‘Batman VS. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Review- Cowbunga, Dudes
This movie was released in 2019.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment, and Nickelodeon and directed by Jake Castorena, the Dark Knight meets the Turtles in the Half-Shell in Batman VS. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The film is inspired by the comic book series and graphic novel by James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams II.
The ninja Foot Clan arrives in Gotham and begins stealing technology from various corporations. The Ninja Turtles Leonardo (Eric Bauza), Raphael (Darren Criss), Donatello (Baron Vaughn), and Michelangelo (Kyle Mooney) are trying to stop them. However, Batman (Troy Baker) gets involved when Wayne Enterprises is targeted by the Shredder (Andrew Kishino) who manages to defeat the Caped Crusader.
After an initial misunderstanding, Batman, Batgirl (Rachel Bloom), and Robin (Ben Giroux) work with the Ninja Turtles to stop the Foot Clan when they realize the Foot Clan has allied with Ra’s al Ghul (Cas Anvar) to give the Joker (also Troy Baker) and the other Arkham Asylum inmates a mutagen that will enhance the powers of the already deadly rogues.
When the movie trailer dropped, I became very excited about this production. The comic book series was well-written and well-drawn, hitting all of the high points. The filmmakers had a big challenge which they met by not doing a straight adaption, deciding to take the concept and scale it down a bit by removing the alternate reality aspect and having Batman and the Ninja Turtles exist in the same world.
While Batman and the Ninja Turtles have similar gritty, dark undertones, they are still different stylistically and in their humor. The filmmakers did a decent job of bridging those gaps, but at times, the mix of different humor and styles creates some glaring cringe moments, but these are few and far between.
I will say, the total absence of Master Splinter was a bit jarring. Alfred gets a cameo, so I do not understand why the Turtles’ adopted father could not also have a small part in the movie.
As for the animation, it is done in a style that implies a fun kid’s film, but it was much darker than expected. With Shredder and Ra’s chopping the hands and heads off and while not overly gory, it was a bit shocking. However, the action is very well done. Martial Arts fights are always difficult to do in animation, but the fight scenes between Batman and the Shredder are particularly cool.
Bottom line, while it was not the geek-out, exciting film I was expecting, Batman VS. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was still a fun ninja thrill ride with two of the best comic book Martial Arts-themed superheroes of all time.
FAVORITE QUOTE: This is not the time for pizza.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Some violent images (including blood)
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or anime you would like me to review.