TMNT

As I was trying to wrap things up in the capital city of the Greatest State (the only one to have ever been its own country) before heading out, I put together some thoughts on Kevin Munroe's TMNT (opening Friday, 3.23). I couldn't finish everything up in time before the long drive, but now that my internet access is restored, here's what I thought:

TMNT is not your garden variety, kid-friendly CGI movie. It is PG, but there is none of the Over the Hedge/Open Season etc. "one for you, one for me" humor. This is not the cuddly kids movie you're used to, but it's definitely safe to bring the kids. The movie is family friendly as the TV advertisements say, and unlike its cohorts in the CGI trade, will earn the big huge box office it's tracking for this weekend.

At its core, this is a graphic novel brought to motion that sees no need to go back and retell the origin story and acknowledges the continuity of the three live-action flicks and everything that came before: the death of arch-nemesis Shredder, the Ninja Rap (not directly referenced), and even TMNT 3 having occurred (in a minor bit, if you catch it). I admire Munroe deciding to go all or nothing with the backstory...we've seen how not doing that can backfire.

TMNT also never wears out its welcome and gets the story told efficiently without dragging us down with subplots to pad out the runtime. The story isn't rushed to ensure a certain number of shows per day in the megaplex either.

As for the story, the turtles have been on hiatus from crime-fighting and an ancient evil force rears its ugly head. That's about all you need. The Ghostbusters II-esque "where are they now" montage was a nice touch. There has already been some grousing from other sneak preview screenings about various things ranging from the charcter models not looking right to the fact that former Reporter Girl April is now something of a treasure hunter and has the voice of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Folks, this is a movie about mutated, humanoid turtles that talk like New Yorkers and fight like ninjas...get over it.

Munroe has put together a story about family for the turtles, which, if you look back, has not been the primary focus of the series going from the various TV series and movies. The element of family was there, but it wasn't front and center like it is this time around. Past installments have featured gimmicky storylines tacked on as reasons to sequelize or give life support to something that has strayed from the original concept put forth by Peter Laird (who earned a producing credit thanks to heavy involvement) and Kevin Eastman. Munroe has done what a number of comic book fans put in the director's chair haven't managed: he's let the franchise be itself. He's brought the turtle franchise home, and it works.

I'm glad he didn't take the Superman Returns formula and half-acknowledge prior continuity in an effort to resist moving forward. You usually see, as I mentioned above, either a tendency to stagnation or a push toward Actionfiguritis (a term I attribute to Joel Schumacher from SXSW 2003) with new villains, guns, and cars every go. Next up for Munroe is a feature adaptation of Gatchaman (Google it if you're oblivious), and I have all the trust in the world in him.

So, why CGI and who is Imagi?

For me, the CGI really and truly works better for this comic book property than putting men in suits again. When I was eight, rubber suited turtles looked cool, but there's only so much that'd let you do these days. Imaga is a relatively new CGI house that cut its teeth on Father of the Pride for NBC to get themselves out there, and now they've done this flick and are apparently at work on an adaptation of Astro Boy. Again, as with Munroe, I trust them. These guys not only love the source, but also know how to translate it.

Now, are you going to like TMNT? That depends on who you are, and you'll know going in. If you're a huge fan (young or old) who loves the turtles hardcore, then certainly so. If you're a kid deep down, you bet. Is it something you'll enjoy taking your younger kids to? Yup.

If you feel like you're being dragged to it and have no idea why anyone would want to spend six to ten bucks to see it, then maybe not. Then again, you'll definitely find yourself pleasantly surprised if you've been stuck watching every cookie-cutter animal movie from the last three or four years.

I can only hope the (in my mind) definite sequel is left to the esteemed talent of Kevin Munroe and not fussed with based on which direction the suits want it to go. He knows what he's doing folks, just let him do it.