Remember what I said about Nimona continuing a trend in animation of narratives about people being different but that not being reason enough to dislike or ostracize or (as in the example of Paranorman) murdered? Well the latest TMNT movie continues that. In fact the plot was roughly ripped from the first X-Men film, featuring a rejected but noble faction facing off against a similarly rejected but resultingly-genocidal one. Certainly TMNT was yet another example of a story already well set for tackling such a plot given they are teenagers and the primary conflict of adolescence is finding a way to fit in and be accepted while simultaneously holding on to everything that makes one special and unique. But I’m still so tired of the trope. It would seem from the ending they have a sequel in mind, and, should it be greenlit (perhaps it has been already), hopefully it won’t have to dwell on their acceptance (or lack thereof) by the rest of the world.

I loved the art style but it often seemed busy. The superfluous line-art style, cool af, sometimes carried too much detail, too much line work, for such a busy film. There were two or three excellent fight scenes, including a side scrolling one with fast and fun cuts, but especially during the climax the amount of detail made the shots look almost muddy in their frantic style. Also something that can probably be fixed in the sequel.

On a slightly related note, when does it break immersion for a film to constantly reference products, games, movies and real people? The turtle’s fondness for “human culture” in the film often became an excuse for namedropping, but it somehow seemed unnatural. I distinctly remember the original live action turtles films continuously referencing popular culture as well, but I can’t remember how I felt about it back then, and now it’s just so much a part of those films for me I can’t distinguish my experience from memory to evaluate them on a similar footing. I think it would have been better if the references were jokes in someway, sort of how BoJack Horseman often turned its celebrity references into animal puns.