Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tear Up Box Office

We all had a favorite: Leonardo in the blue mask, the oldest and leader with his katanas; Donatello in the purple mask, the smartest with his bo staff; Raphael in the red mask who is aggressive with a pair of sai; and Michelangelo in the orange mask, the youngest, a jokester with his pair of nunchakus.

But one brother would not be the same without the whole team, a message that came through in the blockbuster remake of our popular childhood cartoon, the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay, “Ninja Turtles” is estimated to make about $40-$50 million in its opening weekend, based on ticket sales through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada.

That would put the Turtles a step ahead “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which took the number one spot in the box office last weekend.

As I exited the movie theater last night, a woman told her family, “I thought ‘Guardians’ was better,” just after my sister was telling me how ‘Turtles’ was good, but the Marvel comic book blockbuster starring Chris Pratt was even better.

I grew up watching the Ninja Turtles and anticipated seeing the film when it was teased—until I saw the trailer with Megan Fox. While everyone can drool over her, her good looks is a result of lots of plastic surgery and her acting is usually painful to watch—thankfully her beauty makes up for it.

That being said, I agreed to see the movie since it just came out and who could resist giant turtles eating pizza in New York City and fighting crime?

I was expecting to be annoyed with Fox and slightly enjoy the movie based on the fact that it would be a flashback of my youth. I had never been more wrong.

“Ninja Turtles” exceeded my expectation, totally engaging and entertaining me from start to finish. There were impressive visual effects, epic fight scenes, and lots of comedy throughout the entire film. What was even more shocking was Fox wasn’t that bad.

The movie started looking like a comic, already catching my attention with the 3D effects that draw you into the story.

The plot

In an attempt to act, Fox played April O’Neil, a character who attempts to become a serious journalist. O’Neil lost her father in a lab fire, where he was doing tests on animals including the rat and turtles.

The rat, which grows to me Splinter, is touched by O’Neil’s father’s love and mirrors the relationship, taking the turtle brothers on as sons after she saves them from the fire.

Splinter trains them in martial arts and now they protect the city. They stick to the sewers and haven’t been in the public eye—until O’Neil tries to break the story about the vigilantes.

O’Neil and her cameraman Vern Fenwick (played by Will Arnett) and the team of turtles join forces to fight the evil plan in action that will hurt all New Yorkers and cause the villain of the story to be rich. After epic fight scenes with the villain’s master who is a mix of martial arts classic and modern day machinery, they are able to save the city. O’Neil doesn’t write her story that will make her a serious reporter, deciding to keep family first and protects their secret.

Mikey was the funniest in the film, jokes ranging in variety for all types of audience members. Kids laughed throughout the film, while the older crowd giggled like children too. The 3D effects, especially during fight scenes was really eye grabbing. A couple times it appears things would flew right into me, my eyes blinking on impulse. Karate in 3D?! The Matrix like movies were awesome—even if it was a rat mastering them.

Like any franchise, the movie sets up a bit for a sequel, and based off box office predictions, I am sure one will be in works.

“Ninja Turtles” is a must-see film, not just for those who are fans of the turtles, but for anyone looking for an action-packed, comedy.