In “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze” (1991), the cartoon’s Bebop and Rocksteady just missed out on their big-screen debuts as the filmmakers chose to go with new creations Tokka and Rahzar. Twenty-five years later, that oversight is rectified in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” (2016), the second (and, for better or worse, seemingly last) entry in a new continuity.
(Be)boppin’ onto big screen
It’s briefly awesome to see Shredder’s numbskull henchman (played by Gary Anthony Williams and pro wrestler Sheamus) in their cinematic glory, but as is the problem with superhero movies from “X-Men 2” to “Spider-Man 3,” “Shadows” is too much of a good thing.
A lot of fan-favorite characters and vehicles are brought to the big screen, but rarely with the weight they deserve. (Although, admittedly, I had more than enough of B&R by the end.)
“Shadows” a feast of production design and creature artistry, but the simplistic story and obvious computer effects make the final product ephemeral.
I don’t mean that the CGI is bad – in fact, it’s very good for what it is. I mean it’s obvious that real people in costumes are not doing the big stunts.
In addition to B&R, director Dave Green’s sequel gives us an excellent, comic-accurate portrayal of Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry); Casey Jones (“Arrow’s” Stephen Amell), who grew on me after I initially balked at him being a cop (but then remembered his hopes of becoming a detective from the Mirage comics); and Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett), who aims to reassemble the Technodrome on Earth.
As in 2014’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Shredder (Brian Tee this time) is bizarrely an afterthought. Karai (Brittany Ishibashi) is on hand as his second-in-command, but mainly so we can again say “Hey, it’s Karai.”
“Shadows” leaves a “TMNT” fan wanting more; whether it’s a detailed story for Baxter, Karai, Shredder or whoever – just something more substantial than an admittedly impressive toy commercial.
Maguffin of the ooze
Again, I’m impressed by the colorful production design – with purple ooze as the sequel’s maguffin – and writers Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec (both returning from part one) do a good job of blending elements from the vintage comics, cartoon and toy line.
For example, the Turtle Van has glowing innards, and among its features is a sewer-cover-thrower that calls to mind the Pizza Thrower. (By the way, if you still have your Pizza Thrower, watch out for the corroded battery).
The first half of “Shadows” is fun and laden with potential. Then it becomes a big ole CGI fest, and I think even non-“TMNT” fans would want more payoff from all of these characters who have been effectively introduced and then shunted aside.
The gang is still all here in the closing hour, but any individual character has less to do than we’d hope. Applebaum and Nemec nominally focus on the brothers learning to work as a team, which is old hat for this series (it was also the theme of 2007’s “TMNT”), but I do like that each of the Turtles pops as a personality.
I can particularly sense Leo’s frustration over trying to get everyone on the same page. (And Leo, of all people, gets the film’s best one-liner at Krang’s expense, dubbing him “Bubblicious.”)
Another expected beat is Casey and April (Megan Fox) showing interest in each other, but in terms of chemistry or attention from the camera, Elias Koteas and Judith Hoag they ain’t.
Gee-whiz action
Even more so than the first entry, “Shadows” is for fans of gee-whiz, whiz-bang action and bombast – sequences that could easily be in a “Fast & Furious” movie, whether it’s flipping vehicles or skydiving from one plane to another. All other filmmaking elements are cursory.
Granted, they are respectably cursory: I can tell that the art design team and most of the cast consists of “TMNT” fans or people who did their research, with a big tip of the hat going to Perry, who peppers in Baxter’s cackling laugh.
But there might not be as many fans of gee-whiz bombast as Nickelodeon Studios assumed, because I’ve heard no word of a third movie. If there is to be one, I can trust this team to give us Leatherhead and the Rat King, and my interest would be mildly piqued to see the designs and performances.
But I’d have little hope of a screenplay sinking its teeth into those sewer dwellers. In many ways, the 2014 and ’16 films give fans what they’d always wanted, but then pull it away too fast. This duology is an experience, but not a lasting one.