Directed by Andy Suriano and Ant Ward, “Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie” is back with the nostalgic series of the infamous turtles who have rocked a lot of childhoods and have served as an inspiration to many. The turtles are back with a new and refreshing animation style and look that has the fans shaking and begging for more. The movie brings back the nostalgic plot of the turtles saving the world yet again with the help of Casey and April, minus their usual jokes; however, it leaves us questioning some major turn of events. Some of the ogs, like Casey’s Mother, and the cunning Cass, make a small appearance that leaves the audience cheering for more. The franchise might as well come up with some new Rise movies that might answer some burning questions.
Spoilers Ahead
What Is ‘Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie’ About?
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back after a long hiatus over the years. With their catchphrases and cool gadgets that help them destroy evil, they finally get rid of a long-time enemy, the Krang. Casey Jones gets sent back to the past by Leonardo to prevent the Krangs from ever coming back and causing mass destruction to their world. Casey meets April first but is captured as a suspect. After listening to his story, the team decides to steal the key that they had lost to The Foot Clan. However, the Foot Clan had already succeeded in bringing back the Krang Leader. The turtles, April, Splinter, and Casey, form teams to successfully overthrow their enemies. Leo almost loses his life in the process, and Raphael almost loses his senses to the Krangs. But, they defeat and imprison The Krang again, making sure peace prevails over their world yet again. They take another group picture to commemorate the event and to replace the old one that had helped them believe Casey in the first place. The movie ends with the turtles returning to their goofy selves and competing with who can carry the most amount of pizzas across the tightrope to the rooftop. They also make Casey try out their favorite food, which is pizza, and Casey falls in love with it.
Character Development
In this movie, the characters are portrayed with a very serious touch. Leonardo, Casey’s sensei, and a red-eared slider turtle, who loves swordplay and is depicted as a turtle who simply hates rules and never listens to Raphael. He messes up badly and cannot adhere to team play. Leonardo goes through significant character development as he understands his mistakes and tries to redeem himself by saving his brothers and also trusting them to save him when he sacrifices himself to imprison the Krangs. Leonardo understands what his brother Raphael goes through while keeping them in line and saving them every time. Leo adheres better to team play and also listens to Raphael’s leadership. He grows up and displays an exceptional level of maturity after the fight with The Kranks and grows even closer to his team. He brandishes the Odachi Sword to keep his enemies at bay.
Raphael takes on the role of leader and guardian to keep the other turtles safe during their missions. He is a snapping turtle who takes his role as a leader quite seriously, and he uses Twin Tonfas as his favored weapon to deal with enemies. Raphael is usually exasperated by Leo’s antics and tries to reason with him to no avail. However, it takes The Krang taking over Raphael’s senses to make Leo realize the gravity of his deeds. But, Raphael’s love for his brothers brings him back and helps him get over The Krang’s brainwashing. Raphael learns to lighten up and also relies more on his brothers after the event.
Donatello, or Donnie, takes pride in his intelligence and is in charge of making all of their gadgets that rescue them from various situations. He is a soft shell turtle and has absolutely impressive coding skills, and he rocks a technologically advanced staff that helps him use his coding skills in real time. Donnie is a shy, introverted turtle who only seems to open up right in front of his team. He loves getting praised for his skills by his brothers, and he loves using his tech tools to assess the situations and rescue them from those situations. Donnie is an absolute asset who loves competing against his brothers in laid-back competitions. Donnie is very serious about what he does but also loves some fun in the meantime.
Michelangelo is the youngest turtle brother who is also a box turtle. He is the artist of the group who discovers his mystic powers and plays a crucial role in sending Casey back to save the key before they lose it, so as to change the future. He is an adorable younger brother who looks up to all his elders and listens to them before taking a step. He clearly adores Leo the most, given his laidback and confident charm. Michelangelo discovers his mystic powers while trying to save Leo, who has sacrificed himself to imprison Krang back in the void. This time, Michelangelo is supported by Donnie and Raphael as they bring back Leo using their mystic powers too. Michelangelo gains a lot of confidence and trust in himself along the way.
Casey Jones is sent back in time to help the turtles take back the key that was used to summon the Krang and change the future. His actions end up making him a suspect, and he later wins the turtles over with evidence and by speaking the truth about the Krang attack. He influences a lot of the character development that the turtles go through. He plays a key role in helping Leo mature and finally understand what a team is. However, it is unclear if Casey goes back to his para-dimensional future or if he simply disappears after changing the future.
April O’Neil is depicted as a commander in the future, Casey is sent from, and she is depicted to have a no-nonsense calm persona that can steal the illegal substances brewed in a college from under their noses. She has amazing stealth skills, and rock and street smarts that help her rescue herself and win in any situation. She partners up with Splinter, the father figure that the turtles have, to save them and give them a boost when they need it. Splinter and April have a nice partnership that lets them move at ease and defend themselves when in trouble.
Ending Explained: Is Krang’s Defeat The End, Or Is There Going To Be More?
The Krangs are eventually defeated when the entire team starts working together in sync. However, the sister of the Krang leader is shown captured under the decapitated building, and a metal ball is used to break down buildings. She is then shown being carted off in a truck, either for experiments or to be imprisoned. This Krang was, in fact, not imprisoned in the void, which might as well pose a bigger problem for the turtles later on. This could be a way of the directors implying that there is going to be more.
Casey was never sent back to the future. According to the time, he does not exist yet in that timeline. Interacting with more people might result in a glitch in the paradox, which could harm Casey. However, since defeating the Krang was his purpose and succeeding in doing so has already alternated the future, which might indicate the fact that Casey’s timeline has ceased to exist. This could result in him disappearing, or it could also suggest that the future remains intact due to the other Krang simply escaping and being an even bigger threat. But these are just theories that depend on the director to prove them right or wrong.
Final Words: The Ninja Turtle’s Reintroduction
“Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie” hits the audience with a redesign of the characters; although they have kept the design of the turtles more or less intact, April is redesigned as a badass, savvy African American who knows her way around in New York. For her persona, the creators have chosen the “my way or the highway” trope, and she is serving it. It’s a massive change from the original character design she used to rock and has been known for an entire generation. This movie has replaced her authentic look with a look more fitting in today’s scenario. Her introduction scene defines her and serves her personality to the t. She is dressed as a character who can influence people and also make them go “Yass Queen.” April is not the only one to go under a complete redesign. The animation sequences, which follow a more comic style, have also undergone a drastic change. This style was first adopted by “Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse” which became such a popular hit with the audience and was later incorporated by similar movies including this one.
The characters have been revamped and presented to suit the current trends and aesthetics, imploring the new generation to follow the turtles more and have just the right bit of nostalgia, like introducing Cass to crank up the fan meter of the previous generations. The animation style is bright and is made with enthusiasm, which is simply a treat. The plotline supports fewer jokes, and more catchphrases and has a serious underlying plot that just makes it exciting to wait for future movies or series. This movie quite literally serves as a reintroduction of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” franchise and has won many hearts since its release.
