I think it's fair to say that fans didn't like the sound of a single thing about this
TMNT reboot from the moment they heard it was going to be produced by Michael Bay, and directed by Jonathan Liebesman (
Wrath of the Titans, Battle LA). Then came the news that Shredder would be a white dude named Sachs, the (mis)casting of Megan Fox as April O'Neil, the first reveal of the massive, hulking new Turtles -- basically, a miracle was needed to get the Heroes in a Half Shell faithful back on board. But then when promotion kicked in properly, some of the trailers/clips got a few laughs, many got used to the Turtle designs, and complete nerd-rage started to subside a little -- to the point where many even wished the movie well and hoped for the best.
Well, you most certainly didn't get the best, but nor is this the disaster many reviews have dismissed it as.
Some very silly changes to the accepted-as-best origin of Splinter and the Turtles (he was Hamoto Yoshi, touched rat, touched mutagen) are hard to swallow, and the story overall is a load of bollocks -- but then you weren't expecting anything else were you? Not that that's an excuse, it's just that my expectations on that front were already so low that I wasn't surprised (or particularly pissed off) when they were met. There's a rich dude (William Fichtner) who wants to infect a city so he can get...richer, his master (Shredder) who wants to capture the Turtles to achieve this (magic blood nonsense again), and Megan Fox and Will Arnett running around in the midst of it.
To be fair, Fox is fine. She doesn't exactly set the screen alight, but she's likable and compelling enough in a relatively thankless role. Arnett, too, does the best with what he has, and if Fichtner begins to ham it up too much towards the end, well, he's a frackin
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain! None of those guys matter though, because you'll be pleased to hear that Leo, Donnie, Raph and Mikey are pretty damn great. The awesome foursome definitely could have used a bit more characterization overall, but if you know their story going in, that shouldn't matter too much. All of the voices are spot on, and you'll even get used to their appearance; though there really wasn't any need to have them so large (beyond one scene in which they have to hold up an aerial tower) and it reeks of Bay and co.'s "bigger is better" policy.
A pretty dumb movie, but unlike the Transformers flicks for example, there is a little bit of heart there too, some genuine laughs, and at 90 minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome. Could and should have been better, but I think TMNT fans will find a lot to enjoy at the same time. The rest of you though? A rental!