Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a half-baked sequel for the half-shelled heroes [Review]
Sadly, the movie leaves more questions than it answers
From left, Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows." The turtle boys are back in their latest adventure. When we last left off, they had finally defeated the evil Shredder. Of course, they couldn’t take any of the glory, so they snuck back to their lair in the sewers as silent heroes.
But now Shredder has been busted out of prison, thanks to Neil deGrasse Tyson-esque mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) and some other-worldly tech. As the transporter zaps Shredder out of police custody, it takes him through an alternate dimension, where he comes face-to- ... um, uh ...-brain with the mighty Krang. The two quickly become best buddies (or do they?) and agree to a plan to take over Planet Earth.
Fortunately the plot is discovered by April O’Neil (played by Megan Fox, who does such a good job walking and talking that you’d almost think she was a human). She tells her turtle buddies, who, with the help of a plucky young New Yawk City cop (and ice hockey player) Casey Jones, head out to stop the bad guys fiendish plan.
Along the way, they scour the planet for ancient extraterrestrial artefacts, and give us a scientific lesson on DNA resequencing and modification. Wait – did I say scientific? I meant, they injected two thugs with “purple ooze” (yes, that’s the actual name of it) creating perfect human-animal hybrids on the first go.
This movie is best enjoyed in a language you don’t speak, because you’ll still get to enjoy the great special effects and fight scenes, without having to try to understand the “plot”, which leaves more questions than it answers. Namely, why do the ninja turtles wear masks? Exactly what secret identities are they protecting? How many other sewer-dwelling mutant teenaged turtles are there in New York?