Alex Baker

This is a prime example of what's ruining superhero shows for adolescent audiences. Treating them as simple minded and incapable of following actual narrative. The original show was centered around five well developed characters and well rounded story arcs. The core of which reflected and strengthened the friendship between the five heroes. This ingenious imitation depicts the team in the most shallow and brat-like interpretation imaginable. The reason why the original show had, and still possess, such a massive following is because of the deep and introspective moments. Matters of reckless pursuit of one's goal, prejudice, questioning one's humanity, taking responsibility and making amends for one's mistakes, and finding a sense of belonging. Everything this show disregards in favor of crude, mind-numbing, slapstick comedy. The point of a hero show is to inspire the audience, not annoy them into oblivion. Sensible storylines, compelling characters that people can relate to and daring adventure. These are the things people want from Marvel and DC, whether it's on the Big or small screen. I hope that some day we can go back to the standard of the real Teen Titans, along with Justice League, Avengers EMH, Static Shock, Spectacular Spider-Man, X-Men TAS-'97. When heroes acted like heroes, and the whole family (kid and adult) could enjoy.

This show was great, the story arcs were well written, the characters were realistic in their interactions with each other (meaning that they had actual dialogue), and while there was witty banter, they didn't make every other line bad slap-stick comedy. Regarding animation art-style I definitely prefer it to Avengers Assembled or Marvel's Spider-Man, These shows just didn't have the same spark that Avengers: EMH had. I also really enjoyed how each character was portrayed in the show; Iron Man was arrogant, but earnestly wanted to do the right thing. Capt. America was inspiring, loyal,.and there were moments where you could tell he felt out of place in the modern world. Black Panther was stoic, focused and level-headed. Hulk was the Hulk, grouchy, ready for a fight, and pretty funny when paired with Hawkeye. Hawkeye was sarcastic, cocky and had the skills to back it up. Wasp was energetic (a little immature, but in a charming way), enthusiastic about being hero. Ant-man was intelligent, who didn't believe that every situation could be solved with a fist, which I think is important to have in a superhero show. But there were a few times where they took the pacifism thing to far, like with Kang the Conqueror, who attacked the entire world without any real provocation. And Thor (along with the entire Asgard arc) definitely had the mythical medieval feeling. Overall, I would say that this show if given a few more seasons could have given the Justice League animated series a run for its money. It's a real shame they cancelled it for a show that meant to go along with the Cinematic Universe.

This was a quality show, one that I enjoyed from beginning to the end. It had everything an action/hero show needed to be a success; adventure, witty banter, darker themes, and dynamic interactions. Everything the latest incarnation lacks. One of the things that makes this show so compelling is that the turtles have to hide from the majority of the world. Even when they've saved someone from a mobster or shredder, the victim would freak out at the sight of them and call them monsters. They know most people won't accept them yet they help them anyway. They could so easily say "Why should we risk our shells for them, they'd hunt us down if they knew of our existence. (which was the cases in various episodes)" But they are unspoken heroes of New York City, the defenders of Bushido "the way of honor". Ostracized from the rest of the world so many people could relate to them. Then comes the fact that the show was daring; depicting homelessness (the people we try not to see), government conspiracies, war-mongering, man-eating monsters, criminals manipulating kids. This was all done without getting too graphic or traumatizing for kids. There is also a greater sense of realism in their interactions with each other and their close friends. They are depicted as individuals with varying personalities. These personalities may clash at times, but they are all the stronger for it. As for the villain, The shredder had the turtles and the audience trembling every moment he was on screen. Karai was torn between loyalty to her "father" and her honor. Dr. Stockman for all his genius was repeatedly brought down by his own ego, and Bishop was the "Grey Man" of the show. Doing horrendous things to "protect humanity." All that's left to say is that the voice acting was excellent, the animation style exceeds what we see now-a-days, the action was thrilling and the story arcs were well written.

I honestly thought it was a good movie, with meaningful messages in the songs "Savages" and "Colors of the Wind". Before I go into that however, I would like to address the remarks of historical inaccuracy, or shying away from the darker aspects of colonization. My first point is that this is a animated film, I do not expect historical accuracy from it There are a number of historical documentaries and textbooks that illustrate what happened during the time period. An animated film is meant to entertain and express moral stance. Another animated film that is widely popular for people is "Anastasia" which is a fanciful tale focused around a tragic event for the historical namesake. Anastasia was murdered at seventeen, but various films have been made about the possibility that she survived. From a historical stand-point the film is a complete fabrication, but as a children's film it is entertaining. Praising one and criticizing another is a double-standard. Now, addressing the darker parts, we must remember that this film geared towards children, while I support conveying mature themes in animation, there is a limit. Visualizing cultural genocide, spread of diseases, and other grim aspects of reality, would prove too traumatic for children. Yes, there is no denying that certain cultural aspects could have been represented better, but there is only so much that can be done in an hour and-a-half. Now regarding the songs: "Savages" illustrates the dangers of seeing those with different mindsets, cultures, and ethnicity as the enemy. While "Colors of the Wind" depicts what can be achieved when someone takes the time to understand the perspective of others and respect them. Considering current world events these messages should be taken seriously. Is the film perfect no, but it still has value.

This was a rather disappointing film, I was told that it was only okay, and that was a generous statement. Problem one: Zurg is evil future Buzz, whose dumb idea was that? Come on Evil Emperor Zurg people, stick to the models that work, evil tyrant bent on galactic conquest. The concept is real, it is believable, and it has a better narrative than the whole "you're your own worst enemy" thing they tried. Problem two: Buzz's time travel arc, they screwed it up big time. It should have been a one and done sort of thing. Not him repeatedly doing the same thing over and over again. It would be like Captain America (on purpose example) waking up every ten years and getting frozen again. which leads to the poor storyline. Honestly, the trailer made it seem like he volunteered for an experimental space voyage and it was a freak accident that sent him into the future. Which would have been much better. Here is how the plot should have gone; Buzz Lightyear devoted soldier to Star Command, sees himself as a space ranger, its his purpose. His partner always has his back, but is worried he's not letting himself have a full life. They get presented with the mission she opts out because she wants to take the next step with her girlfriend, (honestly, that point not really important to the story at large, it is after all about Buzz Lightyear). Mission goes haywire, he lands in the future. At first the jerk Sideburn tells him the space rangers are obsolete, and basically throwshim out. but in the end Zurg arrives to conquer the planet, (a villain who is a villain, such a shocking notion these days). the granddaughter looks for Buzz, finds him, gets him back into the fight and along the way they pick up an unorthodox team. (Personally they already had that with Booster, Mira, and X-R). They overcome the odds and along the way Buzz finds something he didn't know he was missing a family. Has it been done before yes, but the manner can vary, meaning if done right you have a compelling story. Problem three: side characters, while the cat was admittedly amusing at certain points, it felt out of place. This was a space movie and they give him a robot therapy cat... really? Then comes the really annoying guy, the pen idiot. He's winey, he's dumb, cowardly, the list goes on. There were multiple times I thought "just fry him already." This idiot guy trope is getting out of hand, if they really needed him they could have made him a technical engineer, not suited to active combat but reliable. Again, Disney stop making male characters idiotic. I could go on but it's rather pointless, the point is Disney get your act together and focus on the plot. Stop using nostalgia as a selling point, before people lose complete faith in your ability to produce quality entertainment.

I tried this show out of respect for the original, and while it is not the worst live-action media to come from Disney in recent years, I do not plan to watch any more of it. The plot was simplistic and somewhat predictable. Certain parts of the dialogue seemed forced. As for the new dynamic duo, I think their dynamics changed too quickly. Poof he gets a home-wrecking dog and twenty minutes later he calls him his 'forever dog' (a term that was not even a thing in the original movie). In the movie we saw a transition from Turner not liking Hooch to becoming his friend and then grieving for his loss. Turner Jr. doesn't like dogs, yet he grew up around them. and undoubtedly heard how the original Hooch saved his dad's life. Where is the logic in that? If they wanted to establish the same relationship for a tv show, it should have taking place over the course of a two-part episode. Not a one and done catch the bad guy episode. I do not have any qualms about the cast they chose, but writing could do some major improvement. I can't help but feel this is just another money making scheme off of the audiences' nostalgic feelings. I sometimes wonder what Walt Disney himself would make of the decisions the current leaders of his company. To me the original Turner & Hooch are the only ones. Can't people get that some things are just one and done kind of movies or cartoons.

I believe this show is suffering from the same Disney strangle hold that many other shows have experienced in recent years. It doesn't seem like they know who their targeted audience is. Too much comedy, or should I say slap stick comedy, I am aware that this isn't Moon Knight, but lets be honest, every noteworthy hero has a serious narrative directing them. Stop me if you've heard this before, young teen wants to go out at night and to hang out with friends, parents say no, instead either side being open to talk it out, for them to understand where the other is coming from. Instead, teens sneaks out, comes home parents are upset. It not a very original narrative, but in this case Kamala has a magic/space bracelet, creating energy projections, (this world's version of a GL ring). Coming to that point, the power change is rather pointless, not wanting her to have elastic powers because of their plans for Mr. Fantastic. Plastic-Man, Rubberband-Man, Elongated-Man, all have the same powers and nobody raises a fuss over it. Honestly, in the comics, her wanting to be someone else, then getting the power to shapeshift, allowed for greater character growth, when she saw that being someone else wouldn't help anything, she decided to be herself. I have no qualms about the cast, clearly the main characters are doing their best. I just wish the writing team would put the same effort the teams did back when Paramount was directly involved, or with Marvel's animated universe. I miss Avengers EMH, Wolverine and the X-men, Spectacular Spider-man. I miss when live-action was taken seriously by Disney. No doubt some will find this appealing, but a great deal of work is needed for others.

I grew up watching the 2003 series, which was all about well written story arcs, character development, incredible action scenes, teaching kids right from wrong and the dynamic bonds of an unusual family. A family that swore to protect New York City and its people from crime syndicates, would be conquerors, and the ruthless shredder. Not to mention the animation was 1000 times better than this new series. This show has twisted the personalities of every member of the group. The personalities established in the 2003 series compliment each other, making them realistic and such a butt kicking fighting force. Also, master Splinter was the wise, highly skilled ninjitsu artist, that cared deeply for those he considered friends and family. He also had a snarky sense of humor that I always found hilarious. He is not some fat, useless fuzz-ball. As for what they did to April and Casey... just no! I get they want to diversify things and add something new to the TMNT universe, but I don't understand why they don't just create new characters or utilize minor characters from the previous series and movies. I liked the Shinagami character introduced to the franchise in the 2012 series. Also, Angel from the 2003 series and Keno form the TMNT II movie have great potential for being more prominent allies to the turtles. April O'Neil was already an inspiring female figure: highly intelligent, compassionate, and by the end a highly skilled combatant. What more do they want? The true Casey Jones is New York City's #1 knucklehead hockey masked vigilante, with great motivation for fighting street crime. The Purple Dragon gang torched his dad's store, and it is implied that the same gang murdered his dad when he stood up to them. He fights to protect innocent people from criminal element of the city, he also tries to prevent kids from being roped into the criminal world. I'm all for adding new concepts to a franchise, but I do not support poorly written series' that insult the original concepts. Something that is sadly becoming more common these days.