don't really want to see Splinter as April's father, but depending on how they go about it, it may surprise me. It may be good. However, this is a huge assumption, and is probably way off base.
We've seen bits and pieces of the turtles origins, but we haven't seen the big picture yet. Before jumping to outlandish conclusions, we should wait for more details in future trailers, set pictures, clips, and interviews. And if our assumptions are correct? I, personally, don't think these changes are half bad (well, maybe the Splinter one), and am excited to see the direction they take. We're not getting aliens (or are we?), so we need to chill out and not judge the movie just because of a grudge against the people behind it or things that have happened in the past that don't attain to the here and now.
The Size, The Clothes, The Look
In this movie, we have a very big departure from the turtles we all know visually. In almost every version of the turtles, the turtles are short and they're kind of cute. That's not this movie. Now we have huge, bulky turtles who wear clothes (or at least loin cloths) and are...less cute. I can't tell you these designs are good, that's something you have to decide for yourself. But what I can do is show you this has been done before.
First up, the clothing argument. Leo will be wearing armor (along with a loin cloth), Don wearing some tech on his back (along with some other coverings, including a loin cloth), Raph wearing a traditional loin cloth (and that's pretty much it), and Mikey wears a sweatshirt around his waist. When I heard about the turtles wearing clothing (especially loin cloths, which means...there will probably be some Michael Bay joke), I wasn't that happy (surprisingly, the armor ticked me off the most. Why does a turtle need armor?). But looking back in the past, I've realized this has been done before.
Also, we have HUGE turtles. And some people like to say they're ugly. This, also, has been explored before.
It's definitely happened before. TMNT has gone through different fazes and different interpretations. Michael Bay wants bigger and better. And even though I would prefer the turtles being small and stealthy (since that's what ninjas are), I'll step back and accept this movie for what it is. This is a different take on the turtles, and it should be interesting to see where they go with it. It's a different take, and I'm open to this, and excited to see how the 'ninja' aspect is included in this movie.
Looks can easily be accepted if we are open to them. Their looks aren't THAT big of an issue. They're mutated turtles. Don't you think they would be somewhat ugly? And if you truly don't like it, that's fine. But this movie hasn't "raped your childhood". The making of a new movie doesn't change anything that has been done in the past. Those shows and comics are still there, and this movie hasn't changed the appeal you had to that show in the first place. So everyone needs to settle down. Don't like it? Don't watch it. It's as simple as that, but if you know someone who's excited for the film, don't try to drag their hopes down with you. Let them make up their minds for themselves.
The White Shredder Situation (The Whitewash)
The original Shredder, in the Mirage days, was a Japanese boy who grew up to avenge the death of his brother, who was killed by Hamato Yoshi. In the 1987 toon, Shredder was the one who was always trying to achieve more than his Japenese competition in his clan, Hamato Yoshi. In the 2003 cartoon, he ended up as an alien Utrom, out for revenge against his race, who could care less about the insignificant turtles and rat who set out against him.
There have definitely been different versions of the Shredder. From bumbling idiot to determined assassin, he has always been Shredder. He's gone through so many changes, and yet, people still love him. And why? Cause deep down, he is set out to destroy the turtles.
I, too, am disappointed about how they took out the whole japan story (or did they?) and totally whitewashed Shredder, along with his loyal clan. But we all have to remember, this is a different take on the turtles. This isn't a remake, it's a reboot.
I'm up for seeing a new take on Shredder, as long as, ultimately, it's the same character we know and love. There has to be a reason that Shredder puts on that Japanese armor, why these Foot are called a 'clan', why this white dude knows how to perform martial arts.
And let's think about this for a moment. I'm no Japan expert, but are there really ninja clans in Japan? Ninja clans that rise up, move to New York City, and try to wreak havoc? Just think on that for a moment.
I'm really hoping this movie brings something new and interesting to the table, in this Shredder area. There's been rumors that, in this film, Shredder will be an Utrom (or, he'll be Krang). As a big fan of the 2003 series, I'm totally excited for that (if true). It'll be awesome to see on the big screen. (Actually, people have possibly spotted an Utrom/Krang in the trailer. But more on that next Sewer Sirens Podcast episode.)
The Mysterious Plot
"The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick to save the city and unravel Shredder's diabolical plot."
That is the official synopsis of this TMNT movie ... and let me say, it's very bland. I'm sure a more detailed description will come out later.
But this, and the teaser, is all we have to go on regarding what this movie will be about. And that's not much. (And, remember, we have a lot of assumptions.) Let's talk about a few things that this movie has for us that we didn't really cover.
Shredder / Eric Sachs has his control over the city. Now, I've always liked this route, where the villain has control and influence over everyone, and everybody thinks that he is legitimately good. For those of you who don't know, Oroku Saki had control over NYC in the 2003 series, season three.
So why does he create mutant turtles? Maybe he has stated to the public he wants to use them for good. To clean up the city. But in reality, he has his own plans. Then the turtles went rogue, and they're 'bad', and now he has to recover what he has lost. Or maybe he kept the experiment under wraps the whole time, and once evidence of the experiment leaked, he covered it up with lies. Or maybe he doesn't take credit for it at all.
Also, there's the Foot Clan. And they look a lot more like military guys then ninjas. They have weird masks and outfits, and it should be interesting to find out more about them. But for the people disappointed with this 'departure from source material', saying that the Foot Clan is 100% ninja, I have something to show you.
This is from the 'Return to New York' arc in the Mirage comics, written by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman themselves. The ninjas used guns, even though their ninjas. This is also what the new film's Foot Clan uses.
There's a lot of stuff we don't know about this film yet. How does Baxter fit into the picture? How does Karai? How does the Foot Clan? How does Splinter? We haven't even seen any of them yet. And regarding the people we have seen, we still don't even have a lot of answers. How does April fit into the picture? How does Shredder? How does the turtles? This movie has a lot more surprises and exciting elements to it, and I'm excited to see how they flesh them all out. This movie has potential, and it's not blasphemous (not that we know, anyway).
I'm thrilled to see it, and I hope you are too.
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Hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of.
Grady
Sewer Sirens Podcast
