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Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2

If you didn't see the the first instalment in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise (released 2014) don't even worry about it because you didn't really miss a thing. I can tell you right now that this second movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Out Of The Shadows is not as bad as you've probably already heard it…

If you didn’t see the the first instalment in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise (released 2014) don’t even worry about it because you didn’t really miss a thing. I can tell you right now that this second movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Out Of The Shadows is not as bad as you’ve probably already heard it is.

TMNT 2 had all the ingredients required to make a movie suitable for adults, but still targeted at children. You had your action scenes, your faux-deep emotional turmoil, and the many attempts at comedic quips – many of which failed. In watching this film, I tried to keep in mind that it’s being made for a generation that actually read the comics and watched the cartoon series, but still appealing to a newer generation that may not really know what exactly it’s all about. When it all boils down to it, you can only expect so much from a superhero movie.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, Shredder (Brian Tee) breaks out of prison and joins forces with Baxter (Tyler Perry) – a mad scientist – and a brain-shaped alien called Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett) to attempt world domination again. We’re introduced to Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) the resilient vigilante, and the lovable but brainless henchmen Bepop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Stephen “Sheamus” Farrelly). April (Megan Fox) and Vern (Will Arnett) play a more secondary role in saving the world this time around. In addition to having to ward off an alien invasion, the turtle brothers also have to struggle with teen issues. They are dealing with accepting each others’ different characters and perceptions of life, as well as torn between wanting to fit in with normal people and living the ninja lifestyle of seclusion. Some may argue, but I actually didn’t mind the inclusion of this emotional sub-plot, cheesy as it was. At the end of the day, our heroes have to come “out of the shadows” to save the world but still accept themselves fr who they are. I believe all of us at the theatre rolled our eyes collectively at this particular scene.

You can still expect all the great CGI and acting from Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Pete Ploszek and Jeremy Howard (who play the Turtles). For people who watched the series and movies in the early 90s, this movie will hit a lot of good chords. Bepop and Rocksteady stayed true to their character and styling, which was a huge plus in the movie for me. April O’Neil’s career as a reporter is still highly underplayed in this movie as it was in the first one. As far as action scenes go, only two really do it for me, one of which is the river chase scene – completely brilliant!

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