Read Mixed User Reviews for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

4

stakoAug 22, 2014

Today was the first showing of this movie for Bulgaria, and ofcourse, most of my friends went along with me to see it. I was even dressed up as Casey Jones, and my beautiful girlfriend was my lovely April O'Neil, so it became a "thing" -Today was the first showing of this movie for Bulgaria, and ofcourse, most of my friends went along with me to see it. I was even dressed up as Casey Jones, and my beautiful girlfriend was my lovely April O'Neil, so it became a "thing" - something to expect. The first TMNT movie in a long time. In other words - we were excited, even knowing that it won't be good. We just wanted it to be OK.
Well, it wasn't.
I really don't want to say this, but this movie is terrible. If you have even a little bit of logical and critical thinking, you will see that.
Director Jonathan Liebesman, known for nothing even remotely good, did a semi-terrible job. A few scenes pop up and will be remembered for a while as exciting or cool, but nothing more. Josh Appelbaum did a particularly terrible job writing the script, it simply gave nothing for the actors to work with, it was very simple, and most jokes weren't worth more than a chuckle. A lot of people are saying the turtles ARE the turtles when they "get it on" - I strongly disagree, having read most of the original and IDW comics, and watched most of the TV series, I know how the turtles act, and this were not the turtles. The Turtles are a lot more charming than simply a nerd, a nobody, a loverboy and a grumpy guy with an attitude. Mr. Wolf said it best: the fact that you are a character does not mean you have character, and this is just the case with this rendition of our favorite heroes.
Further more, the story is very badly paced, it was one of those movies that feels very fast and very slow all at once - there were no moments of gradual suspense, nothing of value at all. You only need to see how weak the intro is to get what I mean, and the ending is even worse (it doesn't have a finale, it just ends in a typical Michael Bay fashion). And - spoilers - about the supposed climax, though cool at times, I agree with some critics that it was too similar to the one in Amazing Spider-Man 1. Other than that, the geek in me wants to say that this movie has the same problems as the original TMNT 2, though I will not point-out which, so not to spoil.
When it comes to acting, I can only say two things. First - William Fichtner was the only one of all the cast who was doing actual acting. Even though he was given 0 good text to work with, he had every scene he was in in complete control, as you'd expect. Everyone else was simply there, trying to do acting, rather than acting. The other thing I want to note, although it's not really acting related - the Shredder is much more cooler looking on screen. Sure, the Victorynox effects are obvious, but he is a lot less bulky and a bit more bad ass than he seems to be, so at least I'm glad about that. Oh, and Megan Fox did try though, for like 2 minutes.
The movie sounds ok, it's the typical Michael Bay style sound work - a lot of slow-mo dubstepish sounds and a lot of metal scraping noises, and a soundtrack worth 2 hours and a synth - nothing of value. The theme song by Wiz Khalifa and his entourage of various rappers is catchy, but notably weak and stupid. Even more so than Ninja Rap, and that's a whole new level of stupid only 2014's rappers can offer.
The post-production work was terrible - it was obvious how the movie went through a lot of stages, it was obvious how Sacks was going to be Shredder before the fan outrage, a lot of scenes have no sense what so ever, but nothing can be done about that.
The movie is pretty damn weak. And if you can't stand stand being not-critical or logical, you are not going to like it at all. (Yeah, it is scary how this movie surpassed Guardians of the Galaxy and Planet of the Apes.)
However, if you have kids - take 'em to see it. Kids love this movie. And ultimately... this movie, in particular, is obviously made for them. It wants to take you on a joy ride, and if you are a little kid, not knowing most of the history of TMNT (like, per say, me), you will have a blast and go want a toy afterwards. Hell, even I wanted a toy afterwards. But that's what comic book movies do to you I guess.
The movie is not as terrible as some people point it out to be, but it is pretty weak, Kids will love it, real fans will probably hate it, but be excited by it. Either way, a sequel is already due and with Bibop and Rocksteady confirmed for it, maybe we will see something a tad more faithful, and let's hope - better.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

All this user's reviews

4

ThatCoolCriticApr 12, 2015

*sigh* Michael Bay a bad filmmaker. He already ruined my childhood with the Transformers movies, so when I heard he was producing a Ninja Turtles reboot, I was ENRAGED!!! Then I went to see the film I knew was gonna be terrible and honestly,*sigh* Michael Bay a bad filmmaker. He already ruined my childhood with the Transformers movies, so when I heard he was producing a Ninja Turtles reboot, I was ENRAGED!!! Then I went to see the film I knew was gonna be terrible and honestly, it was ok. I still hate the Turtles designs, but that's just a minor problem. What I disliked the most about the film was that it was basically the April O'Neil show!!! I really am getting tired of Megan Fox staring in Bays movies. Heck, we don't see the Turtles until like 10-20 minutes into the movie!!! Also, the Shredder is really underdeveloped. All we focus on is Erick Sacks. But from all my hate, I don't completely hate this movie. The voice acting is decent and the fight sequences are awesome. Although that doesn't mean the movie is great in any way. Not as terrible as I thought it would be, but not a masterpiece. 4/10.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

All this user's reviews

6

TheQuietGamerDec 16, 2014

A reboot of the classic franchise on the big screen with twists to the fiction and the turtles being brought to life by CGI. The plot feels stupid thanks to a glaring hole in the villains plan and the turtles new look takes a lot of gettingA reboot of the classic franchise on the big screen with twists to the fiction and the turtles being brought to life by CGI. The plot feels stupid thanks to a glaring hole in the villains plan and the turtles new look takes a lot of getting used to. They look disgusting and monstrous most of the time, but after a while you get used to it and don't mind anymore. However the biggest flaw it has is that the turtles themselves feel like side-characters in their own movie.

There's way too much of a focus on April O'neil. This movie is pretty much her origin story. The heroes in a half-shell are pushed to the side in favor of tying her into their past. Even worse is that Megan Fox gives an absolutely crappy performance as O'neil. If she somehow manages to avoid getting a razzie for this I will be amazed. There is no emotion in her performance what so ever and you can clearly tell she isn't trying in the slightest.

So why isn't my score lower? The answer is the turtles themselves. They're brotherly back and forth is entertaining and often funny. Despite how ugly they now look it's hard to not get excited when they appear on-screen. The action isn't anything spectacular, but still provides some decent entertainment.

You can tell it's trying hard to be one of the big blockbuster superhero movies in order to compete. Because of that it takes a lot of the same paths recent superhero flicks have and lacks some necessary originality. However it does still make for a pretty entertaining flick. Especially for the younger TMNT fans out there.

Changes to the fiction are sure to anger hardcore purists and it's not really a great new start for the series on the big-screen. That being said it can still be an entertaining watch. I wasn't really impressed with it and a lot of elements make it seem more geared to a new, younger crowd, but I wasn't bored by it.

If they had focused more on the title characters it could have been a lot better. As it stands it's an at least watchable movie that shouldn't completely burn your inner TMNT fan. There's enough humor and decent action to make it a decent popcorn flick, but it's not hard to see how it could have been better. With more emphasis on the turtles as well as injecting it with more of the series personality the sequel could actually be pretty good.

This isn't a bad TMNT movie, but it's changes clearly make it more geared towards attracting a new audience by giving them what so many other box-office hits have been offering as of late. Because of that it lacks some intelligence and well as enough of the turtles themselves. It makes for a TMNT movie that's watchable, but not entirely satisfying. Especially not for old-school fans. I personally view it as still worth a watch though. Just don't expect to be blown away. My total score for the movie is a 6.5/10.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

6

MikefromAngusDec 25, 2014

Way better then what the critics rated it as! The CGI was amazing! The best special effects I have seen to date! Story was ok as well. The movie was alright!

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

5

EPIXMAN15Aug 13, 2014

A movie only good by Michael Bay standards and pleasant only as trashy fun. Despite the enjoyable visuals and effects, likability of the characters, and fun and touching moments the film is plagued by a scattered brained plot, plot holes,A movie only good by Michael Bay standards and pleasant only as trashy fun. Despite the enjoyable visuals and effects, likability of the characters, and fun and touching moments the film is plagued by a scattered brained plot, plot holes, underdeveloped characters and lack of loyalty to the source material.

The movie also suffers from an excessive jokieness that makes the film evoke annoyance more than laughs and also very uneven screen writing and sloppy plot development that doesn't tie up the story nicely in the end. Overall the movie has plenty of redeeming qualities which save it from its script and poor plot and can simply be enjoyed as a stuffed action flick with enjoyable moments with a sub-par plot and screenwriting.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

6

NightReviewsAug 14, 2014

Nostalgia will face-off against a once obscure set of oddball rebels this week in theaters when the Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles takes on the current box-office champ Guardians of the Galaxy. Star-Lord may have conqueredNostalgia will face-off against a once obscure set of oddball rebels this week in theaters when the Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles takes on the current box-office champ Guardians of the Galaxy. Star-Lord may have conquered ticket sales and theatre seats with his unknown team of misfits, but now he is head-to-head with a very recognizable and profitable brand of heroes that have found success with merchandising, previous cinematic endeavors, television shows and brand placement for years. However, don’t be quick to count Marvel out, especially when it’s film is a much more concentrated picture dedicated to story, visual effects, character development and star-making performances–all the things lacking in this newest adaptation of the Turtles.

For many people born into Generation-X, the Ninja Turtles have a special place in our hearts and memories growing up as kids. Dressing up like the turtles in our youth (or even in adulthood), always arguing which turtle was the best and declaring our favourites, the Ninja Turtles are considered a prominent part of many of our childhood’s cartoon memories. Like anything else, however, quantity may not always precede quality, even if the memories may well be better than the present. While the newest film adaptation of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s beloved comic book characters get a contemporary vision, the Turtles get a good taste of twenty-first century overkill; between the unnecessary 3D format, a heavy-handed visual effects cluster that at times shreds the screen rather than gracefully transcends images, and its fair share of negative controversy over the last few years, the Ninja Turtles sure need some tough skin to come out on top in order for them to be declared a clear success story.

Between ramblings that the title of the film was going to be named only “Ninja Turtles”, to an origin story that finds itself lost in the depths of space (as do the main characters), to a returning Megan Fox, whose tarnished relationship with producer Michael Bay brought an onslaught of questions after ejecting her from his career-changing Transformers series, the newest Turtles may have been, at times, pressured to hide in their shells. Yet, with the direction of go-to Hollywood pushover Jonathan Liebesman and powerhouse producer Bay, even after criticism of the first trailer showed that the Turtles may have needed a nose job, the film entertains despite its poor constructive history. And even though our favourite four Turtles are named after artists of the Renaissance, the story could easily be one from that era as well.

I won’t lie, I was the first one in line to buy tickets to the new TMNT, but didn’t have high expectations, especially since the film was more of a punch-line than it was ever considered a serious summer contender. Despite all this, the film still brought its fair share of “woahs”, “ahhs”, and most importantly, laughs.

Light on any real narrative, the film provides a nicely put together origin story that ties the creation of our favourite band of green-superheroes with original characters in the comics, as well as new characters made directly for the screen. Taking cues from many superhero films before it, the band of brothers must join together to take down Master Shredder (Tohoru Masamune) before he consumes New York City.

Other than Bay, one of the biggest problems with the film is that it never really establishes the identity of any of the actors playing the good guys, nor does it give them any spotlight. The body actors and voice actors of many of the main characters, including the Turtles, are never given their due justice. Leonardo (played by Pete Ploszek but voiced by Jackass alum Johnny Knoxville), Michelangelo (played and voiced by Noel Fisher), Raphael (Alan Ritchson), and Donatello (Jeremy Howard), along with their noble Sensei Splinter (played by Danny Woodburn but voiced by Tony Shalhoub) seem to be mixed in a blended spectacle of martial arts effects faced only by not so funny man Will Arnett and the once iconic Megan Fox. Like any job, tasks need to be done, goals accomplished and work done properly, and Fox can rest assured that she never progresses the characters of April O’Neil, but at least she defied and got in the good books of one of the most explosive producers working. Plus, she isn’t bad to look at on screen, which will make fan-boys really happy as throughout the film, she is explicitly the butt end of all the gorgeous women jokes of the film.

At times foamy and most of the time frothy, the Turtles are given a personality change for a new generation. If you know anything about the personalities of the Turtles from the past, you can always count on Bay to offer the most stereotypical versions of cherished childhood characters.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

4

sammurphy66Aug 11, 2014

Incredibly boring, poorly acted, profusely tedious and graciously idiotic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is just as bad, if not worse, than its title let's on.

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

All this user's reviews

5

MopgonpblrAug 10, 2014

This film could be good for one watching. But stupid characters, the freaking transformer named Shredder and leadership of effects make this film a stupid parody on Ninja Turtles.

7 of 9 users found this helpful72

All this user's reviews

4

tropicAcesAug 10, 2014

If you think this movie is good, you're one of two things: a TMNT fanboy or an idiot. This film is so boring and lazily written, and takes probably 45 minutes until we formally meet the Turtles. Want an example of how lazy it is? The filmIf you think this movie is good, you're one of two things: a TMNT fanboy or an idiot. This film is so boring and lazily written, and takes probably 45 minutes until we formally meet the Turtles. Want an example of how lazy it is? The film says it takes place on the first day of Spring, yet Megan Fox takes a 20 minute drive from NYC and suddenly is in a snow blanketed resort. Its just another Michael Bay film, which is all the review I should need to say.… Expand

9 of 14 users found this helpful95

All this user's reviews

5

alaffyAug 8, 2014

I went into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with some trepidation and I have to say the movie is better then I thought it would be. That's not to say I loved the film, but I didn't outright hate it either. I actually like the way the turtlesI went into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with some trepidation and I have to say the movie is better then I thought it would be. That's not to say I loved the film, but I didn't outright hate it either. I actually like the way the turtles acted and there were some good scenes. The thing that needs to be understood about this movie is that it is clearly written for a younger audience. This means the story is oversimplified at some points and that leads to some very obvious plot holes. In the end, I just felt that the movie was ok. It's not the worst TMNT project out there, but it's not really high on the list. If you have young kids, they will probably like this movie. If you're an adult, you may just want to rent this instead.… Expand

11 of 18 users found this helpful117

All this user's reviews

4

yeah90Aug 9, 2014

Bad movie but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014, is a little better than Transformers: Age of Extinction 2014, and why the done this movie with cgi ? , there are actors who can do martial arts.

6 of 12 users found this helpful66

All this user's reviews

4

BrianMcCriticAug 8, 2014

The Turtles themselves are pretty entertaining, everything else is a complete dud. This has Michael Bay written all over it from the slow motion to the terrible shaky cam to a weak script. C-

5 of 11 users found this helpful56

All this user's reviews

5

RtheomAug 18, 2014

I went in expecting utter trash, and it was a lot better than I would have expected. Not a masterpiece by any measure of the word, but enjoyable. The good thing was that it was short and fast. It kept the action moving and never let up, soI went in expecting utter trash, and it was a lot better than I would have expected. Not a masterpiece by any measure of the word, but enjoyable. The good thing was that it was short and fast. It kept the action moving and never let up, so while there was plenty I didn't agree with or thought was just downright stupid, I didn't have time to stew over it.

Also, Megan Fox was much better than I would have thought. Also not great, but you could tell she actually tried to be more than just T&A. She took this role very seriously, even if the rest of the movie didn't, and I appreciate that.

Overall, it wasn't a Bayformers mega-mess like I had expected and so I was pleasantly surprised.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

5

chepod8Jun 12, 2015

La evolución tecnológica es buena, pero creo que el abuso de CGI (Computer Generator Image) ha hecho resaltar de inverosímil muchas cosas, mala jugada para nuestros recuerdos de la niñez.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

5

ThatCooperGuyJun 25, 2015

It does have some funny moments and the action scenes are pretty good. Unfortunately, the film is mostly boring, the plot's unoriginal, the turtles look awful, and there's barely any character development(even from the turtles).
Personally,It does have some funny moments and the action scenes are pretty good. Unfortunately, the film is mostly boring, the plot's unoriginal, the turtles look awful, and there's barely any character development(even from the turtles).
Personally, I think the two biggest faults were:
1.) Casting Megan Fox as April O'Neil
2.) Being directed by Jonathan Liebesman… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

All this user's reviews

6

wnick2000Aug 20, 2014

At first, I wasn't expecting anything from this movie. It had all the signs that it would be bad. While it's not the best turtles movie, It was still a decent flick. You can tell Micheal Bay had a TON of involvement in this movie, because itAt first, I wasn't expecting anything from this movie. It had all the signs that it would be bad. While it's not the best turtles movie, It was still a decent flick. You can tell Micheal Bay had a TON of involvement in this movie, because it falls into the same trap as the Transformers movies. This movie should REALLY be called April O...scratch that, Megan Fox, featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. To everyone predicting that Megan would not be a good April, you were right. She felt really 1-dimensional and again felt like she was there to appeal to the teenage boy demographic. Shredder was very 1-dimensional as well, and pretty much looked like a mini-Transformer. The ONLY redeemable thing about this movie, is the Turtles themselves. Each actor did an excellent job portraying the turtles, and when they were on screen, I really thought we had a good turtle movie on our hands. However, I was kinda wrong. The only other thing great about this movie, was the downhill action scene. That was truly great. None of the other characters were great at doing what they were intended to do, and the turtles are the only reason to see this movie. Is it the worst turtles movie? No. Is it the best? Far from it. It's really just a "Meh" or "Okay" movie. I gotta hand to the movie though, at least it was better than Transformers:AoE. I am, however, excited and curious to see where this franchise goes.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

6

Jim222001Feb 1, 2015

An okay movie that is almost faithful to the series despite unnecessary silly changes. For instance why can't Splinter be a human that became a rat in any of the live action movies ? A rat who learned Kung-Fu didn't work in the original movieAn okay movie that is almost faithful to the series despite unnecessary silly changes. For instance why can't Splinter be a human that became a rat in any of the live action movies ? A rat who learned Kung-Fu didn't work in the original movie and it doesn't work here.
But the worse is turtles growing lips and nostrils when they mutated. And Donetello wearing glasses just because he's the smart one. Or Karai in the movie for no good reason when Splinter can't be her real dad in this if he was never human. So in many ways the Nickelodeon series is far superior. Not enough thought was put into the movie. At least the voice work for the turtles was perfect because the movie wasn't.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

4

angrynerdincJun 26, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film is a brainless, somewhat entertaining, generously short jog through the new Ninja Turtles' universe. It is supposed to be realistic, but it seems to take itself way too seriously, and ends up being a very confused picture. I wouldn't say it's a horrible movie, because it's really not, but I'd say it's a mixed bag. The animation is mostly fantastic and the banter between the turtles is surprisingly in character with what little was developed about them in this film or what you may know from previous incarnations of the brothers. The plot is uninspired and clunky, but makes for an unintentionally hilarious line from the pseudo-villain. Megan Fox is still a bad actress, but people seem to be attacking her on a personal level, and that's a bit uncalled for. Needless to say, she was bad in the movie, Will Arnett looks incredibly restrained and disinterested in the picture where William Fichtner is having a blast playing the stereotypical business man, and the turtles bounce lines off each other like a well played game of wall-ball. This is a mixed bag because without the great banter between the turtles, and the clever new backstory, this would be just another bad movie.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

4

HowmasterSep 3, 2015

Besides the bad writing, bad voice acting, bad plot, and bad cgi, it's ok. There are a couple of funny moments, but for the most part the CGI looks terrible and it has too much going on.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

5

TyranianFeb 19, 2020

Decent TMNT film with good visuals but writing and casting issues. Sporadically funny.