I’m one of the few people over the age of ten that enjoyed the Michael Bay-produced “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film from two years ago. I thought it captured the spirit of the classic cartoon series relatively well while carving out its own identity. Sure, not everything worked: the Turtles’ design was odd (though I got used to it), Megan Fox was a bit wooden as April O’Neil, and Michelangelo constantly hitting on April was kind of creepy. What did work though was the humor, the bombastic tone, decent action set pieces, and the Turtles’ identities. I honestly found it strange to see so many fans criticize the film for “ruining their childhood,” as my childhood consisted of a heavy diet of Turtle Power and my childhood wasn’t ruined. Then again, if your childhood is ruined because of a film, then you have bigger problems to be worrying about.
Whether or not “Out of the Shadows” will “ruin some childhoods” is up in the air. They’ve gone full bore this time around in pleasing the most ardent of hardcore fans, filling the sequel with notable characters. Bebop & Rocksteady (Gary Anthony Williams & WWE’s Sheamus), Casey Jones (Stephen Amell), Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry), and Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett) join the fracas, with director Dave Green reeling them in rather seamlessly. That’s not to say the film isn’t overstuffed, but this franchise has always been about going big. This is a blockbuster through and through, so treat it like a buffet you pig out on every once in a while: it’s not healthy and there’s too many options to inhale, but that’s what you came for.
All of the new characters are implemented as follows: Baxter Stockman aids in the prison break of Shredder via a teleportation device. Said device accidentally transports Shredder to an alternate dimension where he encounters Krang. Krang, also hell-bent on world domination, teams with Shredder and has him track down ooze that will bring Krang and his WMD, the Technodrome, to New York City. This ooze transforms doltish thugs Bebop and Rocksteady into a deadly rhinoceros and warthog, with the two being used as heavies to fend off the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That’s the bad guys’ M.O.
The good guys’ M.O. is to protect the city, naturally. The Turtles still have to remain out of the public eye, giving all of the credit for saving New York in the last film to Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett). April O’Neil (Megan Fox) still acts as their personal detective, as she’s hot on the trail of Baxter Stockman. Splinter (voiced by Tony Shalhoub) still spouts out the occasional nugget of wisdom. Introduced this time around is Casey Jones, a cop who desperately wants to be a detective. After being taken off of duty by Chief Vincent (Laura Linney) for his radical explanation of one of the Turtles’ daring missions, he goes rogue and sides with the heroes in a half shell. He also sparks a romance with April O’Neil, though the two don’t have the chemistry needed to make that work. Surprisingly, Megan Fox has better chemistry with Will Arnett.
The film plays out as you’d expect. There’s infighting between the Turtles, they crack a lot of jokes, they get involved in battles with copious amounts of explosions, valuable lessons are learned, and the city is saved. It’s more of the same, but still just as fun (if not more so). The film moves at such a fast pace that it can be hard to keep up with. One good positive about this is that any flaw in the film doesn’t have enough time to linger. Mikey’s jokes get old quick, but the film is so quick that you don’t have enough time to groan at that them. When he connects with a zinger, you’ll laugh and forget about the bad ones as they haven’t had enough time to fully register.
What I was impressed by was in Dave Green’s ability to give everyone ample screen time. The returning characters were never in any danger, as we’re already comfortable with them, but the new additions could’ve easily gotten lost in the shuffle. Instead, they all play their part. Krang acts as the puppet master, hiding in the shadows. Shredder acts as his hired goon, which is reminiscent of his role in the cartoon. Bebop and Rocksteady are comical heavies and are used sparingly as to not overstay their welcome. Baxter Stockman is the nerdy introvert who’s manipulated by the Shredder in return for fame in developing a successful teleportation device. And Casey Jones gets to play detective, wear his iconic hockey mask, and cosplay as Wayne Gretzky in fights.
Some will find issues with the characterizations of these classic characters. Casey Jones isn’t the grizzled vigilante, but a rogue cop who acts as if he got turned down for the role of Jesse Pinkman and is still peeved about it. With that being said, Amell makes the character his own and he’s charming in his own way. Whereas Casey Jones was originally introduced as a parody of the vigilante, this version is kind of a parody of the rogue cop. Tyler Perry is serviceable as Baxter Stockman, though it always seems as if Perry is mocking the role, almost sticking his nose down at it (especially with that annoying laugh). One gets the feeling he took this role to finance more Madea films. Maybe instead of Baxter eventually turning into the fly, he’ll turn into Madea instead. As for Bebop and Rocksteady, they’re portrayal is perfect! Williams & Sheamus gleefully go over the top, matching the cartoonish buffoonery the characters are known for. The two have a great rapport and are a hoot to watch!
“Out of the Shadows” is a mindless popcorn flick and it knows it. It’s also a “TMNT” film and, despite what many will say, is a good interpretation. Sure, the Turtles still look a bit creepy, Megan Fox is still a bit wooden, and Michelangelo is still hitting on April (though a bit less this time around). But, it’s still a fun brain candy that, while riding on nostalgia, doesn’t simply rely on it. Every now and again you need a fun mindless blockbuster and this one fit the bill.
Final Rating: B