(spoiler free)
Back in 2014 we got a brand new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, of course it inspired a critical backlash and plenty of fans didn’t like it either. I on the other hand found quite a bit of enjoyment in it. However, in terms of a sequel I was never that bothered. Clearly enough people went to see the original film though, meaning that the sequel was only inevitable.
I’ll start by saying that I am a fan of these turtles, who isn’t? I love these characters and find them so fun and effortlessly likeable. So naturally I thought that all four turtles here were awesome. Their chemistry as brothers is class and anytime that the turtles are on screen doing their thing this film is a lot of fun. I really liked how the film makes it very clear which turtle is which as well, showcasing each turtles individual personalities. I also liked the leadership struggles that Leonardo faces in this film, I thought it was a good direction to take this character in even if it’s never fully concluded. So basically the turtles are great and when they’re in the midst of the action I couldn’t have been happier. However, the same can’t be said of the human characters. Megan Fox and Will Arnett reprise their roles from the first film and whilst they’re fine for this kind of film they’re just never as interesting as the turtles. Stephen Amell joins the cast as the hockey stick wielding Casey Jones. It’s cool to see his character on the big screen and he probably fares best of the human characters but nonetheless still isn’t as fun as the turtles.
Unfortunately the villains don’t fare too well either. Krang is introduced here as well as Bebop and Rocksteady. Whilst these characters are quite prominent in the TMNT canon some characters just don’t translate as well as others to the big screen. I realise I’m saying this in the context of a film which features four over-sized martial arts reptiles, but in terms of these new villains there’s maybe only so much that my imagination can accept or stretch too. Saying that though, even though these villains seem truly ridiculous you strangely do become quite accustomed to them as the film goes on, and goes on it does.
The film is too long, at almost two hours long it may test the patience of its audiences. This could have been remedied with more turtle time but in its current state Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows runs the risk of boring its viewers. Thankfully the next turtle action sequence is never too far away and these are all a lot of fun, especially when combined with pop culture references much like we saw in the original.
So whilst there is no doubt of another critical bashing for everyone’s favourite turtle brothers there is fun to had here. The film has ridiculous villains, uneven pacing and uninteresting human characters but when Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello & Michelangelo are doing their thing it’s hard not have a big smile on your face. If anything it’s worth sitting through just to hear that glorious theme tune blasted through the cinema speakers as it plays over the end credits.
★★★
Thanks for reading this review and please let us know what you thought about the movie! Leave a comment below or drop us a tweet over at @HCMovieReviews.
HCMovieReviews 
Leave a comment