Cowabunga!

Saw TMNT. The beginning made it seem really promising. The action was really great. The CGI look was very nice. I thought the gang wars theme worked well at first. But the movie ended up failing on a bunch of levels. It centered too much on Leo and Raphael's quarrels, something as old as time, leaving poor Mikey and Don as nothing more than humorous relief. The turtles vs. Foot vs. ancient warriors vs. 13 monsters idea quickly fell apart and introduced more than one plot hole. Worst of all, the movie felt short and the ending felt rushed. I think this movie may have been too big for its shoes, similar to the way I'm afraid of Spider-Man 3 having too much content for one film.

Still, the action sequences were killer. If only there had been more scenes of traditional turtles vs. Foot battles. The one near the ending was eye-boggling. Given what Karai said about faces from the past or whatever ... maybe there's a sequel in the works. With Shredder. Tha' be coo.

Quite an all-star cast for this film, though. The more famous include Patrick Stewart, Sarah Michelle Geller, and Kevin Smith. As far as voice actors go, John DiMaggio and James Arnold Taylor are pretty notable. And, of course, Mako, for whose death TMNT is dedicated to. Weird to think that the voice of Aku is gone.