I did not expect to really like this film; I thought I might be mildly amused to see what they had done with the Turtles, which had once been so popular, but it’s not really my ‘thing’. I took my teenage grandchildren and their father with me thinking we would be a good cross section to view it. It was great fun and enjoyed by all!
The origins of the Turtles have always seemed a bit murky to me but this story explains all: how and why they came to be and who created them. The non-reptile members of the cast are well played by Megan Fox and Will Arnett. Fox is a cub reporter who smells a story, which she pursues relentlessly and gets more than she bargains for. Arnett is the fellow employee (with transport) trying to impress the girl. The multi-talented Whoopi Goldberg plays their boss, who tries to keep them in line.
The writers, Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Evan Daugherty have managed to make the story fresh and director Jonathan Liebesman has combined fast moving stunts and graphics, sprinkled with a large serve of fun, to keep the interest high. Two of the characters, Leonardo and the villain Splinter, require two actors, body and voice. Splinter played by Danny Woodburn and Tony Shalhoub (voice) is suitably evil and Pete Ploszek and Johnny Knoxville (voice) combine equally well to produce the heroic Leonardo.
Alan Ritchson as Raphael and Jeremy Howard as Donatello are true to the characters and Noel Fisher does particularly well as the irrepressible Mikey (aka Michelangelo).
There are a few memorable moments that will make you smile; my favourite is the rapping in the lift (what else do you do when you have 150 floors to travel in a slow lift?).
The Turtles are back, bigger and better than ever!
Reviewed by Fran Edwards
Twitter: @Franeds
Rating out of 10: 9
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