2 reviews
This might just be a problem with only me, but I tend not to be able to clearly hear some of the speech of the actors in old movies like this. It could be that the film is old or the actors don't annunciate(not sure if I spelled that right) enough. Overall, the film is like what the other reviewer said: slow at first, but once you know generally what is happening, it draws you in immediately. Also, this is one film that I demand to be remade, for it looks quite dated in some parts, even a little cheesy. Another reason is that this movie should be given a wider audience. It deserves it. The remake might have to be a bit longer, though, since I'm not sure how a modern crowd would feel about paying money to see only a 63 minute movie. In summary, see this to be entertained but prepare to be forgiving for the, shall we say, "time gap."
By the way, I am going to be rambling on a little so I may end up addressing major plot points without thinking. I am giving FAIR WARNING.
Some people may dismiss this as your usual hokey kids' movie (and that is partly correct, due to the none-too-subtle nature of some of the humor (not all, though)and the use of horribly dated "cool" words which must not have seemed good even back then except to the devoted kids who loved the turtles (like I used to)). However, the script by Todd whomever nicely goes back-and-forth between seriousness and humor (sort-of like Buffy), even though like mentioned above it can be a little overdone occasionally. The direction is also above what you might expect. Specifically, there's a part where April says "Have you guys found another place to live yet?"(or something to that effect) and the camera moves along with her before turning onto Donnatello, but we still see April as he makes his little comment on subterranean housing. I dare you to try to find another way to film that exchange of dialogue with different camera movements that would make it "work" in the same sense that it "works" now, which even manages to evoke slightly the way that old movies (by Howard Hawks, for example) "worked". Then, there's the part where Shredder is reaching out of the garbage pile and it looks like he is reaching at the city. It may be a teensy bit cheesy, but how else could you make the gesture seem as serious? So, go see the movie if you can, but don't reschedule your life around it, merely pull it out on a rainy day (or a boring spring break, like my case).
Some people may dismiss this as your usual hokey kids' movie (and that is partly correct, due to the none-too-subtle nature of some of the humor (not all, though)and the use of horribly dated "cool" words which must not have seemed good even back then except to the devoted kids who loved the turtles (like I used to)). However, the script by Todd whomever nicely goes back-and-forth between seriousness and humor (sort-of like Buffy), even though like mentioned above it can be a little overdone occasionally. The direction is also above what you might expect. Specifically, there's a part where April says "Have you guys found another place to live yet?"(or something to that effect) and the camera moves along with her before turning onto Donnatello, but we still see April as he makes his little comment on subterranean housing. I dare you to try to find another way to film that exchange of dialogue with different camera movements that would make it "work" in the same sense that it "works" now, which even manages to evoke slightly the way that old movies (by Howard Hawks, for example) "worked". Then, there's the part where Shredder is reaching out of the garbage pile and it looks like he is reaching at the city. It may be a teensy bit cheesy, but how else could you make the gesture seem as serious? So, go see the movie if you can, but don't reschedule your life around it, merely pull it out on a rainy day (or a boring spring break, like my case).