Turtle shells and Spartan shields clash in theaters this weekend as Warner Bros.’ TMNT arrives to challenge reigning box-office victor 300. The completely CG-animated effort to re-launch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has been receiving some mixed reviews but is getting a lot of support from long-time fans of the heroes on a half-shell. The true test of its earning potential will be whether or not it can reach beyond its built-in audience and bring in moviegoers who have not followed the adventures of the genetically mutated reptiles through comic books, Saturday morning cartoons and silly live-action features from the ’80s.
TMNT pretty much picks up where the second live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie left off and finds the crime-fighting terrapins disbanded and trying to find their own places in the world. When a new threat arises, rat sensei Splinter, voiced by the late Mako, must get the team back together and back in fighting shape. Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Grudge, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) voices the role of April, the human researcher who looks out for Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael as they use their martial arts skills to take on evil forces. Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) provides the voice of Casey Jones, April’s love interest, while Patrick Stewart (X-Men: The Last Stand, Star Trek: The Next Generation) is heard as Max Winters, a tech industrialist who plots to take over the world with his army of ancient monsters. Rounding out the cast of name actors is Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha), who plays Karai, a villainess who commands a ruthless band of ninjas. Also listen for a cameo by Clerks director and comic-book enthusiast Kevin Smith, who recorded dialogue for a cook in a greasy spoon.
The new movie is directed by animator/comic-book artist Kevin Munroe from a screenplay he wrote with help from Peter Laird, who co-created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book with Kevin Eastman in 1984. Laird, who bought out Eastman’s stake in the property, also serves as an exec producer on the pic. Thomas K. Gray and Galen Walker produced the PG-rated toon, which was animated by Hong Kong studio Imagi. Currently in the pipeline at the animation house are big-screen adaptations of the anime favorites Gatchaman and Astro Boy, scheduled for release in late 2008 and early 2009, respectively. Read more about TMNT in the latest issue of Animation Magazine.
Also opening in wide release today is New Line Cinema’s The Last Mimzy, a family-oriented sci-fi pic about a pair of young siblings begin to develop special talents after they find a mysterious box of toys. Directed by New Line co-chairman and co-CEO Robert Shaye, the movie is based on a short story by Lewis Padgett and features visual effects by Rising Sun Pictures, Eden FX, Giant Killer Robots, Tweak Films, RotoFactory, Technicolor, The Orphanage and Amalgamated Pixels.
Other top contenders being released today are Paramount’s action thriller Shooter, starring Mark Wahlberg, Fox Atomic’s horror sequel The Hills Have Eyes 2, Columbia’s Adam Sandler/Don Cheadle drama Reign Over Me and Lionsgate’s Pride, which stars Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac as coaches of a swim team for troubled teens.
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