Since
2014‘s surprisingly successful reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles’ live action feature franchise, it’s not exactly a leap to have
expected a sequel. Indeed, when it comes to Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles: Out of the Shadows, the only surprise is why they didn’t go all
in and call it TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze?
There’s a certain satisfaction that comes from knowing the whole world
owes you a solid. Having risen from the New York City sewers as a team
of sibling ninjas armed with amazing martial arts skills and brotherly
teamwork, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo saved their city
from a deadly virus created by an evil scientist with ties to the
mysterious Foot Clan. Sadly for the bros, their appearance as
amphibious mutants keeps them from claiming the rightful praise for
their victory. They know the terror caused by their monstrous looks
will outweigh any gratitude the populace might feel. Still, one of the
main points of the ninjitsu they’ve been taught by their “father” and
sensei, Master Splinter, himself a mutated rat, is stealth and the need
to remain “in the shadows.” Which helps the boys justify their
inability to join the rest of the world. This is not all bad, because
their superhuman agility and knowledge of all sorts of secret passages
around some of New York’s most famous landmarks makes for some stunning
views; whether it’s free-falling off the Chrysler Building, or hovering
over the court at Madison Square Garden during a Knicks game. Even so,
it can’t help but chafe when watching the credit for their heroic deeds
be taken by a more human-looking friend, who’s made quite a meal of
being the Turtles’ straw man. Still, it’s New York City and with the
leads sent by their comrade and buddy, reporter April O'Neil, there’s
always some evil to stop somewhere.
After
the threat posed in the previous adventure, April is keeping tabs on
Baxter Stockman, another shady scientist with suspected ties to the Foot
Clan. Even though the Clan leader, Shredder, is in police custody,
that’s no assurance that he’ll stay there, or that Stockman isn’t
somehow doing his bidding. A disastrous prison transport finds the evil
ninja escaped and looking for revenge on the amphibious siblings. For
this task, Shredder employs two dimwitted henchmen who really don’t mind
becoming a guinea pig - or a guinea rhino - for Stockman’s version of
the mutagen that transformed the brothers from simple turtles to
super-powered human hybrids. This would be the Ooze. Meanwhile,
watching it all play out is a powerful dimensional being called Krang,
who sees potential in Shredder’s level of badness and employs him in a
plot to create a dimensional rift that will allow aliens to help Krang
take over the earth.
Leo,
Donnie, Raph and Mikey, along with April, fake hero Vern, and a new
ally, Casey Jones, the unfortunate corrections officer who let Shredder
escape, must go way beyond the familiar confines of New York City and
once against test their brotherly bonds in an attack from two
dimensions.
Yep,
it’s as convoluted as it sounds, yet joyfully goofy in a way that only a
live action cartoon can be. TMTN 2 is possibly even more reverential to
the characters we all grew up with, and the affectionate keystones and
homages make up for a lot of the story’s loopiness. There are still
high-flying thrills; this time quite literally as the boys must make a
leap of faith between two planes at 30,000 feet and then crash land one
in the Amazon River, complete with very tall waterfalls. Good thing the
boys are amphibious.
As a
sacrifice to all that action, less time is taken on the Turtles as a
family together with Master Splinter, which I kind of missed. The
scruffy rat is their glue, and while he is there to counsel Leonardo in
his moments of doubt as the brothers’ leader, he really is pretty much
absent in this chapter.
Instead we have the long-awaited appearance of Bebop and Rocksteady; two
dumb thugs lucky (?!) enough to be taken under Shredder’s wing, as he
senses the pair of lunkheads would make not only good enforcers, but
excellent test subjects as he wants Baxter Stockman to create a
super-strong mutant of his own to help him defeat the Turtles.
Another big addition was the boys’ newest human friend, former
corrections officer, Casey Jones. Not the brightest bulb in the
chandelier, after his initial terror that the hard-shelled siblings are
going to eat him, Jones becomes a strong and stalwart pal in the race
against Shredder’s evil scheme.
Including Krang might have been a little too much for one movie, and his
story of opening the dimensional rift and wreaking havoc on the earth
was way too much like the Avengers movie plot. Also, his presence was
one of the many ways that the return of Shredder (This time almost
entirely without his groovy, pointy hat) was vastly diminished to
the point I didn’t really see why the ninja was scary anymore, despite
actor Brian Tee’s seething, snarling presence. However, the crabby
alien is a big motivator of upcoming adventures, so there he is.
Besides the kids (and kids-at-heart) in the audience, the ones
who seem to be enjoying TMNT 2 the most is its cast. I was struck by
how much shameless scenery-chewing and hilarious ad-libbing Tyler Perry
got away with as Baxter Stockman, creator of the Ooze. It’s the most
fun I’ve had watching Perry on screen that didn’t involve him wearing a
dress. I was initially shocked to see the respected, revered actress
Laura Linney take a role as the police captain who takes a hard line
with Casey Jones and April O’Neil’s suspicious activities. Like Perry,
Linney is playing it huge and having what looks to be an
unapologetically grand ol’ time. So too, Stephen Amell as the
hockey-stick wielding Casey Jones, looks chuffed to be part of the
Turtles’ mythology. Having become the brothers’ human surrogate, we
have a lot more slapstick hero moments by Will Arnett as Vern, who is
making the most of his phony fame. Megan Fox’s April seems to fade more
into the background in the face of so much story and so many new,
dynamic players, but she looks amazing, having a Michael Bay-tastic
transformation from science geek (Don’t get her started on the
difference between “geek” and “nerd”) to barely-legal-looking, Hit
Me Baby One More Time nymphet.
This
time the computer imagery of the Turtles themselves is pretty seamless.
I was not a fan of their revamped look (I’m still not, really),
but the visual effects in this chapter bring the performances of the
actors under the virtual turtle suits closer to the surface. It feels
like they have created an ease and simpatico as the team of turtles that
improved significantly since the 2014 film. Noel Fisher’s Mikey
continues to be a sweet, goofy, pizza-scarfing hoot, while often the
butt of jokes, Alan Ritchson is always a blink away from roid rage as
the bulky, combat-loving Raph. Pete Ploszak’s Leo is still emo and
unsure of himself as the team’s leader, while Jeremy Howard has a wispy
geekiness as the genius Donnie. Also better than expected were the
renderings of Bebop and Rocksteady, who seemed to have the weight and
gravity of their enormous animated characters, though I wish they’d had
better dialog.
Besides the higher quotient of silliness that the smallest viewers in
the audience will guffaw at, there are a good amount of the snappy
laughs that grown-up viewers will appreciate: From post-modern chuckles
like manly-man (turtle?) acrophobe Raph bracing himself for a sky
dive with no net and no parachute, by wondering aloud, “What would Vin
Diesel do?” To in-jokes like Vanilla Ice popping up on a jukebox a dive
bar. There’s also the delight of the boys’ newest toy, a tricked-out
garbage truck transformed into a battle vehicle, including a flying
manhole cover launcher and a pair of giant nunchucks that can be
operated from inside. (Speaking of things that transform. There’s an
unsubtle cameo by another Michael Bay property early in the film)
All in
all, TMNT 2: Out of the Shadows is a goofier, hokier version of its
predecessor. It delivers the action and entertainment we look forward
to, as well as plenty of laughs and warm affection for the characters we
know and love. It’s a fun time at the movies for the whole family. I
only hope the inevitable threequel will keep those same positive
qualities, while not degenerating any further under the weight of
enforced silliness.
~ The
Lady Miz Diva
June 2nd
2016
EXTRAS:
Exclusive Photos from TMNT 2's NYC Press Conference, with actors Will
Arnett, Stephen Amell, Tyler Perry, Stephen “Seamus” Farrelly, Gary
Anthony Williams and Brian Tee.
Our Turtles, Noel
Fisher {Michelangelo}, Pete Ploszek {Leonardo}, Jeremy Howard
{Donatello}
Director Dave Green, Screenwriters Josh Appelbaum & Andrew Nemec, and
Producers Andrew Form & Brad Fuller
EXTRA, EXTRA:
Exclusive photos from AirBnB's Secret Turtle Lair where lucky visitors
can live the Ninja Turtle life for a night.
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