I just don’t know. I don’t know how I feel about Michael Bay in general, and I don’t know how I feel about him ruining, I mean working with one of my childhood favorites. I loved the Ninja Turtles as a kid. I mean, I really loved them. I had as many of the toys as i could get my hands on (I never had a Michelangelo, and that makes me sad still). Raph was always my favorite. Partially because he was the red one and partially because I was a very angry child. I probably saw every episode of the cartoon, played every video game and saw at least the first two movies ( I may have outgrown it before number 3 came out). I even remember there being some kind of Turtles on tour thing where they came and played as a rock band in a bunch of cities throughout the US. I had the cassette of their music and I even thought it was good. So, it is safe to say, that at one point, I was a pretty big TMNT fan. So I get nervous when the idea comes up to reboot this franchise and try to cash in on my childhood. I get even more nervous when I hear things like Michael Bay planning on not having them be mutant turtles as much as aliens from another planet. That was an idea being kicked around at one point. It didn’t work out, thankfully.
When the first trailer came out, I was not impressed. There was obviously the nose issue, which everyone pointed out. But, besides that, I just felt like it seemed too much like Transformers, which is a series of movies that I can take or leave. I just don’t want Michael Bay to give my beloved turtles the Transformers treatment.
The second official trailer just came out this week, and it hasn’t won me over totally, but it does show some potential. I would say it has moved the movie from the “I don’t ever want to see it. Ever” category and into the “If it was playing in the dollar theatre and I had nothing better to do, I’d watch it” category. (I should find some categories with shorter names) The trailer still feels a lot like a Transformers movie, but there are elements of the turtles we love in it, enough to make you wonder if it might be ok. Plus, the trailer does make fun of the whole alien idea, and they admit it would be stupid. You see a lot more of the family relationship and the relationship between Shredder and Splinter is hinted at. Admittedly, Shredder is over the top, but it might work. I think one thing that endears me to the turtles is that the whole idea is really silly, and it never really takes itself seriously. So, a giant robotic samurai might fit in fine. Plus, Will Arnett is one of my favorite screen actors. He just always does a great job. I have enjoyed his performances ever since Arrested Development, and I believe that he and Amy Poehler make up one heck of a comedy power couple. If he is in this movie, it might be the saving grace. He might be enough to make up for Megan Fox. Might be.
Anyway, here is the trailer in its entirety. Enjoy:
