Nickelodeon’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle was met with controversy and fan outrage before it actually premiere. The new CG style turned a lot of people off and no one knew if this show would be any good. I’ve seen almost every iteration for the Turtles from the original cartoon to the movies to the really crappy live action tv show with the fifth female turtle. (And if you remember the Coming Out of Our Shells tour, extra brownie points for you) I had my reservation as well but after seeing the first hour-long episode, I was hooked!
And so were most of the naysayers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles quickly became Nickelodeon’s highest rated program with 3.9 million viewers in it’s premiere week and constantly pulling in the viewership. This rendition of the turtles has managed to not only pay homage to its predecessors, but stand out on it’s own with a well balance of action and comedy.
For anyone who may not now what TMNT is about, four turtles where mutated into human size, intelligent beings that learned ninjustu from their master Splinter, once human but now a giant rat, and battle their arch nemesis, The Shedder. In this reimagining of the turtles, series creator Ciro Nieli, set out to show the brotherhood between the turtles. Being a fan of the turtles since the comics, Nieli really wanted to make each turtle an individual, and man did he succeed. Each turtle really stands apart from the rest, from the way they act to the way they look. These turtles really look different from each other, and I’m not just talking about a different skin tone, but their height, body build, even eye color is unique to each turtle.
These turtles really do feel unique. Their personalities shine with both original and new flare. Of course they touch on the Leo and Raph rivalry, but I really like what they do here with Don and especially Mikey. While Mikey is always the younger brother and the “party dude,” I feel like he truly exudes the younger brother wonderment and innocence. April was turned into a teenager to be closer to the turtles. So far, it works really well, yet many times she turns into the damsel in distress. And Donatello’s crush is funny, yet sometimes creepy. With Casey Jones already announced for the second season, it’ll be interesting to see how this dynamic changes. Master Splinter was also de-aged and is much younger then what he is normally portrayed in other iterations. This also works with the series, as he is powerful and funny. And of course we can’t forget the shedder, who is truly foreboding and scary. It took a little while for him to really show up, but when he finally did, the payout was superb. The fight was brutal and you truly get a sense of his evilness.
While an awesome show, not everything is great though; the first couple episodes really felt like a “monster of the week” formula, and April feel under used. A lot of people were complaining about the CG before the show aired but for it’s style it works perfectly. I really can’t find too much to complain about. I love this show; it is the perfect mix of comedy from the original series and dark from the 2003 series. If you have not given this show a chance yet you are doing yourself a disfavor. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles airs at 11 am on Saturday mornings. Watch it and be amazed. BOOYAKASHA!!!
