June 25, 2016
SCORE: B-
This 6th TMNT film (or 7th if you count the made-for-TV movie "Turtles Forever", which I do) is doing better with critics than the 2014 flick. However, I felt while watching it that the 2014 film was better. Sure, the 2014 film had a few bits of dialogue that made me cringe ("Well drain every ounce of his blood, even if it kills him!"), but I thought that the story was better and more poingnant than this sequel. The 2014 film was all about family. This one was about stopping an alien invasion. Both are cool, but one is more serious. Although I find that most people don't like a serious TMNT film. And whereas the 1990 and 2014 films were based more on the 1984 comic series (read: more serious), this 2016 sequel is based exclusively on the 1987 cartoon series, with all its zany characters and plot that doesn't make too much sense. I guess it seemed like the story was too big for it's britches, as they say.
Yes, they FINALLY brought Bebop and Rocksteady to the big screen. And they were done very well, I thought. I especially liked Bepob's portrayal. Rocksteady had a brogue accent when he's human (they say Finnish in the film?), but not when he is mutated, for some strange reason.
I LOVED what they did with the Technodrome! What a great set piece, seeing cubic bits of it fly into place as the Turtles fought Krang. And yet Krang's voice sounded so stupid, like the pufferfish character in Finding Nemo.
Stephen Amell did a good job as Casey Jones. My favorite Casey is still Elias Koteas, though. I liked seeing Casey as an NYPD cop.
Having Tyler Perry as Dr. Stockman? Meh. His inclusion wasn't great, akin to Woopie Goldberg showing up in the 2014 film. Whatever.