I was in love with this movie the second I saw the trailer. The music, the characters, the animation, it all just seemed to blend together in a perfect way. And now that I've seen it, I can safely say it mostly holds true. Seth Rogen has created a love letter to the turtles, and while this movie isn't perfect (like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish or Spiderverse), it does a VERY good job creating what could be a long running movie franchise.
The Animation
Like I said above, the animation caught me instantly. It looks like the new creative animation inspired by Spider-Man Into the Spiderverse. And honestly, maybe a bit too much just like it. Mikros Animation did the animation for this movie, and while it is a bit too close to Spider-Man, it's pretty damn good animation for a company with 100 less staff than Sony. The turtles look great, ALL the mutant look great, and it was an excellent choice to spend so much time with the mutants on screen. The design of the humans kind of lacked luster, but there weren't too many to really focus on it. New York was beautiful, just like in Spider-Man, this team really captured the beauty of the city like only an animated film can. Live action you can't really hide how gross it is. Speaking of gross, I'll never ever ever need to see vomit in a movie, animated or otherwise, so the LONG April vomit scene? Not needed. But the fight scenes, as brief as they are, are incredibly animated and are a delight. I can't wait to see the battles between the Turtles and the Foot in the next one!
The Cast
Lets get it out of the way. Love Seth Rogen. Great guy. Lovely guy. And he is largely responsible for this great movie being made. But he either needs to put a spin on his voice work or just cast himself as the smallest role possible. It's literally just Seth Rogen. There is no Bebop. And he deserves a spot in the cast, but Rocksteady and Bebop are two of the biggest TMNT characters, and Cena did well as Rocksteady, but anytime Bebop spoke out I could only see, smell, and taste Seth Rogen. But the rest of the cast nailed their jobs. Jackie Chan as Splinter was inspired, and each of the kids did very well as their respective Turtles. Ice Cube as Superfly was awesome, and Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko was hilarious. This cast was well picked and extremely talented, and really bring the movie to life.
The Story
So first off, I never need to hear the word "milked" again. The joke was funny the first few times, but to keep hearing it, and then to eventually see it? No thanks. That and the puke was a lot, and not needed. The story itself was good, a bit basic, but the first part that was really just focused on the Turtles' sense of isolation was excellent. But as more mutants joined the fray the story kind of became all over the place. It didn't need to be "No Country for Old Men", but I kind of expected the story to match Puss in Boots and Spiderverse, and it came close. Kind of. There were also a LOT of pop culture references, and I get they are teenage boys, but I mean a LOT. The whole conversation about Mark Ruffalo was weird. And once again I get it, classic teenage boys, but the more celebrities you name the more it takes me out of the movie. And speaking of being taken out of the movie, I feel like Mikey got no screen time. Donnie got to like anime, Ralph got to be tough, and Leo got the whole show to himself pretty much. As a Mikey fan I feel like I got shafted. The story was good, the characters were written well, but some weird story choices and odd quips kept this movie from being as great as it should have been.
The Music
A plus. Nuff said.
Summary
The animation is crisp, the humor is mostly spot on, and even a lackluster story can't keep these turtles down. A good start to what could be a great franchise.
Score: 7/10