Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Blu-ray Movie Review

Less than meets the eye.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 3, 2016

2016 Market saturation complete. And that's a pretty impressive feat for a series that dates back to comic books in the 1980s and quickly thereafter exploded in popularity with cartoons, toys, and live-action feature films. But boy oh boy, have things really gone nuts lately. Children of the 80s and 90s, now parenting children of their own, find themselves in the middle of a marketing bombardment that began with the much-maligned CG/live-action hybrid Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot film and, with Out of the Shadows, a market dominance that's wholly inescapable, particularly now that it's back-to-school season and everything -- literally, it seems, everything -- features the turtles. It's impossible to even walk through the grocery store isles without finding branded backpacks, notebooks, foods, various odds-and-ends merchandise, and of course price-inflated copies of the first film, featured prominently on an endocarp or two and playing on a TV screen attached, and no doubt to be joined this sequel once it finally enters the fray on release day. Oh, the kids will have to have it. There's nothing hotter than the Turtles right now, it seems, and they may even be bigger than Paramount's other big-money 80s reboot series, Transformers, beside which Out of the Shadows feels almost like a spiritual cousin. There's a distinct formula at play here -- Michael Bay-inspired visuals, very similar sound effects, a hope to capture the hearts of kids and the minds of adults who grew up with the toys -- and Paramount certainly seems to have the market cornered on recreated nostalgia and winning over a new generation of fans with snazzy, spruced-up, digital-laden behemoths of movies. Unfortunately, and even as it stands a fair bit taller than its infuriating predecessor, Out of the Shadows really isn't that great of a movie. But the kids will most assuredly love it.

It would seem the city is safe. The evil Shredder (Brian Tee) is behind bars and the turtles are free to spend their time honing their skills, munching on pizza, and catching the Knicks from up inside the Garden's jumbotron. But when a brilliant scientist named Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry), determined to be remembered as one of the great minds of all time, helps Shredder break out of prison, all hell breaks loose. The jailbreak goes sort of as planned. Shredder is teleported to another dimension where he meets a slimy alien named Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett) whom Shredder promises to help invade Earth. Meanwhile, Shredder and Stockman perfect a dangerous ooze that transforms two hardened criminals -- Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Sheamus) -- into powerful creatures. With Shredder on the lose, new foes to face, and an extra dimensional alien invasion on the way, the ninja turtles -- Leo (voiced by Pete Ploszek), Raph (voiced by Alan Ritchson), Donnie (voiced by Jeremy Howard), and Mikey (voiced by Noel Fisher) -- must continue to learn from Master Splinter (voiced by Tony Shalhoub) and team with April O'Neil (Megan fox), Casey Jones (Stephen Amell), and Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett) if they have any hope of once again saving the city from annihilation.

Out of the Shadows doesn't get much right. It's a better film than its predecessor, almost because it would be hard to be quite so bad. This film has more spirit and a little more of a serious thematic underlay. The story is ridiculously simple: Shredder escapes and the turtles must save the day from a villain even more powerful, sinister, and hellbent on destruction than the foursome's favorite foe. The film's dramatic angle is a little more palatable as the turtles wrestle with their identity and place in the city they love. It's about who they are, who they want to be, and what the city needs them to be. They wrestle with the opportunity to selfishly look after their own interests or create the best them they can be rather than forge on as fate has seemingly destined. The themes of identity, acceptance, misunderstanding, and judgment on physical appearance parallel many of today's real-world headlines, but chances are the kids won't care much. They will most certainly be more interested in, and mesmerized by, the barrage of CG and complex stunt work, which really does parallel Transformers in sight and sound alike. There's even a transforming Bumblebee "cameo," but beyond the obvious nod it's impossible to watch the film -- particularly its action scenes -- and not be fooled into thinking that Michael Bay, not Dave green, directed. Bay's fingerprints are all over the movie, and if nothing else Out of the Shadows is a landmark visual effects film. It's sometimes impossible to tell where real ends and digital begins. It's slick, seamless, and...not much more.

Part of the problem stems from the movie's density. That's not a word that lands in a lot of film reviews, but Out of the Shadows usually just feels too cluttered. Every fame comes littered with stuff: the turtles, Donnie in particular, seem more accessory and less flesh and bone. The underground lair and inside of the repurposed garbage truck are crammed with odds and ends and gadgets and gizmos. It's sensory overload and too much attention paid to goofy little add-ons. There's something to be said for the original live action films and their character simplicity. The turtles are, or at least were, once upon a time, defined by only two things: the color of their mask and the weapon they wield. Leonardo was blue mask and katanas. Donatello was purple mask and bo staff. Raphael was red mask and sai. Michelangelo was orange mask and nunchucks. And they loved pizza. It was so simple. Now it's taped glasses, buttons, holographic-projection doodads, and on and on. The more ragged look is welcome -- the masks are frayed, the shells a little beat up, even Raphael's do-rag is a nice little personalization change. There's just too much happening here, and with Donatello in particular. The movie (and the Blu-ray) is at least done well enough that fans can pick through frame-by-frame and see what the filmmakers have added in, but part of the problem, for traditionalists or purists, is that the series has treaded way too far from its roots, maintaining the core details, yes, but throwing way too much else on top.

Unfortunately, it would seem the filmmakers have spent all of their creativity on how the world looks rather than how the movie plays. This is little more than a stock modern summer flick, complete with all of that "Bayhem" at the center. Sure it looks cool, sounds nifty, but it brings nothing to any of its action scenes that hasn't been done before, in the other Turtles movie and particularly in the Transformers pictures. Even the movie's climactic showdown is nothing more than a repackage of the climactic showdown from the first film. Some specifics have changed, sure, but the turtles again find themselves high above the city, facing off against a seriously powerful foe that, even against 4-to-1 odds, gives them a run for their money. Action-wise, it's efficient and dazzling, but boring from the repetition. The movie does, at least, feature fan-favorite dunderhead villains Bebop and Rocksteady. Pro wrestling fans will be pleased to see WWE Superstar Sheamus playing the human Rocksteady and voicing the role after the transformation.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

No surprise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows looks fantastic on Blu-ray. While there's certainly a case of sensory overload -- every frame, it seems, is packed to the gills with stuff -- it's all presented with flawless clarity and pinpoint detail, whether real or digital. From bright scientific offices to dank underground lairs, from sunlit city exteriors to nighttime freeway chases, the transfer sports a fantastically defined and expansively detailed image. The crowded production design is, if nothing else, a treasure trove of trinkets that the Blu-ray format finds fit to reveal in all the glory the 1080p horsepower allows. Clothing is finely detailed, including the frayed and finely featured turtle masks. Human flesh is complex with pores, scars, facial hair, and makeup. Clarity extends to the furthest reaches of the frame and even at some distance, particularly evident in more expansive city exteriors where near-field rougher urban textures are always tangibly textured to the finer points of realism. Colors explode with frequency and vitality. The Knicks game literally leaps off the screen with amazing blue and orange punch. The turtles' trademark headbands feature the standby colors in well-worn fashion. Every color in the film is very well saturated and vibrant with only a few hints of excess gaudiness. Flesh tones do push a little hot, seemingly by design. Black levels are crisp and deep. Very fine noise appears and saturates a couple of shots, but it's never seriously intrusive or, often, all that evident. This is a top-end 1080p presentation all the way.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows thrives on Blu-ray with a fun and high-energy Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The triumphant track produces an effortlessly wide, flair-filled, and engagingly cinematic assault on the ears. Clarity remains top priority, and even through many blended and mixed-up sounds, all play in harmony and each retains a distinct flavor through the mayhem. The track is remarkably smooth and efficient in movement. Imaging is excellent, stage saturation is full, and directionality is fluid. The overhead channels -- four of them engaged for the purpose of this review -- find only a few truly distinct moments, but the sense of greater immersion into the listen is obvious in most every scene beyond dialogue. The PA system at the Knicks game offers the roomiest and most clearly defined top layer sounds; it seems as if the listener is right there at the Garden with loudspeakers blaring straight overhead. General action is sharp and engaging. Metallic clanks, crashes, and movement work in total harmony. Explosions are met with prodigious, but balanced, bass. Wrecked vehicles skid through the stage with weight, but finesse. Choppers rumble, cars zoom. The soundstage enjoys plenty of movement through the traditional north-south and east-west routes but also tons of zigzagging from one corner to the next and, of course, a layered top end. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized. This is a fabulous listen and one Atmos owners will want to experience firsthand.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows contains three deleted scenes and several featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• We Are Family (1080p, 8:15): A closer look at the human actors who portray the turtles, including their real-life camaraderie. It also examines the relationship between the turtles as it's explored in the film. Also, core character qualities for each of the turtles and individual human performances are studied.
• Whoa! Expanding the Turtleverse (1080p, 14:19): This piece looks at what happened in the last film and what's transpired since. It focuses on returning characters and new introductions, including Casey Jones, Chief Vincent, Baxter Stockman, Bebop, Rocksteady, and Krang.
• House Party (1080p, 6:18): A peek inside the turtles' lair.
• It's Tricky: Inside the Van (1080p, 4:08): A quick tour of the turtles' new vehicle.
• ILM -- The Effets Beneath the Shell (1080p, 3:04): A collection visual effects progression clips.
• Did You Catch That? Turtle Eggs! (1080p, 3:02): A few of the movie's little secrets revealed.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Promotion (2:56), Career Opportunities (1:10), and Kiss Me (0:54).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows makes for acceptable entertainment. It's flashy in construction, crude in storytelling, and repetitive in action. It's almost all noise and visual mayhem, with an honest effort at folding in relevant themes of identity and purpose into the story. It improves on the first film, though only, really, because it would be impossible not to make better on that atrocity of a picture. Little boys will love this movie to death. Parents who grew up on the classic comics, toys, cartoons, and even live action films might find this too much of a paradigm shift to enjoy. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows does, as expected, deliver top-flight 1080p video and engaging Atmos sound. Supplements include a trio of deleted scenes and a handful of featurettes. Pick it up for the kids.