Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Review

Director: Dave Green

Starring: Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Brian Tee, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Pete Ploszek, Jeremy Howard. 

This review is spoiler free!

Overview

As Shredder joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady to take over the world, the Turtles must confront an even greater nemesis: the notorious Krang. (Source: IMDB)  

The Good

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first film in this rebooted TMNT franchise, but upon rewatching it, I put aside my hatred for Michael Bay and Megan Fox and I actually quite enjoyed it! 

One thing that let the first film down for me was the lack of turtles and too much Megan Fox, and thankfully in Out of the Shadows, the balance is very much in favour of the turtles and it comes out a much better film as a result of this. 

Whilst originally I wasn’t keen on the look of these turtles, I’ve come round to it in this film, and whilst they still look a bit odd up close, in action they look great! For me it was also clearer in this film the size and mass difference between the turtles; Raphael was noticeably bigger than all his brothers for example. I feel this film also did a great job of letting you know their individual personalities in a way that the first film tried to do, but because the screen time of the turtles is much longer in this sequel, it was more noticeable and I thought this was great. 

There’s some great new additions to the cast, and I particularly enjoyed seeing fan-favourites Bebop and Rocksteady in action. If you’re a turtle fan, there is so much to enjoy in this film, with Shredder and Krang also featuring in addition to the aforementioned Warthog and Rhino henchmen. There’s a lot going on in this film, but it sure makes for an interesting and relentlessly entertaining watch. 

Stephen Amell’s acting is not particularly stand-out, but I did enjoy seeing Casey Jones in action, and I really look forward to seeing more of him in the inevitable sequels. Will Arnett is also great once again, and probably the best human element of the film! 

All in all though, this film is just tremendous fun. As a big Ninja Turtles fan, this was right up my street, and I had an absolute blast watching it. 

The Bad

Look, I really tried to put aside my dislike for Megan Fox, but she just cannot act and I found myself getting increasingly more annoyed every time she was on screen. I think it’s the fact she can’t deliver a line without pouting, or maybe that she grunts and moans in an overly sexualised way everytime she gets punched. Maybe some people love this, personally I cannot stand it! 

In a film this fun I can overlook this, but there are so many plot contrivances and leaps in logic. Yes I know it’s a film about 7 ft tall Ninja Turtles, but there’s so many examples of characters conveniently being in places and situations with little to no explanation about how they got there, that it just becomes laughably ridiculous by the end! 

Whilst I understand it’s aimed at children, there’s enough adult Ninja Turtle fans that I think it could do without the fart gags and some of the more juvenile humour, but fortunately there isn’t too much of this. 

The Verdict

I saw this movie and you should too. I can fully accept this isn’t a “good” movie, but I had such a great time watching it, I would watch it again, and I will be buying it on DVD; it was turtle-y awesome! Critics will probably hate this film, but fans will love it, and that’s the main thing. It’s a silly, fun, and enjoyable popcorn blockbuster. Definitely worth a watch, particularly if you’re a fan of the turtles. Also, you will love the closing credits! TURTLE POWER! 

Agree with everything I’ve said, or am I a totally misguided idiot who has got it all wrong? Let me know in the comments below!