Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Release Date: 11th September 2014 - Australia

Production Companies

Paramount Pictures

Nickelodeon Movies

Platinum Dunes

Gama Entertainment

Mednick Productions

Distribution

Paramount Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 101 minutes


Budget: $125,000,000

Box Office Gross: $493,333,584 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

With the Shredder and his

evil Foot Clan controlling

everything from the police

to the politicians, darkness

has fallen over New York

City. Things look bleak

until four young genetically

mutated turtle brothers,

Leonardo, Michelangelo,

Donatello and Raphael,

rise above the sewers and

discover their destiny. To

save the city and unravel

Shredder's evil scheme, the

Turtles must team up with

intrepid reporter April

O'Neil and her wisecracking

cameraman, Vern Fenwick!

Cast

Megan Fox - April O'Neil

Will Arnett - Vern Fenwick

William Fichtner - Eric Sacks
Alan Ritchson - Raphael
Noel Fisher - Michelangelo
Pete Ploszek - Leonardo
Johnny Knoxville - Leonardo (Voice)
Jeremy Howard - Donatello
Danny Woodburn - Splinter
Tony Shalhoub - Splinter (Voice)
Tohoru Masamume - Shredder
Whoopi Goldberg -

Bernadette Thompson
Minae Noji - Karai
Abby Elliott - Taylor

Madison Mason - Councilman
Taran Killam - McNaughton
K. Todd Freeman - Dr. Baxter Stockman
Paul Fitzgerald - Dr. O'Neil

Malina Pauli Weissman - Young April O'Neil

Venida Evans - Subway Hostage

Mikal Vega - Sacks Bodyguard

Harley Pasternak - Himself

Braeson Herold - Reporter

Chris Wlyde - Reporter

Chance Kelly - Mr. Rivetti

Rick Chambers - News Anchor

Leyna Nyugen - News Anchor
Derek Mears - Dojo Ninja

Crew

Director - Jonathan Liebesman

Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Characters  - Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

Writers - Josh Appelbaum,
André Nemec and Evan Daugherty
Associate Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Basil Grillo

Executive Producers - Eric J. Crown,
Jason Reed and Napoleon Smith III
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Denis L. Stewart

Producers - Michael Bay, Ian Bryce,

Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller,

Scott Mednick and Galen Walker

Casting Directors - Kathleen Chopin and

Debra Zane
Production Designer - Neil Spisak

Art Director - Miguel López-Castillo

Set Decorators - Debra Schutt and Lisa Scoppa

Property Master - Diana Burton
Costume Designer - Sarah Edwards

Costume Supervisor: Los Angeles Unit -

Lisa Lovaas

Makeup Department Head - Mindy Hall
Director of Photography - Lula Carvalho

Director of Photography: Snow Unit -

Mitchell Amundsen

Aerial Director of Photography: New York

Second Unit - David B. Nowell

"B" Camera Operator: New York Second

Unit - David M. Dunlap

Location Manager - Maria T. Biernak

Location Manager: Los Angeles Unit - Jonathan Hook

Unit Production Manager: Los Angeles Unit -

Allegra Clegg

Production Supervisor: Los Angeles Unit -

Daren Hicks

First Assistant Director - Darin Rivetti

First Assistant Director: Snow Unit - Chris Castaldi
Second Unit Director: New York Second Unit/

Visual Effects Supervisor - Pablo Helman
Second Unit Director: New York Second Unit/

Stunt Coordinator - David Leitch

Snow Unit Director - Dan Bradley

Stunt Coordinator: Snow Unit - Scott Rogers
Stunt Co-Coordinator - Hank Amos
Fight Coordinator - Jonathan Eusebio
Fight Coordinator/Stunt Coordinator: Los Angeles
Unit - Garrett Warren
Special Effects Supervisor - Burt Dalton

Special Effects Coordinator: Snow Unit -
J.D. Schwalm

Special Effects Coordinators: Los Angeles Unit -
David Amborm, Eric Frazier and Chris Burton

Visual Effects Supervisor: Lola VFX - Edson Williams

Visual Effects Supervisor: Stereo D - Katherine Rodtsbrooks

Associate Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Robert Weaver

Visual Effects Producers - Susan MacLeod

and Pat Sandston (Uncredited)

Visual Effects Executive Producers: ILM -

Wayne Billheimer and Gretchen Libby

Visual Effects Senior Art Director: ILM -

Aaron McBride
Animation Supervisor: ILM - Tim Harrington
Associate Animation Supervisor: ILM - Kevin Martel

Animation Consultant - Chris McKay

Digital Compositing Supervisor: ILM -

Nelson Sepulveda

Facial CG Supervisors: ILM - Kirani Bhat

and Michael Koperwas

Creature Supervisors: ILM - James Tooley,

Frank Dravatt, Bradford deCaussin and Cyrus Jam

Digital Artist Supervisors: ILM - Ivan Busquets,

Pat Conran, Eric Fernandes, Trevor Hazel,

David Hisanga, Kelvin Lau, Douglas Moore,

Mark Nettleton and Dan Wheaton

Additional Visual Effects: Image Engine -

Jesper Kjölsrud, Rhys Claringbull,

Cara Talluhla Davies, Vera Zivny, Barry Poon,

Yuta Shimizu, Shawn Walsh, Fred Chapman,

Jacob Clark, Martyn 'Moose' Culpitt,

Jeremy Stewart and Daniel Elophe

Additional Visual Effects: Tippett -

Aharon Bourland, Brad Fox, Joseph Hamdorf,

Sabina Fredenburg, Howard Campbell,

Jack Kalkanis Estrada, William Groebe,

Chris Paizas, John Rader, Chris Morley,

Eric Jeffrey and Kent Matheson

Previsualization Supervisor: Unit 11 - Steve Yamamoto

Previsualization Supervisor: The Third Floor -

Nicholas Markel
Editors - Joel Negron and Glen Scantlebury

Additional Editors - Peter Gvozdas

and Jim May

Supervising Sound Editors - Ethan Van der Ryan,

Erik Aadahl and Laurent Kossayan

Sound Designer - Jason W. Jennings

Re-Recording Mixers - Terry Porter

and Anna Behlmer

Foley Artists - Dan O'Connell,

John Cucci, Alicia Stevenson and

Dawn Lunsford
Music - Brian Tyler

Review

As a fellow nostalgic reviewer, I've learned much about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles through a few books and comic issues, plus watching two television series and three movies. I wasn't very excited about seeing the 2014 reboot of the movie when I heard all its negative news when in production. I've seen movies on better days that are extremely good to watch. The recent interpretation of TMNT is juvenile, cheesy and almost unfaithful to the original incarnation due to Michael Bay's involvement and several drawbacks. The CGI character designs of the Turtles are horrendous. They looked nothing more but part reptilian and part human to their mutation. The effects company ILM has been trying to shape these four heroic reptiles to look as organic as possible but made them too creepy. Much to the best intentions of the filmmakers, who wanted to make them different from the old-school puppetry used in the three original films.

With a focus on the acting performances in this big-budgeted remake, Megan Fox is miscast as April O'Neill. She should have dyed her hair red or given away the role to another actress in playing the lead female to more accurately re-convey the traditional appearance of April. Although the other cast isn't perfect other than Megan herself, the best actor who stays in most of the film would be Will Arnett, playing a supporting character, who is almost the exact opposite of April. On a different note, I admire his role in the Arrested Development program.

It isn't the feature I expected, but it still definitely breaks out of its shell with a fireworks display of action and thrills. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is a shameful example of a film due to a lack of direction and writing. You could only watch it once. COWABUNGA, DUDES!

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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