TMNT

"Cowabunga Dudes!"

With the threat of Shredder and the Foot Clan gone, New York is now a safer place thanks to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but for our heroes in a half-shell and their master Splinter (Mako) it is a time of reflection and training. While Leonardo (Taylor) is in South America training to be a better leader, Donatello (Whitfield) is working for a telephone tech support line and Michelangelo (Kelly) is a children's entertainer. Only Raphael (North) is taking the fight to the streets but as the vigilante the Nightwatcher, he is creating far too much attention for himself. When monsters start appearing on the streets of the Big Apple and the Foot Clan is spotted again, the Turtles have to come together again to stop the growing menace.

Back in the 1980s, the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' were one of the biggest hit franchises and a firm favourite with kids all over the world but can those heroes in a half-shell have the same impact in the new millennium?

Starting as a cult comic book and then becoming a cartoon, a video game, toys and three hit live action movies, 'The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' were a phenomenally successful franchise but as with kid's trends they tend to fade away over time. You cannot keep a hero down however because they will always come fight back, so now it is the time for Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo to return with a new big screen adventure.

With their archenemy Shredder dead, the Turtles now face a new threat that could bring about the end of the world. Immortal warlord Max Winters has been waiting three thousand years for a portal to another dimension to reopen so he can free his generals from their stone prison and unleash the monster army waiting on the other side of the portal. With New York and the world under threat, it is up to the Turtles to save the day but the problem is that they are not getting on. This plot gives the filmmakers the chance to combine action with character development.

Unlike the three previous 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' movies, the fourth film takes the franchise back to animation but this time our heroes are all computer generated. This allows the filmmakers to remove all of the shackles of live action and show the Turtles and the world they inhabit in its full glory. Now the Ninjas have the whole of Manhattan as their playground and the world is beautifully realised and designed to create a fantastic looking movie. Animation is quite simply superb with the character and environment design being as good if not better in places that anything that has graced the computer animation genre as of late. The freedom also allows the filmmakers to create action sequences that are as good as any live action movie could with absolutely no restrictions.

'TMNT' is a joy to watch. Fans of the heroes in a half-shell should rejoice at their return to the silver screen and for those who are too young to remember the Turtles, this is an excellent introduction to the reptilian ninjas. With exceptional vocal performances from an all-star cast and action sequences that will enthral you whatever age you are, this is a brilliant animated movie that is destined to become a cult classic. Cowabunga Dudes!

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the movie is presented extremely well, highlighting the excellent animation.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary by Writer/Director Kevin Munroe
In his first commentary track, writer/director Kevin Munroe provides an excellent single person track for 'TMNT'. Recorded two weeks before the film opened, this is a passionate commentary from a filmmaker who clearly loves the subject matter and revels in the creative process. He revels how the film was designed, talking about look of the movie and characters, the changes made to the script and the approach to the story itself. This is an extremely good commentary and one that fans should enjoy listening to this.

Alternate Opening to the Movie (3.02 mins)
With commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe, see the original comic book style opening and the earlier introduction of the Night Watcher.

Alternate ending Temp/Scratch Test (1.17 mins)
With commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe, this is an ending with much more emphasis on Casey and April.

Mikey's Birthday Party Full Sequence (3.16 mins)
With commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe, watch the full birthday party sequence and see what Donny and Mikey get up to after the party.

Raphael's Rough House Fight Test (1.41 mins)
With commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe, here see the test for the turtle fighting style.

Monster's come alive (2.50 mins)
With commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe, watch storyboards to real footage comparisons of the thirteen monsters of the movie.

Donny's Digital Data Files (1.57 mins)
Director Kevin Munroe and producer Paul Wang talk about the animation processes used to bring the Turtles back to the big screen.

Rooftop Workout (5.35 mins)
With commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe, view the storyboard for the Ninja tag sequence cut from the movie.

Still Wanna Fight (3.12 mins)
With commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe, view more of the Casey Jones and April O'Neil relationship and some of the unseen tension.

Addition Scene: Splinter gets Cake (2.09 mins)
With commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe, watch a fun sequence and see what Mickey brings back for Splinter.

TMNT: Voice Talent First Look (5.04 mins)
Writer/director Kevin Munroe, producers Paul Wang and Thomas K. Gray and voice stars Patrick Stewart, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lawrence Fishburne talk about bringing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back to the silver screen.

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'TMNT' is good but not as good as it could have been. The commentary and the featurette will enthral fans but the lack of a history featurette about the characters is a missed opportunity. This is still an good package however and one that fans will enjoy.

DVD

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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2007