TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS (C+/A)

Predictably pummeled by most critics, TMNT 2 is a harmless, well-meaning, mayhem-laced, underwritten mess.  But against all preconceived, critical-minded notions, it turns out to have some fairly thrilling action and more than its fair share of laughs.  Yes, the story is bloated.  Yes, the villains and their motives are uninteresting.  Yes, there’s nary a human actor involved who can convincingly deliver the silly dialogue (rest assured though that Megan Fox is pushed to secondary status but prerequisite full framed shots of her abs and booty are firmly in place).  With all these misses though, the filmmakers still deserve a smattering of applause for taking the story deeper in to the downright wacky universe of these four bipedal tortoise brothers. …the likes of which include time traveling ninja warriors, anthropomorphic rhinos and an octobrain-looking interdimensional warlord housed inside the breadbasket of a cyborg exo-suit.  Look, it’d be very easy to pan this thing sight unseen or even see it with a critical eye and cliché-ingly dismiss it as the worst thing ever.  Take your kid (who I know definitely wants to see it; my 9-year old loved it) and even though you’ll roll your eyes you might also be surprised at how infectiously fun some of this nonsense is…  TMNT 2 may be mostly hollow, but within the sludge of this city lies some decent action, solid humor, intriguing special effects and a few thoughtful reflections on teamwork and brotherhood. 

Starring: Leonardo, Rafael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Stephen Amell and Laura Linney
Directed by: Dave Green (EARTH TO ECHO)
Rated: PG-13
Running time: 1hr. 37min.
Story: After supervillain Shredder escapes custody, he joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and two dimwitted henchmen, to unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world. As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater evil with similar intentions: the notorious Krang. 
Website: www.teenagemutantninjaturtlesmovie.com