In the wake of Batman v Superman, DC’s Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns, will be made the co-direct DC’s film division with Jon Berg. The hopes of this move is to bring in someone who can keep the movies on track with the look and feel of the longstanding comic book characters.
Described as a “course correction”, the move is thankfully not a desperate move, given Johns’ record in working on previous television projects focusing on DC’s pantheon. His credits include Smallville, Arrow, and The Flash, all of them major hits in the television market.
Geoff Johns also has a stellar record in the comic book world having written Blackest Night, Brightest Day, Flashpoint (which ushered in the New 52 era), Infinite Crisis, The Flash: Rebirth and Green Lantern: Rebirth (which is the basis of DC’s upcoming Rebirth event,which Johns is also writing.)
And this is only a small portion of his work with DC, not considering his time with Marvel and other companies.
Personally I feel this is an excellent step in the right direction to rehabilitating the current direction the DCEU. Given his experience in working on television series and in comic books, he could be the needed voice to stop the grim dark vibe DC movies and the haphazard approach to the story lines.
His understanding of the characters would bring a much needed perspective on the cinematic universe. However, this doesn’t mean I am without one concern.
First, those who may not know Geoff Johns is not only writing the bulk of DC’s Rebirth storyline, he’s also their main creative officer. Basically he’s in charge of the creative direction of the entire DC comic book universe. There’s a fair amount of stress that comes with that duty, if you could imagine.
On top of that, he’s also working on the general direction of the upcoming Rebirth even. Which is a lot of pressure for a person to have before being given the task of co-heading a film division. Now this might be a useless concern since I have little information on how the finer elements of the comic industry works.
But having been in a position that had a load of responsibilities and then being given more and more and then more tasks outside of the original job, I can see how what should be a goo thing can quickly become a problem. Of course time will tell how this will turn out, though I’d put good money that this will fix a lot of problem for the DCEU.
‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising‘ Wants To Be Empowering & Funny But The Message Gets Lost
Most of the time, you know what to expect from a sequel to a comedy film. The movie usually ends up being a reworking of the first one. ‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising suffers from the same sequel problem. Only this time, it tries to discuss several social justice issues like feminism and equality issues among all of the gross-out immature humor. The laughs are appropriate for this movie but it’s hard to hear your social message with all the dick jokes from Seth Rogen.
The audience enjoyed the outrageous gags at the screening. I even laughed at a few of the insane moments along the way. ‘Neighbors 2‘ hits all the right notes for a comedy film but when it tries to get a bit preachy, it comes off insincere.
The addition of Chloe Grace Moretz was the only change to the film that truly worked. She’s believable as this young sheltered girl finding her self. She might be a bit of a stoner and “talks like Eminem” but Moretz’s Shelby is the right amount of flawed. Also, the hilarious Feminist Icon party thrown in the movie by her character is one of the highlights to me.
I also have to applaud the film for using Dave Franco’s sudden gay character twist as a heartfelt moment and not to gross the audience out. Nicholas Stoller and the writing team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg surprisingly handled this with such realism to how this would work. From the line about who proposes to who or their on-screen kiss coming at a honest moment and not a comedic one, it’s refreshing to see homophobia not used as a lazy joke. Even the punchline of “sometimes you gotta suck a dick to know you don’t like sucking dicks” has some awkward truth to it.
If only ‘Neighbors 2‘ focused a little less on trying to be “smart” and just bask in its ridiculousness, I would have been able to enjoy it a little bit more. Sadly, the movie just ends up being more of the same with some subtle tweaks.
‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising‘ comes out May 20th, 2016. Starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron & Chloë Grace Moretz.
The Meddler, starring Susan Sarandon and Rose Byrne, is just about perfect fare for a movie date with Mom. Featuring spot-on writing and a terrific cast led by Susan Sarandon delivering arguably one of her most memorable “mom” roles, its a story that should feel very familiar to both millennial audiences and their parents.
That familiarity, during moments both dramatic and comedic, is at the core of what makes the film an enjoyable experience. You’ve either been through what you’re seeing on screen with your mom or your grown-up child, or you know someone who has, and thus you’ll find yourself laughing or cringing at scenes that mostly likely will hit very close to home.
What’s it about?
Sarandon plays Marnie Minervini, a recent widow who has moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles in order to be closer to her TV screenwriter daughter, Lori (Rose Byrne, X-Men Apocalypse). Set for life thanks to money left to her by her late husband, Marnie spends her days getting to know her new city, her new iPhone, and at least trying to connect with Lori via calls and texts on an almost hourly basis.
Meanwhile, due to her relationship with an actor (Jason Ritter, TV’s “Parenthood“) recently ending and her writing hitting a wall, Lori isn’t in a good place to handle Marnie’s suddenly abundant presence and non-stop advice in her life. When work takes Lori back east for a few months, it provides the perfect (at least in her mind) opportunity to set boundaries Marnie can’t easily overstep, as well as a welcome escape.
In Lori’s absence, Marnie finds other people’s lives to involve herself in. Whether it’s funding and helping to plan a wedding for one of Lori’s friends (Cecily Strong), or driving Freddy (Jerrod Carmichael), the helpful Apple store employee who taught her how to use her phone, to his night classes, or visiting Lori’s therapist (Amy Landecker) to talk about (what else?) Lori, Marnie keeps herself busy with people who seem to need her help and her company.
But when it comes to dealing with her own intimate life, like talking to her late husband’s family or even responding to the interests of potential suitors, Marnie can’t run in the opposite direction fast enough. She seems to have the means or the prescription to make everyone’s life a little better, except for her own.
Sarandon simply nails it
At the heart of The Meddler is, of course, Susan Sarandon’s performance. Another performer might have given audiences a Marnie that came off as an overbearing know-it-all, or as condescending and intrusive. But Sarandon brings an indelible sweetness and vulnerability to the role — it’s tough to not like Marnie, despite all the unsolicited advice and inability to recognize boundaries or social cues to back off. Sarandon projects that well-meaning demeanor, that generosity of spirit, without it ever feeling saccharine or forced. When Marnie shows up at someone’s door unannounced with a smile and bag of bagels, you just have to sigh and smile.
The supporting cast in The Meddler delivers strong work, as well. Byrne continues to show why she’s one of the most versatile actors in the business today, bringing just the right blend of millennial trainwreck frazzle and frustration to her turn as Lori. J.K. Simmons, meanwhile, channels a very likable bit of Sam Elliott into his role as Zipper, one of Marnie’s would-be suitors. Also, watch for Harry Hamlin and Laura San Giacomo in fun, “blink-and-you’ll-miss-them” cameos.
Credit to the director
But in crediting their work, it’s impossible not to give credit to writer/director Lorene Scafaria (Seekinga Friend for the End of the World). Scafaria’s directorial touch here is gentle, but she makes the most of the talent she has in front of the camera and their chemistry with one another, resulting in scenes that feel fresh and vibrant, even if the premise of the story or its direction may feel a little familiar.
Most important, she keeps the film feeling personal and intimate while at the same time relatable. There’s a universality to what Scafaria delivers to audiences in The Meddler, and that’s tough to do with such personal material.
Worth seeing?
While it’ll be just as enjoyable on your couch at home, The Meddler really should be seen in theaters, if for no other reason than it’s a chance to take Mom to a movie she’s sure to enjoy. As long as you’re okay with answering questions like, “Oh, I’m not like that, am I?” from Mom after the movie, it’s good fun.
The Meddler
Starring Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons, Cecily Strong, Jerrod Carmichael, Jason Ritter, Billy Magnussen, Lucy Punch, Sarah Baker, Amy Landecker, Casey Wilson, Harry Hamlin, Laura San Giacomo, and Michael McKean. Directed by Lorene Scafaria.
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rated PG-13 for brief drug content.
I don’t think anyone prepared themselves for what exactly played out on the second to last episode of The Flash. Preparing for next weeks season two finale, the stage is set and things are racing as we approach an ultimate showdown between Barry Allen’s strongest opponent.
Caitlin Snow was suddenly released from the grips of Zoom and make her return to S.T.A.R. Labs, although her return brought fear along with her. Why was she all of a sudden released? But something just didn’t feel right about the sudden change of heart from Zoom.
Fear played a common denominator for the entirety of the episode. Barry is riding a sort of high after his experience within the speed force, leaving him without fear for the time being. On the opposite end, Caitlin is broken and full of fear, visualizing Zoom everywhere she goes and Wally is abandoning any fear he has, setting himself up for vigilante-like actions.
Personally, this theme was a great undertone for the entirety of the episode, even if it wasn’t a prevalent message that was being displayed.
Zoom’s army is running rampant in the streets of Central City, creating much more of a problem for the team, trying to fend off the various metahumans and cleverly named “metapocalypse” is one thing, but when their leader is running faster and with a much more sinister agenda, things are a bit more complicated.
Feeling like a new person, Barry is running like the wind. He’s upbeat, proactive and taking any challenge head on and just rolling with the punches. Sounds like the type of person one would want on their team, right?
One would argue that optimism is a value that any team would be lucky to have, and in this case, some sort of optimism is necessary. However, Barry takes this to a whole new level, warranting a small chat with Henry about how his optimism seems to be blinding him from the reality of things. You can tell that not everyone is on the same wavelength as him, simply because Central City is close to erupting and they are in for a potentially catastrophic result if something isn’t done immediately.
Looking at this weeks villain, a familiar face in Katie Cassidy is walking the streets playing Jenga on a city-wide scale. Only this time, she’s not the Laurel Lance we all know, love and miss. This time, she is the Earth-2 Laurel, known as the Black Siren. Our first glimpse shows a leather-clad Laurel approaching Mercury Labs, and using her high-pitched shriek, manages to reduce the tower to rumble. With intent to injure all inside, Barry managed to speed through the collapsing building and save Dr. Christina McGee, who revealed to him that she knew exactly who the Flash was.
Alongside this, we catch a glimpse of the unfolding events going on through the eyes of Cisco, who briefly vibed a dead bird laying on the ground. Before he could make heads or tails of the vision, Barry sped off to help with the Mercury Labs attack. This was not the only vision, however, as Cisco’s visions became more developed and elaborate throughout the episode, as his next vibe was of multiple birds crashing into a building, shattering glass and falling to the ground.
In the days following the second particle accelerator, we have seen two very different reactions from Jesse and Wally. Wally is taking himself to the streets to prove to himself that he was worth the saving and all of the bad things that have happened and that the redemption is necessary for him to feel better. Jesse, on the other hand, knows that something is going to happen, having Caitlin run tests on her again. Interrupted by Harry, it seems like he knows something is going to happen, but he doesn’t want to believe it and instead influences her to rely on her intellect to help with the metapocalypse.
It was only a matter of time before Zoom and Barry went face to face since his return from the force. But it was done in a different way.
I have to give it to Teddy Sears, because his sadistic and pessimistic outlook as he grows into his Zoom portrayal are amazing. It evident that Zoom is the darkness to Barry’s light, his polar opposite outlook make for what will be a phenomenal battle. When Barry speeds to CCPD to confront him, I expected a fight and a chase, but we were hit with a mincing of words.
“You know I never saw the crime photos of my mothers murder,” we hear Jay speak, “well I guess I didn’t need to. A ring side seat while you got whisked away.” Right off the bat he paints a picture of the stark difference in their origins. Jay goes on and speaks of how they are mirror images of each other, despite not actually being doppelgängers of each other. He’s doesn’t blink twice at killing others, but he exploits Barry’s need to always be the hero and how that is the way he is going to beat him.
Just as Barry was about to attack, he hears another building collapsing and speeds off to save those in that building, just as Jay planned.
Back at S.T.A.R., the team needs a way to solve the issue of numerous meta attacks and the impeding Zoom attack. Bouncing around ideas, they come up with a pretty decent idea. Using the idea of the different vibrations that Earth-2 beings are used to, Barry roots on the team as they look to explore ways to knock out the threat at large. Again, his high hopes seems to just sit awkwardly with the group, most notably Cisco, who just kind of balks at the “rah rah” that Barry is putting out.
Joe pulls Barry aside to speak to him about Wally and how he is nervous about his son’s sudden knack for catching bad guys. Asking Barry to speak to him, he does. Which goes down almost immediately. The scene changes to Wally’s car, where he is listening in to a police scanner, hoping to catch wind of another meta attack.
Barry flashes in and using his vibrating voice distortion, Barry tries to talk some sense into Wally, but it goes the complete opposite direction. As Wally speaks of how Central City is his city now, you can see Barry is recognizing the heroic inner self that Wally has. Their talk is cut short as Barry is called away to a major meta attack. But not before he reveals the location of the attack, prompting Wally to follow suit.
In this encounter, Barry finally puts a face to the attacker. Stunned at who he is looking at, being that he was just at her doppelgängers funeral, he looks at Laurel Lance. Their first meeting did not go well, as she outmatches Barry with her shriek, nearly killing him with 250dB. Barry was writhing in pain and just as she was about to finish him off, Black Siren began talking about how Zoom was afraid of him and if it were her, she would have already killed Barry. Her speech was cut short, as a fishtailing Wally knocked her off stride and taking Barry in to his passenger seat.
While the heroics were one to be amazed at, they were equally aggravating for Joe, as he laid into Barry for Wally doing to opposite of what Barry told him to do. However, Barry seems to be buying into this whole heroic Wally bit that he even tells Joe that he has an inherited need to help people, which he got from Joe. This prompts another speech to Barry about his lack of fear and his over-confident mentality, this time from Iris. Short and simple, she tells Barry that being a little bit scared is okay, as it’s a healthy thing to know which risk to and to not take.
I mean, can we just give Wally his powers now? There is so much set up for Wally to take a Flash persona that I cannot take much more. Though I doubt we see him, in any way, take in the speed force this season.
We then see the scene change to Zoom and Siren talking about his plans for Central City. While his overall scheme is still shrouded in secrecy, he does reveal that he plans on keeping Barry occupied doing “hero” things while he is up to no good.
As the final encounter approaches, we see just how the team plans to defeat all of the Earth-2 metahumans. Using Barry’s speed as an amplifier and a vibration, the team designs a device that utilizes the higher frequency that E-2 inhabitants are accustomed to, the plan is to knock them out and trap them, reducing Zoom’s army to next to nothing.
With the Siren ready to take down an entire apartment complex, Cisco cooks up a huge diversion technique to throw off Siren’s attack, by dressing him and Caitlin up as Reverb and Killer Frost, respectively. Fooling Siren by saying that they’re alive and forming an alliance, she quickly realizes that it’s a lie and attacks them, only to be thwarted by a pulse shot out by Cisco. Unfortunately, it was a one-off for the time being, but the amplifier kicked in and knocked her out before she could do anything.
Around the city, E-2 metas were immediately affected, Zoom included. However, Zoom managed to open a breach and escape back to Earth-2. Locking some up in the basement and the rest in Iron Heights, the team also locked Siren in a sound-proofed case, not to be heard from for awhile.
While all seems right for now in Central City, the team groups at the West household for dinner. Henry and Dr. McGee seem to be hitting it off, as do Jesse and Wally. All that leaves is Iris and Wally, who FINALLY decided to give their relationship a shot. After all this time, we see the beginnings to their relationship begin to take hold.
As they were sitting down to eat, Cisco had one last vibe, this time of the birds around him and him looking into the sky of Earth-2 Central City splitting in half and falling to ruins. Nervously hoping he didn’t see the future, the team looks just as equally frightened by the latest vision.
Adding to this, Zoom reappears right in the West living room and takes Henry hostage, speeding off.
Barry chases after him, back to the old Allen household, clearly setting up to rip all of our hearts out. Jay stood there, showing his brutal side, ready to show Barry what it’s like to watch a parent die. Henry is pushed forward and just like when “Jay” was killed, a hand was thrusted through Henry’s chest to Barry’s screams, and the episode cut to black.
So many emotions, so many expletives. But what a way to lead into the season finale, this is the first time that I am actually not quite sure how things will play out. Most cases, I get the drift of how they are going to go about, missing a few details or major spoilers, but this episode left me in the dust about the way things are heading.
Next week, we will see the ultimate showdown of Flash and Zoom, which happens to be a race to see who is the fastest man alive. Tensions are high and a very angry Barry are in store for a thrilling finale. Can it be next Tuesday yet?
Check out the promo for next weeks episode of The Flash.
Compared To The Previous Trailer, Does The New ‘Ghostbusters’ Trailer Improve?
After the most-hated trailer for the newest ‘Ghostbusters‘ movie broke Youtube records, I was wondering how they would recover from it. This newest trailer improves but I still don’t think it will shake away the hard-headed haters.
Focusing more on the plot of the film & some genuine funny moments from the characters, this should have been the first real look of the film. How will the general public feel about this trailer? Only time and the dislike button on Youtube will tell…
With paranormal activity on the rise, a Columbia University academic, her ghost-chasing friend, the friend’s business partner, and an MTA employee join forces to bust ghosts and save New York. ‘Ghostbusters‘ stars Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy,Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. The movie hits theaters July 15th, 2016.
Margot Robbie’s ‘American Psycho’ Parody Shows Her Crazy Side!
In this Vogue produced clip, the stunning Margot Robbie breaks down her intense beauty routine. The scene is lifted straight from the film adaption of the Bret Easton Ellis novel titled ‘American Psycho‘. It’s equal parts surreal & intense.
With only a few months till the Australian actress stars in the DC summer blockbuster ‘Suicide Squad‘, this is the perfect way for Margot Robbie to showcase her craziness before the film’s release. While her character Harley Quinn and the ‘American Psycho‘ character Patrick Bateman are vastly different crazy people, the same disturbing nature is still there.
The hype for her performance only grows with the passing days. From the first few ‘Suicide Squad‘ trailers to this creepy clip, my excitement to see Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn is at an all-time high. If this is just a tiny sample of what the Aussie beauty has to offer then we are in for a wild ride!
What do you think of Margot Robbie paying homage to psycho Patrick Bateman? Does this raise your excitement level for Harley Quinn? Let me know below!
Bonus clip below: check out the original ‘American Psycho‘ clip!
The Nice Guys, a mystery comedy directed by Shane Black opens up in theaters Friday courtesy of Warner Brothers. This film stars Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger, Keith David, and Angourie Rice. On the surface, nothing is wrong with this film. Shane Black has creates a typical film noir piece that’s chock full of pulp and based in Los Angeles.
The Nice Guys takes place in 1977 Los Angeles. The air is smoggy, crime is rampant, and porn appears to be an acceptable part of the community. Private Eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) teams up with professional thug Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), to track down a missing girl who may have knowledge about the murder of porn star Misty Mountains. While trying to locate the missing girl, the pair stumbles into something far bigger.
The missing girl has a powerful mother, played by Kim Basinger, who works at the Department of Justice. Basinger and Crowe had worked together once before as they both stalked the streets of LA in LA Confidential. In The Nice Guys, Basinger’s character is investigating collusion in the auto industry. She attempts to give an air of mystery to her character, but her lackluster performance only detracts from the suspense in this film.
What The Nice Guys got right was the commitment it made to the Film Noir genre. Rarely did this movie deviate from the type of film it was trying to be. The lighting adds the appropriate amount of tone throughout the picture and the cinematography enhances the broad scope of this detective story. Even the soundtrack, that mixed ‘Earth, Wind, and Fire’ and Al Green, adds a delicious layer of enjoyment to the story.
Black also places an importance on the relationships in this story. The relationship between March and his 13-year-old daughter (played by Angourie Rice) provide some of the funniest moments of the film. It also takes Gosling’s character which is teetering on a caricature of a 70’s TV character and humanizes him.
Where The Nice Guys fell apart was in the pacing. This movie commits from the go to staying true to the genre (gotta have that snappy dialogue), but that is where the film begins to drag. There is nothing wrong with a commitment to a style of filmmaking but one has to make sure that the movie is balanced. At points, it felt as if the audience was trudging through this film rather than experiencing this mystery as it unfolded.
The film seemed to rely a little too much on shootouts which derails the film. The Nice Guys is an homage to the classic detective story shot like a film noir. Those films relied more on intrigued and suspense and less on violence and automatic weapons. One or two shootouts would have been fine, but it ended being a bit excessive towards the end.
Black seemed to be trying to create a Lethal Weapon dynamic at times between March and Healy. Black couldn’t decide if he wanted to create a 70’s detective story or another buddy cop film.
Even with these negatives, it certainly would be disingenuous to refuse to acknowledge that the positives outweigh the negatives. Anyone who pays to see The Nice Guys will leave satisfied, just don’t go in expecting some brilliant piece of filmmaking.
While The Nice Guys in this film don’t finish first, they certainly deserve an honorable mention.
While I Didn’t Hate ‘Nice Guys’, I Won’t Remember It By Next Week.
Sometimes the worst movies are the mediocre ones. If you are truly stellar, you’ll be a knock out OR if you are really shitty, at least I’ll have something to talk about. Shane Black’s ‘The Nice Guys’ is neither truly bad or really good; it’s just pretty bland.
The thing about ‘TheNice Guys‘ is that it would certainly be fresh and original if you only watch mainstream Hollywood films. If you dive deeper into genres pieces and look for obscure standouts, the film looks reductive compared to the rest. It blended genre lines, there was some graphic content, and let’s not forget the convoluted plot…these are all things you do when you’re trying to be “inventive”.
Look, I loved the neo-noir nature of Shane Black’s debut film “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang“. Hell, I think most movies after it have tried to re-capture the magic of the film.
That includes “The Nice Guys“…
To me, the film never went the extra mile it could have. Just when a twist should come or the introduction of a major character happened, the tension was no-where to be found. If they could have added a pinch more drama to this comedy, Black could have had the year’s most interesting movie. Example: the whole confusion of characters like Amelia (Margaret Qualley) and Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio) would have been played up a bit more or mysterious hit-man John Boy (Matt Bomer) could have had more focused instead of minor villains like Blue Face (yes, that’s legit what they called Beau Knapp).
“The Nice Guys” isn’t totally fault riddled. All of the much-needed 1970’s nostalgia was there. From Earth, Wind, and Fire to pornographic “art” films, you can feel the 70’s atmosphere everywhere you looked. The art department put a lot of work into giving the film a truly authentic 70’s experience.
While I did say I wanted a little less comedy, the comedic efforts made by Ryan Gosling were honestly great. His character Holland March really shined next to the slick Russell Crowe’s Jackson Healy. The two men worked wonderfully with each other but the person that outshines them both is Angourie Rice as March’s teenage daughter named Holly. There was quite a few times when I cheered for her mischief or quick wit. She’s the perfect addition to their dysfunctional team.
I wanted to like ‘The Nice Guys‘ more than I did but I can’t say I down-right hated the film. Maybe I’m desensitized as a viewer but it just wasn’t weird enough. I recommended you see the movie but don’t expect to be stunned by it.
‘The Nice Guys‘ arrives in theaters on May 20th, 2016. The movie stars Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, and Matt Bomer.
Most comic book/genre film fans bristle when they hear the word ‘reboot’, and I completely sympathize. Of course, it’s worse when a studio forces a previously successful director to do something that he doesn’t want to do, so certain elements seem shoehorned in, and THAT poor film kills an otherwise well-done franchise. (Examples: Sam Raimi didn’t want to put Venom in Spider-Man 3. Warner Brothers didn’t want the dark tone that Tim Burton had established, eventually going back to it after the horrors of Batman and Robin). But is there any beloved character of yours that was done so poorly that you actually WANT them to reboot it? Well, I can think of one and here is what I would do if I were a Hollywood hot-shot who was given the reigns to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
NINJAS ONCE AGAIN
I read somewhere that it would have been possible for a fantasy character in a movie to have a CGI head instead of just being fully CG, which is more expensive and part of the reason that the 2014 TMNT movie focused on the human characters. Godzilla movies, the ones they are still making in Japan (not the American one that few people liked) still use rubber suits, but they are much better-looking than the ones they used in previous decades. It stands to reason then, that the producers of a TMNT reboot could have gone with rubber suits that were better than the 1990 Jim Henson version, but made the characters more expressive with CG heads. This would have solved the problem of the turtles being enormous hulking monstrosities that can’t hide anywhere convincingly. You could put actual martial artists in the suits for the fight scenes and actors for the close-ups, combining CG and practical effects the way that the last Star Wars film did successfully.
FOCUS ON THE TURTLES AS CHARACTERS IN A STORY
With the budget cut for the CG characters themselves, I would develop a story that concentrates on the turtles themselves and their family ties, their vendetta against the Foot Clan/Shredder and introduce the sci-fi elements subtly at first. This is a family. Four stepbrothers and a loving, adopted, elderly father who are ninjas because they need to defend themselves. Yes, the ooze brought them together, but they just happen to be mutants. Family first. Then ninja. Then mutants. The recent IDW comic series did this brilliantly, as the story started out with Raphael being missing, Splinter and the turtles having to find him and then the story branches out from there with side characters (April, Casey, etc.). No focusing on human characters who just happen to stumble across the title characters like Transformers and the 2014 TMNT did.
The story would focus on the turtles individually, not short-changing their screen time by the excessive focus on the humans. I would go back to Ninja Turtle stories that made you cry, like the 1990 film. (“I have tried to channel your anger, Raphael, but more remains. Anger clouds the mind!”) And not pointless, logic-free action films that made me angry and clouded my mind.
Fans of the original, black-and-white indie comics remember that Splinter, in the first issue, trained the turtles to go kill Shredder. That was the whole story from TMNT #1. They were assassins, just like real ninjas. True, Eastman and Laird thought that would be the only Ninja Turtle comic they would ever make. And, as the story developed and moved into family-friendly turf, Splinter’s motivation changed. Now, he trained the turtles to fight because he loved them and wanted them to defend themselves.
What I would do in MY TMNT reboot is bring Splinter back to the guy who trained his sons to be assassins, to avenge his Master Hamato Yoshi and his beloved Tang Shen (who were both murdered in the comics). But as the story progresses, Splinter would realize that doing that is wrong, something that Raphael screamed at him during one of their heated arguments (before storming off per usual). And there would be a touching scene where Splinter tells the turtles, “You are not my soldiers. You are my sons.” And, in a twist for Mirage comic fans, Tang Shen would still be alive in my version, an elderly woman who has remarried after Yoshi’s death and who gives Splinter parenting advice as they play chess in Central Park. The turtles still fight Shredder at the end because it’s the right thing to do and because it’s a movie, but not because of revenge, something Shen has convinced Splinter is needlessly destructive.
SHARED UNIVERSE
How do you make a shared universe out of an indie comic that was made by two guys living in a small apartment in Dover NH? Well, Eastman and Laird did it in 1983/84 by publishing a story called Fugitoid in a magazine called Gobbledygook and then crossing it over with TMNT when those issues started selling.
His storyline was about a scientist (Professor Honeycutt) from a far-off planet whose body was trapped inside of a robot that he built, making him a fugitive android (fugitoid). This robot is being pursued by soldiers on opposite sides of a galaxy-wide conflict that includes giant Klingon-like, anthropomorphic triceratopses called Triceratons, which would look awesome in a movie. They both want the trans-mat (beaming) device that Honeycutt had invented to use in their war. Honeycutt is a pacifist and has consistently refused to build one for them. Eventually, when the TMNT are beamed to this far-off galaxy, they help Fugitoid escape while he helped them get home.
Again, if this were up to me, I would greenlight a Fugitoid movie immediately after my first TMNT film blew the minds of audiences. Then, the second one would end with the turtles getting beamed off-planet (an Empire Strikes Back ending), and they would show up at the end of the Fugitoid movie, setting up TMNT 3. Kids know who Fugitoid is from season four of the Nick cartoon. There was a great old issue of TMNT called Return to New York, which was more recently adapted for the Nick TMNT show, which included one of the Triceratons being trapped on Earth and he inadvertently helps them fight the Foot, so this storyline has ramifications for future movies.
But Fugitoid was never in the original 1987 cartoon, you say. No, but he was in the (way better) original indie comic books. When it comes to characters that started out in comics, the comics are the Bible. This is true of Marvel and DC. Fans always point to the comics when they feel that something was done wrong in a film. But because TMNT started out as an indie comic and more people remember the glorified toy commercial that was the cartoon (most 80’s cartoons were toy commercials), they don’t raise their standards as high as they would for an MCU movie. They don’t think TMNT can be any more than a mindless popcorn flick. They are wrong.
People swallow a cinematic abortion (legal in all fifty states, but disgusting to watch) Michael Bay TMNT movie that rips off Amazing Spider-Man 2, tries to dance around a whitewashed Shredder with poor edits and makes no sense, but rip into Batman v. Superman for changes made to the lore. Rightfully so, but I think TMNT is capable of so much more if the comics were tapped into for material instead of being looked at as a nostalgia piece with no potential for anything other than a “popcorn flick.” The sillier elements of the 80’s TMNT cartoon were watered down versions of what was in the comics first (example: a race of brain-like beings called Utroms became Krang, a “brain from Dimension X” who never tells us whose head he fell out of.) Even the old Archie-published TMNT comics, which started out as reprints of the 80’s TV show, but then went its own way, has a lot of story potential for future movies.
Kids who watch the new Nickelodeon TMNT show know who the Mighty Mutanimals are. They were kind of like the Guardians of the Galaxy if the GOTG were all mutant animals. They had a much bigger roster in the Archie Comics, including characters that I would die to see on the screen. I would probably need to make 5 or 6 TMNT movies to greenlight a spinoff, because I wouldn’t want to rush it like ASM2 did. But who wouldn’t want to see Mondo Gecko, Slash, Leatherhead, Pigeon Pete, Wingnut, Screwloose or Ray Fillet in a movie? If you are too young to remember those last three. Google. TMNT Wiki. And if you need still your nostalgia bone tickled, the Triceratons were in the third TMNT NES game. Well, one of them. Check that one and picture Michael Dorn voicing him. Epic.
Is there any character that you love that you hope they reboot because you hated the movie version? What untapped TMNT character would you love to see in a future TMNT movie? Comment below.
After the cliffhanger of the last issue, the book really doesn’t build on much which was established from the first issue. It instead tries to dive into a lot of character exposition. Not much else happens really other then the team surviving the explosion, spending a lot of time reflecting, taking stock of where they are, and then a brief attack before a new character shows up. The issue is over in a blink of an eye and not in a good way. The reader will come out of this wanting more bang for their buck.
This pace of this issue is confusing. Thanks to the previews and cover art for the series, it appears as if the overall goal is to have the characters crossover into a more realistic world (like modern day Earth) where they will be tiny compared to the rest of the world. It feels like this should be hinted more but for now seems to be getting to this destination at a very slow pace.
The art is still on task and really helps to save the issue. Max Dunbar’s art still looks great and illustrates some incredible action scenes and showcases the powers of the heroes. The scenes of the invading forces overhead really help to show the scale of what the team is up against.
The series is decent but it’s starting to feel like it knows where it’s going so it can take its time getting there. While it may be what fans are expecting and what has been advertised, the journey to the destination could be a bit more entertaining.
