Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (Netflix)

My first overall impression is that I didn't like it nearly as much as the four part series finale. I'm not saying I didn't appreciate it at all, or that they should have left well enough alone. But I will say I think it got a little bit too outside what this iteration previously was.

There is genuine pathos for one. And actually, there should be. It's a movie. The problem is there is TOO much of it, which makes it utterly unlike the rest of the series. It takes things TOO seriously, which while good for animated drama, is also the reason I dislike 2012 so much. Tell me if I'm crazy. But I think part of the idea for the finale movie is the fact that 2012 was SUCH a successful show, this show was jealous of that fact, remembered that 2012 had one of the worst series finales in animation history, and decided to try and do the Mutant Apocalypse right. If that's what happened, it's totally understandable, and this far superior show SHOULD have a chip on its shoulder that that piece of crap iteration got five seasons it didn't deserve, while this got nothing but grief and was shuffled off to Nicktoons and canceled after two, despite it frankly being the best Turtles screen adaptation, not because it was amazing, but because every other Turtles project was deeply flawed. So yeah, if they did the Krang plot to show they could actually do the Mutant Apocalypse without making the viewer feel like crap afterwards, and as if they just wasted five seasons, good for them. But if you ask me, that not an actual achievement on its own. 2012's finale was specifically so bad because the the series used a premise they never should have used, and utterly botched it in the one in a million shot they WERE crazy enough to use it. The truth is the show doing the bare minimum to give us a decent Mutant Apocalypse isn't that impressive when you realize all it had to do was stand next to the finale that literally made every wrong decision and unforced error possible, and literally just not drool on their shoes and we'd be good. Did I mention I prefer the four part TV finale? That's a big part of why.

The animated action sequences continue to be the most bananas I have ever seen on a TV budget. The budget can't be big, and it looks more frenetic and amazing than any theatrical animated film's action sequences I can think of. Another real selling point is that for some reason, the voices they got for the Krangs were unusually solid. The voices on this show are always pretty good, but there is no denying John Cena lacks gravitas. The Krangs' voices were so classy, if they didn't actually up the pedigree any, it at least FELT like they did.

The movie ignores the series finale's insane last-second cliffhanger of Splinter randomly making Leo the leader. Because as much as I loved that episode, that was freaking nuts.

I mentioned I didn't like the pathos. The pathos I DID like was Casey Jones' utter disappointment in what a chump his beloved future Sensei is in his current iteration. And I hate Leonardo, and have hated him for the entire series, so I understand that pain, especially after seeing him behave honorably and competently in the teaser for the first and only time.

Speaking of the teaser, I'm not on board that Leo uttered a curse word. Call me a square but "ass" is also outside of this iteration, and I didn't appreciate the tackiness of the recent films horning into the sensibility of this formerly square version for a brief moment.

It's not a great final project for this iteration of the Turtles. What it is is a successful thumb in the eye of 2012's absolutely lousy and universally reviled ending. People inexplicably still remember that show fondly, which pisses me off beyond belief. Maybe this show let that show get in its head too much for the movie. But I absolutely understand the need for the high-quality underdog to finally outshine the overpraised, terrible fan-favorite in an easily identifiable way. I don't like it, but like, I freaking GET it. ***.

Couple of mini cartoons for this awesome and unjustly canceled show? I'll take 'em!

The funny thing is beds that have alarms and defense systems go against the entire purpose of beds. Donnie very much reminds me in Gyro Gearloose in creating inventions that are both impractical and counterproductive to what they are supposed to do. 4 stars.