Turtles Forever (2009)

Having never even heard of this film until now (mid 2014) I took a chance and gave it a whirl. What I found was a highly enjoyable film that is obviously made for fans.The plot is actually very, very good and ties in well with the concept of dimensions heavily used in the 80's series the action moves along smoothly although the screenplay will not win any awards.Special mention must go to the re-creation of the 80's style animation which I have to say is scarily accurate and a joy to watch again!The only two downside to this film is that the original voice actors of the 80's cartoon not be involved because of union disputes (and the sad passing away of James Avery (Uncle Phil/Shredder) means it can never be re-dubbed!) The second downer in the film is that the 80's turtles were portrayed far too goofily. It was a goof show yes,but having rewatched it recently I can honestly say that it was never as daft as is portrayed in Turtles Forever. Not disrespectful as they do have their great moments but there is just one too many obvious and unnecessary jibes.To end of a positive note another special mention must go to the animation and portrayal of turtles Prime. The are absolutely BAD-ASS and although no real violence was shown they had the attitude and I'll be honest....I wouldn't hate seeing a whole series done in that fashion with maybe a bit more gore and adult themes because lets face it, the child fans of the 80's like me are all grown up now and the comic on which turtles prime was based was much more violent and gritty.I enjoyed the computer animated TMNT film but I'd say this is a better film for the fans overall and is a hidden gem that really needs more advertising.if you can look by the borderline rude treatment and inaccurate portrayal of the 80's turtles then you will enjoy it greatly!

This is excellent craftsmanship, which understands the finer and the not-so-subtle points of cross-over. And it does so with enough self-irony to make this movie a real enjoyable trip, by taking the whole idea far beyond the meta-level.It is literally a full cross-over of the 1987, the 2003 TV animated series and the original black and white comic of 1984. The 1987 version is the most cartoon-ish one, which had a much younger target audience, than the other two versions. The 2003 version aimed at young teens, while the original comics, quite sinister and rough, sometime even brutal, were created for mature audience.In this movie, all of the drawn series* (in style, tone, plot, lingo and background) really merge together. One of the funnier things as an example is, that in the 1987 series, the fourth wall is often broken by the turtles talking to the audience, making silly remarks or moral statements, whereas that never happened in the 2003 version and so the 2003 characters always wonder who the 1987 turtles talk to, and the black/white turtles narrate as they did in the comics. The black and white version makes fun of the colored headbands, the 2003s are annoyed by their 1987 brethren silliness and they even start to refer to each other in their style distinction.*It does not take any TMNT Manga (the Japanese versions of the franchise) into account, or I just missed the reference.I would say that this is a true homage to Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It certainly closes one chapter of my (admittedly never ending) childhood, by taking me on a - somewhat nostalgic - trip through teen memories*, giving them a worthwhile ending, the one it never really got back then...*Just in case you are wondering, I grew up with the classic comic TMNTs in my early teens, saw some of the 1987s, but did not like it due to its more childish style and I have seen some, but not really followed the 2003 version much. But I know enough to connect them in this movie.So all the small sentiments are a nice touch, but the real genius, I think, is an ironic, reflective re-wind through the history of its own existence. In a more morbid interpretation, it seem to be like the legendary flash-back of ones own life, in the moment of death, packed into a movie. In this case, I mean the cultural death of a legendary quartet of mutated Testudines. Indeed, I have not seen or heard much of the turtles lately. They have become a passing memory, almost eager to be replaced by the new heroes of todays media and culture.The reason I deduct a point from perfection is the finite tone of the movie. Almost to the point, where you could interpret it as a depiction of self-pity, composed of its own demise; if you the more cynical type.If the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' have ever been, no matter how small, a part of your childhood or teenage pantheon of heroes, you should really watch this, which is more true, if you are familiar with all the styles. Even the hardcore comic fans that may despise the whole TMNT-franchise, will find gratification, because the film takes the viewer back to appreciate its own origin. And with that, it also makes us think about origins, including our own, which closes the circle to our childhood or teenage heroes, that may have had an impact on us - although I am still not sure, how much influence the turtles had, beyond my occasional craving for pizza.If 'TMNT' doesn't mean anything to you, you will probably not understand much at all; and neither the drawing style, nor the plot will be enough to satisfy a casual viewer, not by todays standards anyway. But I do believe that this is intentional, to keep the cross-over true to its originals, mixing the different versions very harmoniously. The 2003 TMNTs did seem to have had a bit of a polish tho, which may just have been done to better separate them from their 1987 counterparts.All in all: COWABUNGA!

Having grown up watching the old 1988 series, it was great to see the specific characters of the turtles and their villains then, in the universe of the new more serious turtles that kids watch today. The whole thing is animated well and has an interesting enough storyline. The only thing I slightly disliked about this movie, was that the older versions of the characters, both good and bad, are depicted as being somewhat helpless in the 21st century Turtle universe. They mostly get the goofy lines and carefree attitude. However, to be fair the old show was never as serious as the newer one apparently is, and there were excellent tributes to the old show. One running gag in the movie I really enjoyed, was that the older turtles would sometimes direct their attention to the viewer, which would confuse the 21st generation characters. At some point a turtle is actually asked; "Who are you talking to? There is nobody there!"Although there is definite goofiness and corniness present, this movie offers a nice look at the turtles through time, and is a nice way to end this saga of the turtles (as Nickelodeon is apparently planning to make the next show fully CGI).

This movie is for fans and non-fans alike. It starts off with the Turtles in it's latest incarnation (2003 4kids series) viewing a news report of a robbery broken up by four turtles..but not by them..At a risk of spoiling, I will not go into further detail. As a fan of the shows and the various versions of the Turtles, I really enjoyed this movie.Funny thing is this movie wasn't promoted well, if not at all (which is sad because this could have been released in the theaters and would have made a lot of money... I happened upon this movie by accident and have a "Kool-Aid smile" for it's humor, story, action, and nostalgia. This made for TV movie did what the previous shows and the theatrical release did not.It gave the fans a action packed, humor-filled completion to a wonderful franchise... Thank you to all that were involved....And here's hoping that this was not the end to it all.