6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When a kingpin threatens New York City, a news reporter find a quad of mutants which makes an alliance to unravel Shredder's plan as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Alan Ritchson, Noel FisherAction | 100% |
Adventure | 91% |
Fantasy | 72% |
Sci-Fi | 65% |
Comic book | 58% |
Martial arts | 13% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is the gift that keeps on giving, an old reliable favorite of the 1980s that has somehow managed to survive in a modernized world and found a revival in Director Jonathan Liebesman's 2014 live action film, a film that is neither a follow-up to, nor a re-imagining of, the older films but instead a total franchise reboot meant for modern audiences expecting the latest in digital technology and large scope. It's a modern crowd pleaser in every sense of the term, which also makes it susceptible to all of the pitfalls modern cinema has to offer. Ninja Turtles, sadly but expectedly, falls into every trap. While the franchise has matured from its cartoonish and toy line origins, and even beyond the scope of its fun but visually limited older films, it has evolved into an extravaganza of recycled sights and sounds meant to excite the senses at the expense of story and characterization. Granted, how much real, emotionally detailed plot one can squeeze from a franchise based on four mutated turtles, their ratlike leader, and a Ninja foe named Shredder (not to mention a couple of overgrown animal henchmen who don't appear in this film) is up for debate, but the movie is so devoid of substance that it's borderline painful to watch. The movie is almost literally nothing more than new skin on the basic modern Action movie package, a Michael Bay-inspired flop that's all style and no substance, and even the style is starting to feel really old, really fast.
Ascending to their own beat.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arrives on Blu-ray 3D with a 1080p transfer that retains all the good qualities of its 2D-only counterpart but that never really excites the senses in the third dimension. The 3D presentation never finds much of a truly deep, tangible extra dimension, showing some fair depth in overhead cityscapes, lengthy sewer tunnels, and a high-rise rooftop. General depth isn't extraordinary by any means, and the picture rarely appears significantly more defined in terms of character and object volume. There are some scattered examples of objects appearing to extend beyond the screen's confines, particularly during fight sequences when debris and, in one battle midway through the movie, tranquilizer darts are knocked around and seem to jump out at the viewer. Otherwise, it's a fairly run-of-the-mill 3D effort with little pop and not a significant depth of field. The review equipment did display some rather thick crosstalk effects at times, notably around faces and subtitled dialogue. The more traditional 1080p attributes hold up well. The image never appears darker than its 2D-only companion. Colors remain vibrant and satisfying, while details are extraordinary throughout, particularly evident on the wonderfully complex turtles who, despite their digital finishings, practically pass for real life. The image never goes appreciably darker than it should, and flesh tones appear even and true. Chances are repeat viewings will come via the included 2D-only disc.
Likewise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' audio is flat-out fantastic. The disc features the new Dolby Atmos presentation (for more, see the review for Transformers: Age of Extinction). Unfortunately, Dolby Atmos gear and setup was not available for review purposes at the time of publication. That said, listeners still on more "traditional" equipment are in luck; the track will decode as a full-fledged Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless presentation on legacy equipment, and it's amazing. While it's not quite so punchy and aggressive as some might like -- the opening title music sets a tone of technical excellence at a slightly lower level, even at reference volume -- structural accuracy and fidelity are simply above reproach. Spacing is exemplary, yielding a full, completely enveloping 7.1 experience that surrounds the listener with music in excellent balance, where the front end dominates but the surround channels carry a fairly substantial load as well. Definition is faultless through the entire range, and the low end is particularly well pronounced, deep and true without sounding forced or over-exaggerated. Ambient effects are constant and satisfying, gently enveloping the listener in dripping rain, rolling thunder, light office chatter, or background city din. Action scenes explode with a smorgasbord of precision tuned and precisely placed pieces. Crashes, explosions, gunfire, swooshing weapons, clanking metal, and all variety of major and minor effects alike come together in perfect sonic harmony to effortlessly throw the listener into the fray in terms of both fidelity to the source and placement in the stage. Dialogue is center focused and naturally precise. All around, this is an excellent, A+ audio presentation from Paramount.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles contains a handful of featurettes. No commentaries or deleted scenes are included. Inside the Blu-ray case,
buyers will also find a DVD copy of the film as well as a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is, pardon the pun, a shell of what it should be. It's a rollicking sort of carefree Action/Adventure film but it's so stock and lacking in meaningful creativity as to be borderline insulting. The entire movie is a transparent mess of cliché and modern moviemaking tripe that emphasizes style, fast camera work, and sound over good core storytelling and meaningful drama. Certainly the franchise doesn't necessarily lend itself well to the deeply complex themes of today's world -- at least not on the surface -- but an effort to move beyond an assembly line style of filmmaking would have gone a long way. As it is, this is the new poster child for modern cinema drivel, a movie that offers nothing more than a facelift for any other Michael bay-influenced motion picture. Viewers that disliked Bay's Transformers films (Bay produced this movie) will probably find Ninja Turtles equally unpalatable, while core franchise veterans will likely be disappointed with this directionless, paint-by-number "extravaganza." Paramount's Blu-ray 3D release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles delvers stellar audio, a fairly nondescript 3D presentation, and a few supplements. Fans will be better served saving a few dollars, buying the 2D-only version, and using the savings on a pizza.
2014
w/ Raphael Statue
2014
2014
Bonus Disc & Collectible Packaging / Michelangelo
2014
Blu-ray Gift Set With Figurines + 2 Ninja Masks
2014
includes Four Slipcovers & Bonus Blu-ray Disc
2014
Bonus Disc & Collectible Packaging / Leonardo
2014
Bonus Disc & Collectible Packaging / Donatello
2014
Bonus Disc & Collectible Packaging / Raphael
2014
Re-Release / Non-Embossed
2014
2014
2014
2014
2014
2014
2016
2013
2017
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
2007
2013
Extended and Theatrical versions
2011
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #8
2010
2005
1993
2013
The Rogue Cut
2014
2015
plus Theatrical Cut on standard Blu-ray
2016
2014
Cinematic Universe Edition
2012
2012
2011
2005
2019
2014