TMNT (2007)

After watching the not so terrible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie from the 1990s, I decided to check out this animated version as well (mainly because one of the characters is voiced by Chris Evans and I really wanted to see/hear if he could do voice work). 

TMNT picks up after the Turtles defeated their old arch nemesis, The Shredder, and grow apart --Leonardo (James Arnold Taylor) is training in South America, Donatello (Mitchell Whitfield) works in an IT support center, Michelangelo (Mikey Kelley) has become a kids attraction and Raphael (Nolan North) is a vigilante. When a new evil force comes to New York, the Turtles must reunite and overcome their differences to save the world. 

Just like the version I watched a few months ago, this one too has a very simple and predictable plot, and, in spite of it being quite new and original, it's not that interesting. Also, there are a few side plots that are either difficult for kids to understand or you simply don't care about them.

The characters, on the other hand, are surprisingly good and way better than the plot. They aren't the best-written characters in (animation) history, but they are decent enough to make the film more compelling. Actually, it's not really them as April isn't particularly strong a character, and Michelangelo and Donatello get very little screen time and therefore there's no time to develop them, but the relationships between them. They are quite complex and decently developed, especially Leonardo and Raphael's. Also, having a villain that is not the Shredded is quite refreshing.

The voice work is pretty solid too. While I wasn't crazy about Sarah Michelle Gellar's April --her voice just doesn't fit the role in my opinion--, the rest of the voices fit the characters very well --I particularly liked Patrick Stewart's Max Winters, a businessman who turns out to be an immortal warlord aka the villain. I didn't mind Chris Evans as Casey either.

Warner Bros. Pictures, Weinstein Company

The animation looks pretty awesome, and the action sequences are fun and entertaining. There's also plenty of humour. Okay, maybe not plenty as some of the jokes just don't work and will probably make you cringe, but you'll also have a few good laughs.