Simply Perfect

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Fantastic!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

When Turtles Forever just emerged on TV, everybody highly anticipated the film. The new (2003) green team fighting the good old Technodrome, Bebop and Rocksteady, and another, more brutal, but also inhumanly cruel Shredder. This was a decent combination of both animated franchises of the time, pretty action-packed, high-spirited in the good old adventure sense, and even Easter Eggs directing to Star Wars did not spoil the story. (For instance, Technodrome began to look much more like the Death Star, and the Shredder becomes an "upgraded" version of Mr. Darth. Aw -- Ah for the moment when he says: if destroying the Turtles means an end to everything, including himself... "SO BE IT!" Yes, -- that's the way a true comic book villain behaves!) Therefore I'm not against these changes, reminding the viewer of SW. It's really fun. Everything in the movie is bright, dynamic, strongly positive, and the fans would love it... if not for a small, but irritating nuance.I think the story's somehow spoiled by the authors' irony (let's not say sarcasm) about the 87 Turtles and their world. April, pursued by a giant mutant banana (everybody got, what did he really want from the girl? No, not just to dinner off her -- look once more at 87's April pretty figure and all those big... dignities, then you'll surely guess the scary banana's intentions). It's not that serious, I know. It's just... unpleasant to watch.But, despite all this, I daresay it's a good movie. In the end, we see both the green teams saying farewell. It'a nice emotional moment, and no irony this time. "Turtle Power!!"In a word -- every era has their own Ninja Turtles. It's good the estafette was transferred to another ones.

TURTLES FOREVER is a 2009 American television film produced by 4Kids Entertainment and Mirage Studios.The movie is a crossover film featuring three different incarnations of the titular heroes throughout the franchise's history: the original Prime Turtles team from the 1984 comic book series, the light-hearted, family-friendly characters from the 1987 animated series and the darker, more serious cast of the 4Kids' own 2003 animated series - in an adventure that spans multiple parallel universes.It also marks the finale to the 2003 animated series and was produced in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.I just said the plot of this and what it was, so I don't want to explain the story again. I like this movie and while I don't know who plays the characters in this one. I would like to know who, but I don't know at all.The movie is just amazing. The music, editing, visuals, CGI, design and sound effects and action sequences are amazing and this one is fantastic.9 out of 10.

The 2003 Turtles discover that their '87 counterparts have been captured by Hun and his men, and after learning that it was because of the inter-dimensional portal in the Technodrome, they attempt to stop their Shredder, who goes searching for his new counterpart, not realizing what he is about to unleash. This is a bit of a love letter to the two series, and one can debate which it favors, or if it indeed chooses one. As for the old one, it certainly does make those Ninjas seem goofy, stupid and honestly, at times, downright cowardly(with that said, they do save the day on several occasions, and their ways prove to be efficient *because* of what they do, not in spite of them). They're constantly joking around and some audiences will find them obnoxious. I did love that they implemented their vehicles(if even those were mocked some), and that we visit their universe, as well. The personalities fit pretty well, albeit Leonardo is too similar to Michaelangelo, and not much of a leader(his voice is off, as well, though most of them are spot-on). Their villains are also overly useless and comical. Then again, the point could be made that they are the more fun version, and the new millennium ones are too serious(...they're man-sized, green mutant animals, after all... and *teenagers*, lest we forget), and while they are the competent martial artists, they wouldn't be as interesting to watch(and I'm with The Nostalgia Critic, why do they keep saying "what the shell" and variants on that? It's not that good a line) for the 80 or so minute duration(based on the Director's Cut). The humor isn't all silly, there are clever nods at stuff, references and just how they react to each other. This is rather action-packed, and nearly everyone you might want to see fight, do so. There may even be a tiny bit of the good guys going up against each other, and that's all I'll say. Anyway, yeah, Purple Dragons, Foot Soldiers(and a suped-up counterpart) and goo-affected monsters on the one side, and both incarnations of the four titular characters and the newer Casey Jones and April on the other, and we've got close-quarter weapons, lasers, machines and even improvisation. The pace is great, you're never bored, the well-written story(that really smartly brings all of these together, and takes the consequence of what it introduces, leading to a truly epic, badass and memorable climax) is constantly moving forward and with cool developments, building in tension and scope towards aforementioned conclusion. This is beautifully animated, with the distinct visual styles not clashing which must have been a feat, and the two are quite accurately reproduced, and the sometimes massive scenes are rendered very nicely. There is some disturbing and/or violent content in this. I recommend this to any fan of the TMNT cartoons, whether it's based on the recent one or the original one. 8/10

This is excellent craftsmanship, which understands the finer and the not-so-subtle points of cross-over. And it does so with enough self-irony to make this movie a real enjoyable trip, by taking the whole idea far beyond the meta-level.It is literally a full cross-over of the 1987, the 2003 TV animated series and the original black and white comic of 1984. The 1987 version is the most cartoon-ish one, which had a much younger target audience, than the other two versions. The 2003 version aimed at young teens, while the original comics, quite sinister and rough, sometime even brutal, were created for mature audience.In this movie, all of the drawn series* (in style, tone, plot, lingo and background) really merge together. One of the funnier things as an example is, that in the 1987 series, the fourth wall is often broken by the turtles talking to the audience, making silly remarks or moral statements, whereas that never happened in the 2003 version and so the 2003 characters always wonder who the 1987 turtles talk to, and the black/white turtles narrate as they did in the comics. The black and white version makes fun of the colored headbands, the 2003s are annoyed by their 1987 brethren silliness and they even start to refer to each other in their style distinction.*It does not take any TMNT Manga (the Japanese versions of the franchise) into account, or I just missed the reference.I would say that this is a true homage to Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It certainly closes one chapter of my (admittedly never ending) childhood, by taking me on a - somewhat nostalgic - trip through teen memories*, giving them a worthwhile ending, the one it never really got back then...*Just in case you are wondering, I grew up with the classic comic TMNTs in my early teens, saw some of the 1987s, but did not like it due to its more childish style and I have seen some, but not really followed the 2003 version much. But I know enough to connect them in this movie.So all the small sentiments are a nice touch, but the real genius, I think, is an ironic, reflective re-wind through the history of its own existence. In a more morbid interpretation, it seem to be like the legendary flash-back of ones own life, in the moment of death, packed into a movie. In this case, I mean the cultural death of a legendary quartet of mutated Testudines. Indeed, I have not seen or heard much of the turtles lately. They have become a passing memory, almost eager to be replaced by the new heroes of todays media and culture.The reason I deduct a point from perfection is the finite tone of the movie. Almost to the point, where you could interpret it as a depiction of self-pity, composed of its own demise; if you the more cynical type.If the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' have ever been, no matter how small, a part of your childhood or teenage pantheon of heroes, you should really watch this, which is more true, if you are familiar with all the styles. Even the hardcore comic fans that may despise the whole TMNT-franchise, will find gratification, because the film takes the viewer back to appreciate its own origin. And with that, it also makes us think about origins, including our own, which closes the circle to our childhood or teenage heroes, that may have had an impact on us - although I am still not sure, how much influence the turtles had, beyond my occasional craving for pizza.If 'TMNT' doesn't mean anything to you, you will probably not understand much at all; and neither the drawing style, nor the plot will be enough to satisfy a casual viewer, not by todays standards anyway. But I do believe that this is intentional, to keep the cross-over true to its originals, mixing the different versions very harmoniously. The 2003 TMNTs did seem to have had a bit of a polish tho, which may just have been done to better separate them from their 1987 counterparts.All in all: COWABUNGA!