"This weekend, my friend Zach and I traveled to Los Angeles to attend the world premiere of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (thanks to Kevin Eastman and Turtles producer Scott Mednick, for getting us tickets!).
We checked out the red carpet arrivals before putting on our Ninja Turtles bandana 3-D glasses and enjoying the film.
We both loved the movie, which has a great blend of humor, action, and top notch special effects. While remaining respectful to the original material, the movie also brings its own spin to the Turtles. I can’t wait to see the movie again, and I think Turtles fans will really enjoy the movie, which opens in theaters Friday, August 8. After the movie we attended the after-party, which was decked out with games for the kids in attendance, drinks and, of course, pizza.
We were also able to meet some of the stars of the film: Megan Fox (April O’Neil), Alan Ritchson (Raphael), Noel Fisher (Michelangelo), Pete Ploszek (Leonardo), Jeremy Howard (Donatello), and Minae Noji (Karai), all of whom were very charming and gracious.
.jpg)
So what happened you couldn't make it to the premiere?
ReplyDeleteMy only real gripe with this movie is the designs of the Turtles. Not a fan at all of making them big hulk-like monsters, instead of the slim ninja's they're supposed to be. Giving them nostrils and humanoid noses/lips is also a real turn-off.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame, I think the movie would be decent otherwise but its hard to get used to these Turtle designs. Nick got the right idea with the cartoon by making them look physically younger and more cute (although since the target audience is kids, that makes sense), and I like the IDW look for the Turtles in the current comics.
I don't think I can ever get used to these Turtle designs, but hopefully I can put it past me and enjoy the movie for what it is.
Well, this gives me hope. I can't see it Friday as I will be at the Boston Comic-Con but, I am hoping to see it this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteEmily looks lovely, and how fitting that she attended the TMNT premiere! Much as I'd have enjoyed seeing you and Jeannine on that red carpet, too, it seems to me a full-circle moment for the little girl who once smiled out at the world from a Laird family portrait, cradled in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's arms.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sweet words, Melodye! It is a kind of circle-closing moment, I agree. I'm glad that Emily had a great time, and got to share it with her best bud, Zach. -- PL
DeleteI'm a huge turtles fan but this movie is the only one in all these years that I'm not looking forward to. From what I've seen so far it just makes me shake my head and question all sorts of decisions made... and I still can't get over the visuals and the similarity of seeing Shrek on their CGI faces (which once seen can't be unseen). I'll wait till it hits Netflix.
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note the Nicktoons animated series is getting ready for their series finale and then in a few months the next season. This cartoon gets me a lot more excited. I think in terms of keeping things faithful to both the original comics and the early animated series, it does an amazing job. You can tell that those involved have a respect and love for the characters.
ANIMO PETER
ReplyDeleteSOY FAN TMNT DESDE 1991
GRACIAS PETER.......SIN BOSOTROS NO TENDRIA SENTIDO.
LA VERDAD NO SOY UN PROFESIONAL
DIBUJO TMNT DESDE 1991 ASTA AHORA
AGO HISTORIETAS POR MI CUENTA........GRACIAS A BOSOTROS.
DE VERDAD AMIGO Y TENGO UN PEQUEÑO RETRASO DE FISICO
YA ME SE LOS MISMO DIALOGOS A MICHELE
PERO EN ESPAÑOL......HE TUVIDO QUE APUNTARME A UN PROGRAMA QUE NO TUVE NI P... SUERTE EN DOS OCASIONES
SIEMPRE ESTADO TMNT......PERO MI CUERPO ME MATA NO POR TMNT
YA NO PUEDO MAS QUISE UNA PROMESA A MIS TMNT
from all the material I've read, it seems like they had no idea what they where doing with this movie, and that it was probably reshot at least twice.
ReplyDeleteFirst we had that awful leaked script which read like a Transformers movie with Case and April in the lead. Next we had the aliens nonsense, also gone. Third, we had William Fitchner saying he was Shredder. Then, after fan backlash at a white Shredder, he suddenly stopped that, and low and behold, an asian guy in the shadows started appearing in the trailers. Where as Mr.F was being set up as the big bad, now he can't be written out...
The designs are ugly...Shredder looks like he was designed by someone into heavy metal, because it just looks like a bunch of noise...
airing my other complaints would provide too many spoilers. lets just say I had no faith as soon as michael bay and meghan fox where mentioned. But I do expect a scantily clad april bending over something in the first shot. oy...shoot me now ;o).
How come you didn't go to the movie Mr. Laird?
ReplyDeleteProbably the same reason most hardcore fans won't be going. It's an atrocity.
DeleteEver seen that Yogi Bear CGI movie that was done years ago? I call it the “Yogi Bear” syndrome. It may have sounded like Yogi, but it just didn’t look like Yogi, or stayed to it’s original Yogi roots. Most people in Hollywood think that in order to make a comic book into a successful movie they have to make it “realistic” looking by adding as much CGI as they can, then strip it of it’s original content, and then star famous actors who don’t know anything about the comic book industry (but will pretend they do in front of cameras.)
Saw it at midnight Late Thursday early Friday. All the changes to the back story, Megan Fox's terrible performance, the truly ugly steroid overdosed tmn-cgi hulk shreks, the foot clan using machine guns against apparently bullet proof ninja turtles left me scratching my head in disgust. What were they thinking?!
DeleteMy dad and I hopped from Guardians of the Galaxy to TMNT yesterday. I was expecting bad but it was downright painful...on top of the pain of the movie people at the theater who saw the movie and said it was great didn't even remember the names of their favorite turtles. It was rushed and frankly just wasn't well done, so many simple mistakes were made that were plainly noticeable. People reacted in the audience better to the dumb and dumber trailer than to the movie's comedy.(I have a pretty long list so moving forward) On the bright side Guardians of the Galaxy rocked it had a fluid story line great scenes to connect with characters cool action scenes and perfectly timed comedy. As much as I hate to vote against the bros, at least there's still some comic enjoyment on screen this summer.
ReplyDeleteMelanie, sorry to hear you did not enjoy the new TMNT movie that much, but happy to hear you liked GotG. I have yet to see it, or GotG either, though I hope to shortly. I am trying to keep an open mind about both of them, actually -- what I've seen in trailers for GotG has alternately gotten me intrigued and made me roll my eyes. -- PL
DeleteYeah with Turtles I shot myself in the foot, I knew there were gonna be several things I wouldn't like but it definitely could've been better. GotG is definitely the summer hit I'm not attempting to give anything away about it.
DeleteEvery time a new trailer would hit I found myself wondering, "What does Peter think?" I look forward to your thoughts once you do see it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to hear that your daughter enjoyed the new Turtles! Unfortunately I am afraid my own experience did not reflect hers. While I do not necessarily consider myself a "purist", I did find a lot of the changes made completely obnoxious in my opinion, and found the overall experience incredibly painful to endure. The origin change, I frankly found way to coincidental, and Shredder, in my opinion, was reduced for the most part into an unmemorable thug (and I feel it would be worth noting, without getting very spoilery that the fact that the Turtles are so overpowered that the Shredder would never have been a threat to them without being in that Mecha-armor of his says a lot about the nature of the problems with the movie.
ReplyDeleteIn truth, the plot was so cookie cutter than one could literally take almost any hero and drop them into the plot instead of the turtles, and nobody would see any real different. In addition, the origin change, while I recognized bits and pieces borrowed from previous incarnations, relied far too much on coincidence, even more so than I could allow suspension of disbelief to carry me. I am afraid I simply found the movie to be completely soulless, it had none of the heart from the previous incarnations, and I really didn't feel any of the aesthetic that made the Turtles stand out to me. Either way, I apologize for the long commentary, and I am quite curious to read your thoughts.
*I apologize for the double post, only after I posted did I realize that I had made a number of grammatical errors I wanted to correct*
I hope we can read your full review of the movie soon, Peter Laird. The movie has some very obvious writing/logic problems, and the designs of the Turtles are a big red flag. There are some redeeming moments in the film here and there though, so I'm curious as to what you think.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear your thoughts on the new movie. I did not initially like the designs of the Turtles, but they grew on me. The movie itself, on the other hand.... I finally saw it last night and.... Well, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, that's all.
ReplyDeleteI was given spoilers about this movie, I wasn't too happy with what I heard (especially their origin change). As others have stated, ill be waiting for it on Netflix or if somebody has a DVD of it i'll borrow it.
ReplyDeleteFeeling left out of the crowd of "new TMNT" fans, I decided to go back and watch some more of the 2003 cartoon. While watching it I couldn't stop myself from going "that's just like in the comic, issue such-n-such!"
Though that show did change a bit and (like all other versions of the turtles) kept the Shredder around far too long, I was amazed at how close to the source material it stayed... I found myself thinking "If these guys can make a great show keeping things pretty close to the original, why can't anybody else?"
Also, as others have posted already, im eager to hear your thoughts on all the new TMNT-madness sweeping the streets.
Thanks for being awesome PL!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Peter: Happy Left-Handed Day to you, today is August 13. About the movie , I didn't like the designs on the turtles, but I decided to give it a chance and I watched on Friday, and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint me at all. I'm glad your daughter went to the premiere, she looked happy. Take care and I hope to hear your opinion about the movie.
ReplyDeleteDear Mr Laird. I finally saw the movie with my brother last night. I must say, it would be easier to tell you what I enjoyed about the film. I know that you are far less involved with them at this stage, and that you...bear no responsibility for this movie, but I don't really know anyone who knows the turtles as intimately. I warn you: something of a diatribe is to follow, but please entertain me and at least read this. I endeavour to not be belligerent or impolite.
ReplyDeleteSo I will get right to it. I enjoyed the physical characterization of the turtles a bit, though I thought the size variances a bit extreme. I also liked the action sequences, as they seemed less restrained than in previous films. For me, where the film shines is in its portrayal of the turtles’ relationship. The lines were better written than in the other live-action flicks, I think, and I can see the writer really trying to show them as persons proper, rather than just humanoid reptiles.(I may take issue with so human a portrayal of my favourite artificially evolved reptiles, but I understand it as a writing choice.)
Among other complaints (like the turtles being waaay too strong, too large {orcs with shells according to a friend} etc.) there are really three that stuck out for me.
Firstly, I thought Raphael too clumsy and reliant on brute strength. To me, he has always been more brutal than his brothers, but never completely lacking in finesse. He rarely used his sai in the film--which made sense, but at the same time didn't; after the nuchaku, the sai are the second most difficult weapons to wield, requiring way more hand-eye coordination and skill than was given Raphael in that film. It makes no sense that Splinter would give a warrior that clumsy weapons so difficult to use. (of course it could be argued that he was given these to improve coordination, but I cannot see any sensei or FATHER placing his pupil into actual battle to practice with a weapon he is so ill-fitted for). And well, I know you guys were accused of martial arts inaccuracies in the day, but these guys have waaay more resources.
The second is again with Raphael. He was characterised as the insecure bully, and I thought this unfair. I have actually always thought Raph naturally a more critical thinker than Leonardo (when cool-headed), and the reasons for his anger were shown to be deeper, and more existential in the comics, rather than a simple fear of being surpassed. As a matter of fact, I always got the impression that his prowess was one of the things he derived confidence from.
The final one is with the retelling of origin story: And this is not the typical "itaintbrokedontfixit" bag. Hear me out (well, if you've gotten this far, thanks). Please. One of the things that made the turtles more than just a simple visceral thrill was those very origins. With splinter being the pet rat of a ninja master, and actually living in Japan, and kind of learning the martial arts before coming to America, it associates him with an older culture and system of thought. Which qualified his old-ninja-master persona, and which to me was the whole point. The turtles were old souls, and kind of spiritual descendants of the foot clan. And therefore, not just kids who learned ninjutsu, but genuine, respectable ninja. In the comics, the shredder even recognised the turtles as something of a clan, in part because of their prowess, but also in part because of splinter kind of being the heir to Hamato Yoshi (You know this, I mean, you wrote it). Even exisiting as a parody of Daredevil, the turtles were ninja who happened to be turtles; that was the point. The movie missed this completely by retelling the origins as they did.
Well that’s it. I’m done. Just wanted to tell you that. I don’t expect any comments in favour or against –we aren’t personal friends, and I know the creative courtesy you old-school folks in the industry have. That is fine. Sorry for going on like that. Well. Take care.
I saw the movie last week and loved it. I thought Emily's words summed it up well - it was a fun mix of action, humor and warm family-moments.
ReplyDeleteOnline casinos are not difficult to think.
ReplyDeleteGclub Slot Online Casino Site It is a way to access online casinos that have been trusted in the online gambling industry. This is a site that has been developed by online casinos in foreign countries. To make gamblers or those who do not have to travel far to the casino in foreign countries. Because you can access it anytime, anywhere. Just have a mobile phone, a smartphone or a computer that can connect to the internet. You can play anywhere without limit. And access is easy. No need to download any application, just click on our web page. Then subscribe to a part on the site. You will receive a password to register. Then we can play the game, we have a selection of fun and popular games from more than 10 casino games on the site, players can play unlimited. If you are interested in joining us. Do not forget to click on the website. Holiday Palace