TMNT

By: Robert Murphy

Growing up I was in love with those four pizza eating heroes that lived deep down in the sewers of New York City and I'm sure a lot of you did as well, kids today even get to enjoy new versions of the classic characters and have fallen crazy for these teenage mutant ninja turtles. Now we have a new addition to tell the story of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael along with their rat master Splinter and how they all came to be. Once more we see the Foot Clan terrorizing the world and it is up to the four to put an end to it and save New York from this group and their leader, Shredder. Will they be up to the task? And will the movie prove to spark up some childhood memories? Well let's find out. 

The first time I watched a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was back in the 1990's, where the turtles were played by men in big clunky and ridiculous looking suits but you know none of that mattered because it added to the charm of the already ridiculous idea of four human like turtles fighting crime like ninjas. Now things have changed though, technology has come a long way and we can see the turtles in a new way which should be better right? Well I don't think this was the case, the turtles are still lean, mean, fighting machines but for whatever reason the movie felt it was important to put a whole bunch of useless material attached to the turtles to amplify their personas. For instance Donatello is covered with random technological gizmos and gadgets to show how he is the smart one of the group and you just sit there and ask yourself, "why?". There was really no need for it and the turtles personas from the shows don't come up much as it is in the movie. The teenage mutant turtles I saw in this movie were bland characters, they had no substantial appeal to them at all and they're what the movie was all about so what is there left to enjoy?

The turtles most powerful enemy also returns for the reboot for TMNT and proves to be the greatest challenge they have ever faced before. The Shredder has always been an incredible enemy to the turtles in the show and he never fails to be one of my favorite bad guys from my childhood just by how skilled he is and how much of a challenge it is to fight him every time. His skills alone were what made him so deadly before but not in this adaptation unfortunately, this time the Shredder has a new fancy robotic suit that somehow comes out and it is simply stupid in my eyes. When we first meet Shredder in the movie, we see him training his skills by taking down armed Foot Clan members with his hands chained behind him, not taking a single scratch from the encounter. This was awesome but then why would you put the already killer warrior in a samurai suit covered in knives then? It was pointless and takes away from the Shredder character. His Foot Clan are not any better, we do see Karai (Minae Noji) make an appearance as second in command but she is barely even used or referenced as a character and appears weak and worthless rather than a strong character like in the show. The Foot themselves are just as weak, they appear more as thugs than elite ninjas under Shredder's command, they even wear weird masks that look oddly similar to the masks worn by the Immortals from 300 which makes even less sense.

Not much of what makes TMNT what it was to all of us is present here in the latest movie, when something does come up that would make you laugh or smile in nostalgia is ruined before it even happens. The one point where the turtles famous catch phrase, "cowabunga" comes out but it is ruined by a ten minute set up like a bad joke. Any and all references are ruined by poor set up and placement in the movie, the pizza loving, catch phrases, all of it was just a shallow pond that you're forced to swim in. I was mildly surprised by April O'Neil (Megan Fox) who was the one part of the movie that was actually accurate in comparison to the old show, she is driven, a great reporter and was the resident cutie for the turtles to pal around with. It may be a little hard to see with her dialogue being ruined by her partner and camera man Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett) who attempts to constantly hit on her and fail time and time again. 

In the end, I'm so immensely disappointed by the new TMNT movie, so very little remains the same of the original story from the comic book and shows that it might as well have been an entirely different movie. What little remains of the original story was ruined with painstakingly long set up and poor writing. April O'Neil was the somewhat decent character hidden away in the movie and other than an epic fight between Shredder and Master Splinter, there was not much to enjoy about the new turtles. Despite all this, the knuckle headed turtles proved to earn a pretty penny on this latest movie so maybe a new director will come in if a sequel is in the works. 

Good:

- April O'Neil wasn't too bad of a character and was the closest I got to an original character from the show

- Master Splinter and Shredder's fight scene

Bad:

- The new Shredder is ridiculous and it's clear Michael Bay is taking his Transformers styling and applying it here

- The turtles are bland characters who adopt a new look that is just awful

- The original story is completely lost on this movie


Scully Rating: 3.0 out of 10 

Splinter Cell: Blacklist

By: Robert Murphy

Hey guys, sorry that it’s been so long since I last had a post for you all but I was in need of some rest and relaxation but now I’m back with plenty to share in the coming weeks with video games, anime and more. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s just start off with a new game that I have been waiting for, for quite some time now and that game is Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Yes, Sam Fisher is back once again and God help you if you’re the ones he’s after because as fans of series will tell you, nobody messes with Sam Fisher. Since the last time we saw Sam things have changed, you’re no longer laying low and avoiding your stealth assassin ways, no in fact you’ll need them more than ever now that a group known as The Engineers have come to change the world in a radical way. Enter Same Fisher and the newly formed 4^th Echelon which features some old faces such as Grim (because it’s not a Splinter Cell game without her) and Charlie Cole, with a new face to the team Isaac Briggs. Together this small but powerful group is put to the task of taking out The Engineers and the threat they pose to the United States.

Now when we last saw Sam, he was kind of gruff and was giving off the scruffy old man angle in Splinter Cell: Conviction and he was taking down everything in his way with brute force and took a little less stealthy aspect to him. In Blacklist however, things are back in order and Sam returns to the shadows to take down the new threat set before him and his team so fans of the series will once more enjoy ducking and weaving all over the place. And duck and weave you shall as almost every mission comes with multiple venues and ways to move through patrolling guards and bad guys, whether it’s vents, ceilings or pipes, there’s an angle for whatever your preference may be. But of course this was all to be expect from a Splinter Cell game but if you do enjoy going loud in a situation and going in guns blazing then there is still that option. There is a wide array of weaponry to choose from and some of those come with quite a large bang to them so you can go on a murdering spree on a room of enemies rather than silently removing them one at a time. On the plus side as well, you are actually rewarded for this type of behavior along with being stealthy and lethally stealthy through the games mission scoring system that appears when you complete a mission. This rewards you points and cash for either going through the mission as a Ghost (non-lethal stealth), a Panther (lethal stealth) or Assault (loud and lethal), making an enjoyable experience, whatever your preference.

From here you can further customize Sam and your gear by purchasing weapon modifications for the wide assortment of guns you have to choose from and with those guns comes with a huge assortment of modifications to be made. From red dot sights to hollow point rounds, you’ll be dealing deadly damage throughout the campaign anyway you like. Then we also have the gadgets, remote cameras, noise makers, rotating robot drones, they’re all here for the taking to aid in your stealthy or not so stealthy play through of Blacklist. Nothing compares to the stunned look an enemy gets when he here’s a strange sound come from no-where and then suddenly he turns around and all his buddies are missing in action and the light of your goggles shine behind him. Then there’s Sam himself, whose appearance can be altered with a number of different outfits, each with their own unique traits an abilities that can improve your stealth, weapon handling and more.

As for the campaign itself, Sam and his team work on board of the Paladin, a large aircraft carrier that can also be further upgraded with cash given to Grim in between missions, this monolithic plane is base of operations for 4^th Echelon. From here you access your missions that across the globe and these missions vary from main story missions to side missions that are given to you by your team, to be done at your leisure for extra cash. Also you can talk to your team before and after each mission to see your stats, update your arsenal or get the new missions that I mentioned earlier. But if you want to bite into the main story, you can all go right ahead because it’s a good one, the “Blacklist” terrorist attacks on America features a very grounded and enjoyable experience. There aren’t over the top explosions or antics with this enemy, they’re quick, clean and precise and prove to be a challenge even for Sam, who after the last game, you’d think would be pulling an “I’m too old for this @#$%.” And this was my really big problem with the game because Sam is now somewhat different, he’s still an incredibly skilled, stealth fighter but his character is not the same Sam. This is because Sam’s gruff voice actor has been replaced this time around and replaced with a new more authoritative voice that says, “This is what’s happening, let’s get it done” and that’s it. Sam’s sarcastic and wittiness seems to have disappeared with this one, it didn’t kill the game for me but I do miss the voice work of Michael Ironside in this one.

Now onto the multiplayer, Blacklist features both co-op missions and an online mode that returns some classic features from previous games for all to enjoy. We have a throwback to the old days with the game mode Spies vs Mercs that puts you and your friends to a task of hacking a terminal while avoiding a group of mercs defending the area in a classic 2 v 2 or the new 4 v 4 mode that lets you customize your individual load out for added fun. Then there the other game modes such as Team Deathmatch which is self-explanatory and many other game types for you and your friends to either work together in or test your stealth skills against. Then we have the co-op aspect of the game, as you play through the game you’ll notice that missions from your team may have a co-op option so you and your friend or whoever can tackle a mission together, taking some of the load off Sam in solo play. But make sure you find yourself a friend with similar playing styles or you’ll end up trying to go stealthy while your friend charges in guns firing.

All in all, Splinter Cell: Blacklist has brought back the heavy stealth element that fans of the series have always loved about the series since day one but they’ve also incorporated more of a heavier action element for players who want to give up and just blow everything away. Not only this but players will gain points for going through the mission in the various different ways that you play, either being gun heavy, stealthy or a stealthy killer, it’s your choice. Also the game brings with it enjoyable multiplayer and co-op campaign missions alongside the short but sweet action of the single player campaign that’s laid before us. My issues with the game are nothing major that wouldn’t spoil anyone’s fun playing through this incredible game either, I don’t care for some of Sam Fisher’s new attributes, he looks so stiff and structured now and not like his old self but he’s still got the legendary skills that I know and love.

Good:

-Enjoyable campaign and story

-Equally enjoyable co-op and multiplayer for you and your friends

-Massively customizable arsenal, filled with gadgets, guns and more

Bad:

-The new Sam wasn’t for me but you guys decide for yourself on that one

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10