Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Review – 2 Ups And 3 Downs
The Downs:
3. Action Figure Concepts
However, the film also translates the less savoury, more wearisome elements of the Turtles franchise too, chief among them the overbearing focus on cultivating action figures. Thats where the real meat of the 90s sensation was and its why Bays optioned it twenty years later.
So, scattered throughout the film, we get multiple character costumes, specialist vehicles and varied single-use tech that exists just so they can all be constructed as child friendly plastic replicas. To a point it helps make things a little more silly, but as the movie goes on this, and the copious product placement, begin to wear.
It ultimately predicates a lot of the other "creative" choices and leads the film in a very flat direction. Its a constant reminder TMNT is a product, and boy does this really feel like a product.