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TMNT – “Pizza Face” Review

by Zach Gasior
written by Zach Gasior

Nickelodeon TMNT Pizza Face 2

“Does he have a pizza for a face?  Then I will call him Pizza Face!” – Michelangelo

 

April has to bail on Irma again to see the turtles.  Irma’s growing very suspicious, but her attention is soon turned to a pizza delivery guy crashing into her.  Freaked out, the delivery boy takes off, leaving a pizza at their feet.  April is going to take it to the turtles, but something feels off.  She opens the box to see what’s got her freaked out, and something attacks.  Meanwhile, the turtles are hungry, so Michelangelo makes his own pizza.  But, it’s awful, so the others order delivery from a very strange new pizza parlor.

           

Mikey brings dinner back to the lair, but while he waits for his brothers, their dinner attacks.  A talking pizza appears from the box, and Mikey must hold it off.  However, his brothers don’t believe him, and storm off.  Michelangelo will get answers, though, and heads for Antonio’s.  Scoping out the pizza parlor, Mikey sees a horde of people in a zombie-like state, including April.  But before he can save her or get his money back, people with pizza covering their whole heads attack and kick his butt.

           

Barely escaping, Mikey returns to the lair, only to find that his brothers and sensei have eaten the pizza, and are now zombies.  Mikey fights off several mutant pizzas, capturing one to learn the whole truth about a pizza chef mutated and able to give life to pizza pies.  Mikey infiltrates Pizza Face’s restaurant, but the mutant has the other turtles and Splinter protecting him while he readies his zombies to be eaten.  Michelangelo is captured, but then realizes the only way to win is to eat all the pizza, including Pizza Face himself.  At the last moment, Pizza Face mounts a counterattack … and Mikey wakes up.  The whole adventure was just a bad dream …… or was it?

           

It’s been a while since one turtle has seen almost the entire episode revolve around him.  And while Michelangelo isn’t exactly the character that needs the most development, he is (and perhaps always has been) the most well rounded character.  Which means that he can easily anchor a story like this on his own.  While the premise was a little silly, and it’ll be nice to get back into the stories that actually pertain to the main plot of the season, it was a nice episode that gave Mikey a chance to flex his muscles as a character.

           

By allowing that, this episode also highlighted an oft forgotten aspect of Michelangelo – one that no TV incarnation has really ever touched on before.  While he is the youngest brother and the least developed, Michelangelo is also said to be the turtle with the most potential, and will probably be the greatest ninja master someday.  Obviously, the Mikey that exists here is far from that.  But (dream or not), he was able to fight off all three of his zombie brothers single-handedly.  They may not have been in top form at that point, but they could still function as ninja, and Mikey was able to beat all three.  So perhaps his abilities are something special after all, and this is just the first step in seeing them at their fullest.

           

This was another fun episode to add to the few that have happened since the big “Wormquake” incident.  Clearly this season has been about balancing out those major events in the second half with more fun after a couple of serious episodes, before the big push to the season finale.  (A similar situation to last season, when The Pulverizer’s first appearance and the infiltration of TCRI were juxtaposed with the Cockroach Terminator.)  Hopefully the remainder of the episodes add a little more of the big story, but a few more fun adventures like this one will certainly be welcomed and appreciated.

 

Rating: 7.5/10

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Playmates Movie Toys Reveal Splinter and More

by Justin W
written by Justin W

Over the past few months, we've watched as details about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie were slowly revealed, and yet some characters and their design still remain somewhat hidden. Perhaps now we can get a sense for what to expect, as Playmates recently revealed their line of toys related to the film. We've seen some of these toys already, but others are completely new. In particular, these images give us our first full image of Splinter from the front.

 

 

Based on what we have seen in the movie trailers, it would seem likely that this is as pretty fair representation of what we are going to get. That being said, I think it is also important to note that these images don't appear to be set to any kind of scale, so if April O'Neil looks huge, just keep in mind that the picture of her toy might be blown up a bit bigger than the rest.

 

In addition to Splinter, we also get our first images of The Shredder and a Foot Soldier. Shredder looks quite mechanical, fitting the design shown in trailers and pictures from the film. As for the foot soldier…let's just be honest here – he looks like a G.I. Joe toy. Finally, in the bottom right we find a picture of one of the turtles in full camoflauge, which looks similar to some of the images we've seen of the turtles from on set.

 

Needless to say, these are pretty interesting toys, and they reveal a lot about the movie itself. For those who were wondering what Splinter really looks like, hopefully this will suffice until we get a better shot of him in a trailer (hopefully). As for the turtles themselves, we've seen them before, but they definitely look pretty close to their movie counterparts. In particular, they really pulled off Michelangelo and Raphael quite well.

 

This is just the first series of toys based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, but there's no telling whether or not there will be more. In the end, I think the film would have to do pretty well at the box office for Playmates to consider bringing out another line of toys, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

 

In addition to their movie line, Playmates recently revealed an upcoming figure from the next series of toys based on Nickelodeon's hit TMNT series. It would appear that they have plans to release a Mutated Baxter Stockman toy, featuring Stockman in his newly mutated form. This action figure definitely looks awesome, with a very well detailed face. The claw looks downright excellent, and this toy is probably one of the coolest I have seen from Playmates in a long time.

 

What do you think? Are you excited to see the new movie based on what you've seen from these toys? What of Baxter Stockman's mutated form? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or sound off in our forums!

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TMNT – “Newtralized!” Review

by Zach Gasior
written by Zach Gasior

Newtralized! 2

“We’re taking care of the Kraang.  I got a new partner now.” – Slash

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – “Newtralized!” Review

Raphael and Casey Jones are out on patrol, chasing down some Kraang carrying stolen plutonium.  They chase the aliens into an alley, but before they can finish them off, an unknown individual cuts the robots to shreds and took the plutonium.  Meanwhile, the others are playing around at the lair when Casey and Raph return.  But the plutonium problem is too big to avoid, so all five head out to search for the culprit.  While Raph and Casey argue about the threat the Kraang impose on the world, Donatello and Michelangelo come across another defeated group, and Donnie notices that they were defeated by very advanced weaponry.

As the search continues, Raph and Casey happen upon another group of Kraang in the middle of a heist, but before they can butt in, Slash appears from the shadows.  He’s teamed with the Newtralizer, and together they are obliterating the Kraang, one group at a time.  Raphael tries to stop them, but they acquire more technology, which allows them to teleport away before an all-out rumble begins.  The team regroups and formulates a new plan, but Slash and Newtralizer are already putting their teleportation to good use, intent on blowing up a Kraang communications facility.  Slash hesitates though, and the story of how the two mutants met and teamed up is relayed through flashback, as the two agree to take down the Kraang no matter what.

The turtles and Casey track down the Kraang, and do their best to stop the mutants, but the two escape, blowing up the facility as they go.  Raph berates Casey for slowing them down, and the two squabble until Casey storms off.  However, Donnie planted a spy roach on Slash, and so the turtles are able to find out the mutants’ next plan.  All groups arrive at the docks, where the Kraang have unleashed their new walker weapon, which easily dispatches Newtralizer.  As the turtles join the fray, Newtralizer takes control of the walker, and turns on everyone else.  Fortunately, Casey rejoins his friends, and with Slash’s help, they destroy the weapon.  Slash leaves to find his own way, but he’s a friend of the turtles once again.

It’s great to see some familiar faces come back around for Act Two of their stories.  Slash and Newtralizer have been missing for some time now, and found a common enemy.  Plus, there was some great character development for the turtle.  The audience now knows that despite his apparent mental breakdown after his mutation, Slash still wants to be a hero, and cares about how his actions affect the rest of the world around him.  Twice he refused to hurt any innocent people, and that eventually led to his breakup with his new partner.  So not all the mutants are bad guys; perhaps, instead, good or bad is influenced by the one that’s mutated.  There are some anomalies, but perhaps other mutants can find their consciences again, too.

However, there was way too much trying to be done in this episode.  A lot of the action felt squished together a bit much, and Slash and Newtralizer deserved more time to have their story and partnership fleshed out.  (It’s likely, though, that it was done this way in order to show both mutants before they disappear for like half a season or so.)  There was also a problem with Slash saying he works better alone.  Clearly he doesn’t, because he’s now been captured by the Kraang twice while working alone.  He could use some help from his family.

Overall, it was a good episode.  It felt a little rushed and forced at times (and Casey’s part could have been left out, without losing anything from the story), but it was still good to see growth for some unexpected characters, especially with the season finale fast approaching.  Here’s hoping Slash is back to help his brothers again soon, because with Tiger Claw and the Shredder still out there, they’ll need all the help they can get.

Rating: 7.5/10

Newtralized! 3

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TMNT – “The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman” Review

by Zach Gasior
written by Zach Gasior

The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman 2

“I finally made it: Retro-mutagen…” – Donatello

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman” Review

Master Shredder is less than pleased with Baxter Stockman’s progress on his mutant army.  After one failure too many, Shredder keeps his word, and blows up the mutagen vials attached to Stockman’s collar, causing the man to transform into a half-human, half-fly monstrosity and escape into the city.  Meanwhile, Donatello seems to have finally created a retro-mutagen, with enough for Kirby O’Neil and Master Splinter. The boys head out to find Wingnut, but before they can administer the antidote, Baxter the Fly surprises them.  The retro-mutagen canister breaks, Stockman captures April, and the turtles are forced to use the remainder of the antidote as a bargaining chip for her safety.

Donatello, Leonardo, and Casey Jones head off to save April, but Stockman is finally a match for them.  They aren’t able to keep April from taking a mutagen bath, but fortunately her immunity foils Stockman’s plan.  Meanwhile, Raphael and Michelangelogo bat hunting, and have Kirby in their sights.  Leo and the others fight free of Stockman, Rahzar, and the Foot bots to rendezvous.  As Donnie is about to administer the retro-mutagen, Stockman steals the vial again, forcing the boys to give chase.

An aerial battle ensues, with the turtles, Stockman, the Foot bots, and Wingnut all vying for the canister of retro-mutagen.  As the antidote changes hands, it appears that Stockman will end up with the prize, but he too drops it, and the canister breaks.  The last of the retro-mutagen drips to the ground, when April forces her dad underneath the ooze, splashing him with the very last drop.  Everyone looks on as Wingnut is transformed back into Kirby O’Neil, and April is reunited with her father.  Baxter the Fly, however, is not so lucky, and he finds himself Shredder’s underling once again.

This was yet another episode that surprised fans with an unseen twist.  While those who watched the 1987 show were familiar with just what Baxter Stockman would turn into, there was no hint given that this would also be the episode where Donatello perfected the retro-mutagen and saved Kirby.  That little bit was a surprise to everyone.  Which made the episode significantly more compelling than it would have been otherwise.  However, there may have been a bit of a disservice done to Baxter.  He mutated, and clearly gained some ability from it (even if his looks were nothing to be desired).  So perhaps there could have been more of a focus on his mutation, and less on the other parts of the story.  Stockman’s been kicked around from day one, and giving him some redemption would have still made it a worthwhile episode, even if that meant putting off the Kirby resolution until later.

The question that will now have to be answered is where does the mutagen quest go from here?  The point of this season was finding a way to turn Kirby back into a human.  Now that that’s been resolved, there are still ten episodes to fill with something related to the overall plot of the season.  Obviously, Shredder has something up his sleeve (and Stockman mentioned three classic mutants in Rocksteady, Bebop, and Ace Duck).  But how that creates the stakes necessary to drive the show into season three and beyond remains to be seen.  However, the writers for this incarnation have been spot on with almost everything in 42 episodes.  So there’s likely nothing to worry about.

This episode was a good indication that the show is coming to its final stretch for the season.  With summer (and likely another hiatus) just over the horizon, the show is starting to wrap up some of its story so it can build toward the coming weeks.  Only time will tell what’s still in store for the turtles and their friends, but whatever it is, it’s sure to be trouble for the whole world.  Here’s hoping the heroes in green can stop whatever comes their way and keep everyone they care about safe and sound.

Rating: 8/10

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TMNT – “Mazes and Mutants” Review

by Zach Gasior
written by Zach Gasior

Ninja Turtles Mazes and Mutants 2

“Hear ye, hear ye.  We have seen the future, and it is LARP.” – Michelangelo

 

Enjoying their recent victories, the turtles are taking a break to play a tabletop RPGcalled Mazes and Mutants.  However, Master Splinteris skeptical of their attitude, and senses that something is amiss.  All the while, a mysterious figure watches the boys from the shadows.  To make the game more exciting, Michelangeloand Leonardosuggest finishing their quest through LARP (live-action role play) in the sewer system.  The course will be complete with traps and clues that will lead to victory.

           

With victory over the “troll” they encounter, the boys find their first clue.  But it’s not the one that Leo set up.  Someone has tampered with their game, and right on cue, a mysterious fog rolls in, transforming the sewers into a real dungeon – with real traps.  The new game master – a mutant sparrow name Sir Malachi – reveals the nature of the new quest to the heroes, and if they want to save April, they will play his game.  The turtles easily overcome monkey goblins and a fire pit, but when Raphaelgets angry at their mutant host, the sparrow man uses his magic to change the hot-headed turtle into a turkey.

           

Angrier than ever, the boys stumble across a secret passage that leads right to April, who is being guarded by a dragon that looks like Leatherhead.  The turtles take on their crocodile friend, but slowly the truth of the whole game dawns on Leonardo.  Everything they see is being created in their minds, and taking control of their own thoughts will break them free.  By believing that none of it’s real, the turtles escape Malachi’s game and find themselves safe and sound in the sewer again.  There, the game master reveals his unfortunate mutation story (a gamer feeding the sparrows when mutagen fell from the sky), and that he just wanted someone to play a game with.  Having reconciled, Sir Malachi disappears back into the shadows, now a friend to the mutant brothers.

           

Despite the growing mainstream acceptance of geek and nerd culture, there are still some aspects that are looked down on by society.  LARP is one of those, unfortunately.  It’s really just another way to have lots of fun, living out fantasies that nearly all boys and girls had at one point or another in their lives.  So to see the story in this episode not only revolve around it, but treat it with respect and dignity (yet still lighthearted fun) was refreshing and enjoyable.  The humor allowed TMNT fans that aren’t into role-playing to stay engaged, while the proper treatment of the subject matter invited those who do enjoy a good quest to come along for the adventure.

           

Sir Malachi raises a very interesting question about the mutations that the audience has seen so far, and those yet to come.  Because of Kraangexperimentation, April has some psychic abilities.  Similarly, accident has given the Rat Kingmental control over rats.  But for the most part, mutation has only caused physical changes and abilities.  There have been no signs of mental prowess beyond that of more fully developed cerebral cortexes in animals.  So how was Sir Malachi able to enter and influence the turtles’ minds?  Do some (or maybe all) mutants actually possess psychic abilities on top of their enhanced physical features?  Could there be other mutants in the future that are able to psychically harm the heroes?  And will actual magic ever come into play in this incarnation, as it has in those past?  Only time will tell if these elements are worth exploring to the writers.  Fortunately, there are at least two more seasons to do just that.

           

It was great to see that after the fantastic “Wormquake”two-parter that the series is back, stronger than ever.  Even though these hiatuses are really killing any momentum for shows, fun episodes like this make sure that it can pick right back up, in full swing from minute one.  Hopefully more quirky and enjoyable episodes like this make up the second half of Season Two.

 

Rating: 9/10

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