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In 2014, a beloved band of pizza-eating cartoon characters from the ‘90s made their big screen return in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And while the reboot didn’t exactly have moviegoers crossing their fingers for a sequel, the crime-fighting reptiles are back for another adventure in the follow-up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
The sequel finds the four mutant warriors struggling with their place in New York City. Though they love the city—and they’re happy to keep it safe—not all of them are happy about having to stay hidden below the city during the day. But when villain Shredder (Brian Tee) escapes from custody and sets out to take over the world, the turtles have to put their brooding on hold and team up with some old allies to stop Shredder and his massive mutant henchmen.
For the original TMNT reboot, the main draw was the nostalgia factor. Fans of the animated series—and even the original movies—were eager to see the turtles back in theaters. But that nostalgia factor goes only so far—and once it wears off, all that’s left is a bunch of increasingly annoying characters and some mildly entertaining action.
Once again, the turtles are grating and juvenile. In fact, they spend so much time fighting and trying to one-up each other that you’ll wonder how they manage to accomplish anything at all. You might also worry about the fate of New York City—because relying on these bickering, bumbling, and generally dim-witted overgrown turtles seems about as wise as entrusting the fate of humanity to your 12-year-old son, who can’t even remember to change his underwear with any regularity.
Meanwhile, the sequel adds two new characters from the animated series: Foot Clan henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady (Gary Anthony Williams and Sheamus)—two escaped convicts who are injected with a special serum that turns them into big, fat, blundering beasts with an overused tag line. As warthog and rhino, they add to the cartoonishness of the film—but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Really, the most likable character in the film is Will Arnett’s Vern—who, once again, has very little to do.
Granted, there’s still plenty of action here, built around a story that seems almost video game-like. So if you’re a diehard fan of the franchise—or a 12-year-old boy—you may still enjoy the battles and sophomoric humor of the latest TMNT movie. But it’s just more of the same—and it simply drags on too long. And if the last movie didn’t help you get beyond your strong feelings of ninja turtle nostalgia, this one will.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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