Curiosity got the better of us. Dad and I saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ... the 2014 version. I think I knew what was coming when I saw the 20% critic rating / 60% audience rating: a fun film that was probably mediocre.
Yes, the teamwork and banter between the Turtles was definitely the highlight of the film and there were several fun action pieces, but it felt as though the directing that the Turtles and Splinter had was different than the directing that the other actors had, almost as though they were interacting from two different movies.
Not only that, but if you're at all to sensitive to finely-honed screenplays, capable acting, and sharp directing, there's none of that here. It's basically the typical Hollywood film fare, entertaining enough, but nothing deep or extraordinary.
I think the saddest thing is, for some reason, I just couldn't care about the characters, as fun as the Turtles were on occasion. In the originals everyone was so relatable and real, but in this? Mostly two-dimensional characters just to serve a plot. Bummer dude. No cowabunga.
