I took a long time to really look at each of the Turtles up close, and I pulled out the toys to take a look at them, too. My mom actually continued on without me; I was taking so long. But this movie has been under wraps for so many months now...it was awesome to finally get a good look at them.
Well..."good" may not be the right word. The following paragraphs detail the four Turtles - along with some supporting characters - and give my opinion on each. Keep in mind that these are just my thoughts. I can't claim to speak for every Shellhead out there.
And we're off. First up, Leonardo. Personally, I think Leo looks the best out of the four of them. If the turtles HAVE to wear something, I think they did a good job with him. It's a simple samurai outfit. I also think that his face looks the best of the four; usually he wears a serious expression, but his eyes are calm, which really reflects who he is as a leader. Forget about the rest of him - when I look in his eyes I can see it's really Leo in there. At least they got that right.
Second, Raphael. OK, now, I know that Raph is the big, tough guy. But I think they took that to a bit of an extreme. His facial expression in almost every photo you see is anger. His eyes scream "I'm going to kill someone," and that's kind of scary, actually. I've never really been scared of Raphael (my favorite turtle), but this version of him radiates power and anger. It's kind of creepy. Plus, he's huge compared to the other turtles. Exaggerated muscles, much? Something I did notice upon closer inspection was something between a gash and a scar on his lower left cheek. Bet you can't guess where he may have gotten that. *sarcasm*
Gonna be honest...I really don't like how Donatello looks. At all. At first I thought that I was just thinking he looked bad because of the trailer and some preview pics, but when I saw him close up for the first time, I was like, "Um...no." Because it's just not him! Yes, he's the geek of the bunch, but having him wear a bunch of tech gear on his shell and carry a metal bo staff and wear nerdy glasses...that's too much. I love nerds as much as the next person, but it's way too much for Donnie. Plus his legs look way too skinny in proportion to the rest of him. It's like he's a hulk of a turtle from the waist up, but from the waist down, he's a stick person. It just looks wrong. One good thing I do have to say for him is this: I really like the Japanese writing on his bandanna. That's pretty cool.
Finally, Michelangelo. Right after Leo, he's the best looking Turtle. He wears the most of the four of them, with jeans and shoes and necklaces and sunglasses...the whole bit. It's crazy. But you know, as crazy as it is, it really does reflect him. Mikey's always been the most outgoing. It makes sense that he would wear the most human stuff and try to fit in more than the others. But again, it seems a bit much. It seems like they got his personality right, though, based on the trailer. "It's just a mask, don't freak out." *takes it off* "Right?" (And then April O'Neil faints. Way to go, Mikey.)
Now for Splinter. Holy cow. Actually, I agree with my dad on this one: he looks the least messed up of all of the redesigned characters. Yeah, the mustache is new, but everything else looks about the same. Fine, he's wearing blue instead of red or brown, but really, that's about it. He's still a rat. He looks like a shorter version of the 2012 Master Splinter. (To me, anyway.)
Shredder is a white guy. Sorry, I just can't get over that. Shredder is not Oroku Saki. He's Eric Sachs. Really? What the heck happened there? Where's Tang Shen? Did Shredder adopt Karai in this movie? Cause he's white but she's Asian, so...yeah. (I promise, I am not racist.) And where does the rivalry between him and Splinter come from now? Is there a rivalry at all? Oh, boy, we're in trouble.
It's weird to see Foot Soldiers carrying guns instead of katanas or nunchucks, but I suppose in all fairness, the original Krang never carried around alien guns with him and the 2012 Kraang do. So...just something I'll have to get used to.
I have nothing to say about April O'Neil.
Overall: ...eh. I don't know. It could be a lot worse, but it really could be a lot better, too. I don't think the Turtles are 15 in this movie. I'm convinced they have to be at least 17, probably more like 18 or 19. Honestly, they look like young adults (which is the route Michael Bay wanted in the first place), but the title says they're still teens, so...yeah...probably older teens, though. There are some smaller details I like about the redesigns, but mostly I wish they had just stuck with the Turtles we're familiar with. I don't like the idea of a white Shredder. That just seems wrong. (Again, I'm not racist.) The Foot with guns? Weird. Megan Fox as April O'Neil? Seriously, when I see her, I can't think of her as April. I can only think of her as Megan Fox. I still don't like that casting choice, but as I've said before:
I reserve judgement until August 8.
In summary: even after everything I've seen concerning this movie, I am optimistic. It won't be a perfect Ninja Turtles movie by any means, but maybe they will at least do a decent job. I am expecting to walk out of the theater with mixed feelings, probably liking some aspects of it and hating others.
Here's a fun fact for you: when I was inspecting the Turtles in the middle of Walmart, some younger kids passed by (the new generation of Turtles fans). One was a girl, probably about seven, who said she didn't like the new look at all. Two others were boys, maybe five and eight, who liked the look and were excited to see the movie. There are mixed feelings among the newest generation as well. We're not alone.
I did purchase a movie Leonardo action figure on Sunday. I was in debate for a while about whether I should get one, but when we got to the checkout line I decided to go back and grab it. After all, what kind of a Shellhead would I be if I didn't at least give this movie a chance? They're still our Turtles. They look different, yes, but they are Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo.
Here's hoping Michael Bay doesn't ruin them.
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