Les Tortues Ninja

The new TMNT is closer to the comics, but still complete with irrevent humor and fun. The series creators have definately made the series not only an ode to the comic book source, but seem to have made many other references to the comic books that doubtlessly influences Laird and Eastman.

The animation style is somewhere between Men in Black and Batman: The Animated Series, and while not as stylized as either of the two, is functional and adaquate. The action sequences are the main draw, when they are allowed to really gain momentum.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this story, and it should appeal to fans of both the comic and 80's cartoon. The only problem I have with the series is when the cartoon takes a detour spanning 6+ episodes in the middle of a crucial storyline. Take my word for it: beware when the Turtles go into space. While chuck full of one or two Star Wars references, its frustrating to consider the forces at work for the rest of the storyline, on Earth, stopping while the Turtles are off fight outer-space triceratops.

Overall, a good show, and the current highlight of my Saturday mornings. ***1/2

The 2003 series is an above-average revamp of the Ninja Turtles concept. Many story lines are adapted directly from the original comics now, and the overall tone is much darker and grittier than the classic 80s series (though its still light-hearted enough to qualify as Saturday morning fare). The series also has lots of continuity and plot development for fans to chew on, so you won't be getting Shredder hatching the same tired scheme every episode.

It's not a perfect series, mainly because 4Kids is the financial backer. The show gets away with quite a bit more than you'd expect from seeing 4Kids' other productions, but every so often an episode suffers as censorship kicks in and chafes a potentially stronger story. Like other 4Kids shows the voice talent is drawn from an extremely small pool, so acting ranges from pretty good (the main cast) to downright poor (walk-on characters). And on the creative end, the scripts and dialogue feel like they could use another pass in the writers room to get rid of the clichés and add more depth.

TMNT 2003 is pretty much "Justice League" if the classic 80s series is Superfriends, only it's not quite as sophisticated. But that's okay, the Turtles were always different from other superheroes. Some fans will infinitely prefer the classic series as its the one they grew up with, but for anyone interested in seeing how Turtle power has translated to a new generation of fans, this show is worth checking out.

I was watching this when it came out. was only a kid. and made so many memories with friends over this show and the game that came with it, having most of the dvds myself i have seen some in recent years and am surprised by some of the dark story lines and grittiness it represents. i enjoyed the dark stories and though of it in a mature sense. without a doubt the best version on TMNT from seasons 1-5 are my favourites. will probably watch them soon again

The first thing I noticed about this version of TMNT is the fact than none of the heroes in the halfshell had any pupils. To me, no pupils=no souls, just like the characters in that darkened Turtles revamp in the mid-nineties which misstepped and almost spelled the end for the series.

But I sat through a couple of episodes and was came back VERY satisfied with the new version.

I grew up watching the lean, green fighting machines fight a bunch of bumbling and stumbling bad guys, robots, aliens, mutants, oftentimes saving April O'Neill in the nick of times while ending each productive day eating pizza with some gnarly toppings (chocolate chips and anchovies, anyone?) Slapstick humor, groaner puns, and fast-paced action fortified with blood-pumping music was the order of the day, and we all seemed to like it just fine, thanyouverymuch. I still get a kick out of those episodes when I break out the old tapes.

Now, with the original comic book writer Peter Laird providing input, we have a much more serious tone. This time our heroes aren't here to solve Scooby-Doo mysteries and make pizza jokes. This series actually chronicles their day-to-day lives as they live in their underground lair with Master Splinter. The reason they live in the sewers (which should have been obvious) has been really played up this time: they are freaks, monsters. The fact that they are outcasts makes solving various crimes and getting on the six-o-clock news with April O'Neill a pretty difficult thing to accomplish (besides the fact that April is now a former lab assistant and not a news reporter as in the earlier incarnations).

So all their lives the four turtles have been honing their ninjitzu skills under their sensei, when their lives have been turned upside down by the arrival of Shredder, Splinter's arch-nemesis. The other reviewers are right, Bebob and Rocksteady would not have lasted a second under this Shredder. To take him lightly is to dig your own grave. The turtle's struggle to return to their normal lives during their confrontations with Shredder is the running drama binding these new episodes (which helps keep me interested every week since this time I know there will be a climax, instead of hearing "You miserable turtles, I'll get you next time!" after every other unrequited episode in the old series.)

Despite all this, I still would have been bored with this series if the turtles acted as serious as they looked. But to my relief, they retained much of their old personalities of the old series. Leonardo is still the leader, Donatello's still the inventive brain, Raphael is still sarcastic (and this time gruff and tough), and Michaelangelo is, well, you all know Mikey. I do really believe Mike's even more outrageous in this series than in the old one. Because they still retained their personalities, they don't come off as robotic Warriors of Virtue but as "regular" teens who find themselves caught in a bad space of time.

The way the series uses split screens, wide screens, more kick-butt action (screw the Parent Advisory Council!) and took its stories seriously also doesn't hurt the appeal. Add to this the humanity of the characters, and you have yourself a superior product on your hands.

**** out of four stars.

After being disappointed with the outdated and overrated 80's version, this was a breath of fresh air. The turtles are way more interesting here as we see their own psychology grow and learn some valuable lessons. The tone is exactly as it should be a balance of light and darkness, though there are some disturbing moments (such as when Leonardo decapitates Shredder and Splinter's story of origin), but thankfully it's more mature. Leonardo and Michaelangelo are my favorites as they are the serious swordsman leader and comic relief respectively. What's better is that there is now a genuine plot for a big picture as the turtles have to try and do more than just thwart evil. No more silly nonsense like the 80's version had.