It’s a movie that is hated by the fact is it exists and the man behind the cash that funded it. But the trailer for the Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles landed online yesterday (watch it here). Was it good? Was it bad? Let’s see what our writing team thought….
Anthony Stokes: Looks extremely similar to the Transformers movies, which is no doubt intentional.
Chris Cooper: I am not disgusted. Which considering how I thought I’d feel is quite an achievement! Look, with Bay and Fox involved I’m not expecting magic. But so far it looks OK. The snow setting is interesting and I like the look of the Brothers working together. Over time I may even become accustomed to their chins and noses (which I think is why I’m not quite connecting at the moment).
Transformers burnt me badly, so I’m going to go with ‘cautiously optimistic’ for now. I’m open to new takes and changes if it’s an entertaining film. I’ve seen nothing to say otherwise yet. Anthony, they’ve no doubt that on purpose. They put Bay’s name first and not the actual director.
Thomas Harris: Don’t tell me not to freak out. They look like weird penises.
Vilordsutch: I see Michael Bay and instantly I feel violent towards him. The man’s a hack job currently stamping across my childhood making it new, exploding and shit! There is nothing in this trailer that even made me think I might give it a chance.
Chris Cooper: What can I say, I’m either a ‘glass half full’ guy, or an idiot. Regardless I stand by my original comment. I expected Grimlock in Transformers: Age of Extinction levels of rage to build inside me. But it hasn’t happened.
Luke Owen: It looks like Transformers, only with heroes in half shells instead of robots in disguise. The trailer isn’t terrible, nor is it brilliant. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t excite me either.
However, the idea of the fathers of Shredder and April O’Neil creating the Turtles is an unnecessary plot addition. Did the writers think that would add more drama to their rivarly? I just don’t see the point in making that change.
Martin Deer: I thought it was really interesting to see this lizard like creature destroy a humvee simply by slamming in to it. Presumably this film is actually the sequel to this summer’s Godzilla? Absolute gash!
Luke Owen: Well, he was slipping sliding pretty fast…
Gav Logan: I didn’t hate it…thats all I’m saying right now!
Scott J Davis: Looks turgid.
Helen Murdoch: My childhood has officially been ruined. Completely agree with Luke it just looks like Transformers with bad CGI turtles instead. Megan Fox looks like she’s doing her 2 usual facial expressions again as well.
Tom Jolliffe: I’ll let you know what I think when I’ve finished cutting my ears off and gouging my own eye balls out.
Matt Spencer-Skeen: Bleurgh.
Chris Cooper: Woooo I’m on my own! It’s lonely out here….
Oliver Davis: Yeah, I agree with Martin …why have the pre-title money shot as a slow motion turtle hitting a car? That wasn’t exciting in the slightest.
Anghus Houvouras: It looks so generic. They’re seven feet tall now? Inception BRAMS? The opening of the trailer could be any movie released in the last 10 years. The last gag is kind of funny. On the scale of franchises, this looks like its going to be on par with G.I. Joe and Transformers. That is nothing to celebrate. Nothing.
Gary Collinson: I can’t decide whether it looks distinctly average, or completely shite.
Hmmm. So not overwhelmingly positive. However, our TMNT expert Chris Cooper seems to be on board for the movie so that has to count for something right?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stars Megan Fox (Transformers) as April O’Neil, Alan Ritchson (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) as Raphael, Pete Ploszek (Parks and Recreation) as Leonardo, Jeremy Howard (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) as Donatello, Noel Fisher (Battle Los Angeles) as Michaelangelo, Danny Woodburn (Seinfeld) as Splinter, William Fichtner (The Dark Knight) as The Shredder, Will Arnett (The LEGO Movie) as Vernon Fenwick, Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost) as Bernadette Thompson and K. Todd Freeman (The Dark Knight) as Baxter Stockman.
What did you think of the trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Did you agree or disagree with our writers? Let us know…
Originally published March 28, 2014. Updated February 24, 2020.
