I'll admit when I saw the ads I was skeptical as the commercials made the movie look kind of dumb, it wasn't til my friend convinced me to watch it I finally did, it wasn't at all as bad as I expected, it wasn't absolutely great either but it was worth a couple of watches. The story wasn't about shredder which I know might make some people automatically hate the movie, personally I found the change from him to other monsters not from the canon welcome (granted much better done then how it was handled in turtles 3. That said like most of the other ones Raph has to be the center of attention (now as a vigilante) I think the best way to approach this movie is to think of it not as a turtles movie but as an fantasy action film.

3000 years ago, warrior king Yaotl uncover a portal that turned him immortal. It also turned his men into stone and released 13 powerful monsters. The portal opens every 1000 year with the alignment of stars. After defeating their nemesis Shredder, the Turtles have gone their separate ways. Leonardo has gone to Central America. Donatello and Michelangelo are running their small businesses. Raphael works the night secretly as the vigilante Nightwatcher. The rich Max Winters has hired Karai and the Foot Clan to search for the 13 monsters. He is secretly the immortal Yaotl who has reanimated his stone generals.This one puts the goofy silly feel of the earlier cartoons on the back burner. It's still there but this has a darker edge to it. The CGI is acceptable with a cartoon look. It has a dark noirish shading. The monsters look scary and mean. The story is simple and works. It's pretty good for fans both old and new.

Although through the past twenty years or so I have managed to see all three of the live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, I didn't think much of them. So when I sat down to watch this computer animated version, my expectations were pretty low. To my surprise, it was somewhat better than what I was expecting. Though I wished at times that the colors were stronger and more vibrant, the movie for the most part has a good look to it. The director also manages to stage some fairly well done action sequences here and there. The script, however, is a mixed bag. While the screenplay successfully manages to give each turtle a strong and different personality from each other, the central plot concerning the menace the turtles are fighting feels extremely thin and lacking detail. The supporting character (such as April) also feel like afterthoughts. The movie certainly isn't dull, but I do think that more time should have been devoted to rewriting the screenplay. While the movie does in the end manage to be better than what you might expect, it does all the same have some big shortcomings. It will probably help if you are a Ninja Turtle fan.

Well, ever since I was infected with Ninja Turtle Fever, I was eager to see the 2007 CGI animated film by Warner Bros. and the Weinstein Company. While I love the original 1990 film and consider the sequels decent, I was interested in seeing the 4th installment, the so called "spiritual" sequel to the 2003 4Kids series. What do I think of TMNT? It's a fun movie, but I really wouldn't consider it part of the 90s series nor the 2003 series. It's a standalone piece and a separate Ninja Turtles entity with it's own mythos and vibe. Now if you want to put it in with the previous films, that's perfectly fine, but for me, this is a one man show. I remember when this film was on the verge of premiering, everyone was going crazy. Everyone was clamoring to see the Ninja Turtles reinvented in glorious CGI animation. Then the reviews came in. Some liked it, saying that it was just as entertaining for adults as it was for children. Others despised it, calling it a stain on the Ninja Turtles legacy. While I disagree with the latter, I have to be honest. This film was good and decently executed, but it left a lukewarm impression on me and was just not as memorable as it's 1990 counterpart or even The Secret of the Ooze. The turtles came off a bit bland and the only ones who got the most character progression were Leo and Raph. Of course it's not TMNT until Leo and Raph fight over leadership and bravery, yada, yada, yada, but here, it feels a bit overdone. We get it, Leo and Raph often disagree, just like all brothers sometimes disagree. Why must it be mercilessly bludgeoned into our skulls? The fights scenes were good, but were just standard TMNT fight scenes, nothing more. Mako's take on Splinter was fun to watch and it was good for Mako to end his career on a high note, but April and Casey Jones didn't leave that big of an impression on me. Sure, Casey had a few goofball moments and it was interesting to see April train as a female ninja, but that's really all they had going towards them. Some things I can highlight on are Patrick Stewart as the voice of Mr. Winters and Lawrence Fishburne's excellent narration at the beginning and end of the film. The designs of the characters is also fun to marvel upon and the designs of the turtles is probably one of my favorite designs for the fad four. I also like the look of the stone warriors and the foot soldiers never looked better in all black attire. Shredder's daughter Karai makes an appearance, taking her slain father's place as head of the Foot Clan and she even forms a brief alliance with the turtles to stop the evil stone warriors and save the city from turmoil. TMNT was a good movie to experience and I wouldn't mind whipping it in the DVD player once in a while, but it had some things I wish were improved a bit more. Nevertheless, when it was good, it was really good and avid Ninja Turtle fans will, in my opinion, find it fun. COWABUNGA!