Delusional Hell :: System Crash

DISJOINTED MUSINGS

3.23.2007

Holy fucking SHIT. I have never been so amped-up about a movie (for a YEAR, mind you) and have it exceed my expectation like TMNT has. EVER. I'm serious, it was beautiful, the action was intense without being obscene and bloody, and Leo and Don were as sexy as ever. I had to keep myself from sexually assaulting the screen, I kid you not.

And the best part about this?

I got to see a FREE advance screening yesterday at 7:30 PM, hours before it was set to officially be released.

I feel awesome.

My life is just THAT much more perfect.

The previously unresolved tension between Leonardo and Raphael was given its first signs of closure. The brothers duke it out on the rooftop, finally getting all the bullshit they've been bottling up off their shells, and we finally get to see who, in a no-holds barred duel, would win in a fight between the two rival brothers. The outcome had me squeezing poor Tony's hand so hard that later I asked if I'd hurt him at any point in the movie. I admit it, I was shocked at Raph's viciousness and the fact that, in a way, he was the cause of Leo's capture by the Stone Generals. But seeing Raph so emotional and on the brink of REAL tears at his actions (and the fact he had lost himself so badly to the heat of battle that he was about to puncture his big brother's skull) made it all worth it.

For the first time since the FIRST Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, there was genuine intense, emotion. It's always been something Raph has been known for. His passion and depth of feeling and his overall REALNESS is something that hasn't been seen in a LONG time; seeing it in the new TMNT was so refreshing. I almost cried, too.

Once again, however, the movie was centered around Leo and Raph and their rivalry, so Don and Mike didn't get much screen time. HOPEFULLY, now that Leo and Raph have a bit of closure to their bad feelings, if they do a sequel (PLEASE DO A SEQUEL) Don and Mike will get deeper character development. I'd really like to see the two underused brothers (in the movies) deal with something deeper than videogames and comic books. I mean, shit, Mikey becomes a published author in the comics and Don's a freakin' GENIUS! Putting EITHER of them in a situation in which they have to use real DEADLY force (like Donnie in the TMNT 2003 episode "Same as it Never Was") would be a treat!

I LOVED Leo in this movie. Seriously. He's grown so much since the first movie, and it shows in his posture, voice, mannerisms, and just in the way he moves. He's so much more mature and impressive, whereas in the first movie he was incredibly shy and sensitive and soft-spoken (traits normally given to the more reserved and slightly younger Donatello). And James Arnold Taylor was a PERFECT choice for his voice actor. For being a parody of Spongebob on the Comedy Central cartoon Drawn Together, Mr. Taylor can have a VERY commanding and sexy tone, which is the exact opposite of the crazy and bizarre Woldoor Sockbat. An impressive character actor, if you ask me! And, for the first time, Leo FINALLY let's Raph have it!

"And more importantly, I'M BETTER THAN YOU."

WOOF. Tell me how you really feel, sweetheart!

Raph was, well, RAPH once more. But, I have to give him credit, he had grown as a character by the end of the movie. After the fight with Leo (which he pretty much won, but Leo had been proven right in the process), Raphael was the first to insist they go rescue him, leading his brothers back to their leader. I love the fact that Raph looked different than his brothers. His face was slightly differently shaped, his skin was a more green-grey tone rather than the traditional green, and he was HUGE in comparison to his brothers. The boy is pure muscle! Even Leo, how looked to be an inch or two taller (although that could have been attributed to his more confident posture) was more trim and compact than his brawler baby brother. Raph's veins stood out when he flexed, too. Impressive attention to detail! Nolan North, who provided the voice for Ghost Rider in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, didn't have Raph's trademark accent, but his drawl and tone matched Raph's kinda sexy swagger he was given for this movie. Hee hee.

As said before, my poor Donnie wasn't given the screen time he really deserved after all the years of being overshadowed by his dueling brothers, but his humor and intelligence, not to mention his now rather underplayed sensitivity, still kept him Donnie. Poor guy, though. Being a tech support specialist must drive him INSANE. He's smart enough to do anything he wants, but he's reduced to dealing with idiots over the phone all day because of the fact that, well, he's not human. I loved when he and Mikey were sleeping in front of the TV when Leo came home; Leo just stood there, smiling at them as they twitched and mumbled things about their day's work. Don was ANOTHER of the brothers to, in his own subtle way, let Raph have it. Mostly it was about how he wasn't contributing to the family by working and helping to provide for them while Leo was gone, but for Don to bite back at Raph (even in a quiet way) is rather impressive for him. I loved it! He was voiced rather nicely by Mitchell Whitfield, whom I'm not very familiar with but here's hoping he comes back as Don in a sequel (or two...or three).

Mikey...Mikey Mikey Mikey. What can be said about Mikey? He's, well, MIKEY. There's really nothing new to him, other than his appearance. It's subtle to the untrained eye, but he's the only brother with blue eyes (the others have brown eyes) and freckles :D It's kinda cute. I mean, you really can't go wrong with Mikey's character unless you just totally smoke something bad and make him a homicidal maniac. UNFORTUNATELY, Mikey has done the LEAST amount of growing up of the four, which is emphasized by him being referred to by others as "little brother" and even being 17-18, Don doesn't trust him with a driver's liscence (even though the boy seemed to drive decently well). Mikey Kelly provides his voice as only a Michelangelo voice actor can...with all the style and finesse of a five year old surfer! It's good to have the old Mikey back!

And finally, Master Splinter (may his comic counterpart rest in peace). Splinter, thanks to CGI, got to see some action this time around and was kicking tail alongside his sons, and it was shweet. The thing I think I liked most about him was how stern and commanding he was, in contrast to his more soft-spoken approach to teaching ("Ten flips now!"). He grabbed my attention more than once, but I think it was all due to the late and great Mako Iwamatsu. Voice actor for Uncle Iroh of Nickelodeon's Avatar the Last Airbender series up until the end of season two and actor in movies and TV for decades, Mako was perhaps the greatest choice for Splinter-sensei. I am sad that he never got to see the movie before he passed away. At the end of the credits there is an "In Memory Of" notice for him, and I cried. I cried pretty hard, and I'm tearing up now. Iroh and Splinter, while still being alive in the TMNT movie (possible movies) and Avatar animated series and possible live-action movie have died for me with Mako's passing.

He will be dearly missed by us fans, and his memory will live on.

All in all, I highly recommend all you TMNT fans out there see this movie, and see it several times. While it's not in the tradition of the old movie trilogy, the heart and soul of the characters and their world is there in full force and I swear you won't be disappointed.

So fuck you RottenTomatoes.com and all your godawful critics and bullshit complaints. If your reviewers were true fans, they wouldn't be trying to tank this movie. Shame on you.

TMNT FOREVER.

In Memory of Iwamatsu Mako, December 10, 1933- July 21, 2006

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ABOUT ME

Name: Sarabeth Collins
Age: 23
Email: administration@bloodandsteel.net