Today saw the premier of the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” trailer, which, as expected, has Michael Bay written all over it. At its most basic elements we have: nondescript city in danger, explosions, gunshots, gritty action, and finally, the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (not to be confused with ogres, trolls, or Reptile from “Mortal Kombat”). Was there anything particularly wrong with the trailer? No, if we’re talking about what looks like a high-octane action movie written for older teens and adults, but here’s the thing – I don’t know if Nickelodeon’s effort to position the story as a dark but witty action flick with a somewhat unsettling (terrifying?) version of the Turtles is going to work.
At its core, I think Bay and the production team on the movie have missed the mark on what made the heroes in a half-shell successful. The tone of the trailer just feels wrong: too dark, too serious, and definitely too adult. To quote a related and appropriate Reddit comment that resonated with me this morning, “I loved the sudden contrast between the Nickelodeon logo and the terrorist firing a rifle in public.” Who is this movie really for, Nickelodeon?
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that many of us grew up with (1990’s – 2000’s, specifically) were more than a lighthearted group of teenage heroes that liked pizza and were coming of age in a somewhat unusual-yet-badass mutation. They were a part of films and cartoons that had fun, didn’t take themselves too seriously, and gave crime fighting a hip sense of humor. Sure, the new trailer as a fun “Batter-up!” comment thrown in, but it is completely drowned out by Inception-like sound effects, gunfights, and what I assume are terrorist Foot Clan members.
If you’re not a long-time Turtles fan, go back and watch the original film trailers for both “Teenage Mutant Turtles” and “Secret of the Ooze.” I think you’ll start to see just how different the themes are from this present rendition. The “Secret of the Ooze” trailer, in particular, captures the tone and themes seen in both the cartoon and live action versions. Admittedly, I did not read the original comic books that came prior to the live action and cartoon properties. I’m told the original comics were much darker, but I would love for someone to elaborate as to which formula was more successful and resonated with a larger audience. For me, teenagers that are coming of age as turtle ninjas just doesn’t make sense with the darker formula, but perhaps I’ve grown too close to the versions I grew up with.
In the trailer, we open on New York City and the announcer tells us about the Pizza-scarfing population. Slapstick humor, lighthearted action, self-aware dialogue, and the setup for Shredder’s return form the backbone of this preview. We’re told that we’re going to learn more about the origin of our fearsome, fighting teenage friends. Most importantly, however, we find out that Vanilla Ice is going to rap, and the turtles are going to break-fight-dance. “GO NINJA GO NINJA GO! GO NINJA GO NINJA GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!…
Sorry… I get a little carried away when I hear that song…
To the matter at hand: yes, the execution in these films is dated – we wouldn’t get Vanilla Ice to do a modern version of the Ninja Rap for this movie (or would we?), nobody says “Radical!” anymore and most of the jokes wouldn’t work today. I just don’t want to believe that the executives over at Nickelodeon really thought everything about the Turtles needed an overhaul.
In summary, I’m really struggling to think that this movie will do well in theaters, in that I think its only audience includes young, high-octane action movie fans AND those that don’t already love the 90’s-era Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’ve lowered my expectations for the film significantly as a result of this trailer, but for me that’s because these just aren’t the Turtles I want to see.
Well, what do you think fellow Turtle fans? Has this trailer peaked your interest, or does something feel off? Has anybody out there read the original comics and believes this is the proper return to the pre-film and pre-cartoon universe?