The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began life in the 80s as a goofball parody of other superhero comics, but this 21st century makeover comes from producer Michael Bay, and though it may appeal to a new generation until now unfamiliar with the expression "Cowabunga dude", old-timers will be left asking where the fun has gone.
The talking turtles -- Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo -- have been created using CGI. Here, they're seamlessly inserted into the live action; and they're the same pizza loving, adventure seeking, butt-kicking, wisecracking teenagers you will likely be familiar with. Just bigger and uglier
They're funny when they're beat-boxing in an elevator and doing Batman impersonations. They're kind of creepy when they're flirting with women.
But, as a wise amphibian once sang, it isn't easy being green and the quartet don't get the screen time they deserve. Instead they're overwhelmed by crazy stunts and over the top visual effects, advertisements for Pizza Hutt, and a story that takes itself far too seriously.
Conversely, Megan Fox's character, reporter April O'Neil, gets plenty of screen time. In a twist on the original story, the turtles turn out to be April's childhood pets who her scientist father used as genetic test subjects.
