A lot of Ninja Turtles fans were surprised by what they saw in the new trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. I had a funny feeling that this movie would turn out impressive, but most fans were cautiously optimistic at best. Thankfully, when the trailer finally dropped, there were more smiles than sour faces thanks to more than a few surprises. Let’s take a look at some of the most surprising moments in the trailer.
1. Same Name as the Game
Despite early rumors that the subtitle for this sequel would be “Half-Shell” and later reports that the movie would simply be called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, the filmmakers decided to call the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. This is an interesting choice for a title, because it has already been used for a TMNT video game that was released a few years ago. I doubt anyone is going to be truly bothered by this, but it is worth noting that this isn’t exactly the most unique title that Paramount could have chosen.
2. Pieces of the Technodrome
As we discussed in a previous article, the trailer also featured some alien vehicles flying throughout New York City. Fans have speculated that this may be the Technodrome, but nobody knows for sure except the filmmakers and those who worked on the movie. Due to the magic of Non-Disclosure Agreements, chances are that we won’t know the truth until the movie is released on June 3rd, 2016. Either way, it’s nice to know that they may be implementing some serious technology from Dimension X!
3. Bright and Colorful Turtles
One of the biggest differences that fans have noted is how bright and colorful the turtles look in this sequel. When compared to the first movie, the Ninja Turtles look much more vivid in this trailer for Out of the Shadows. In fact, some fans were even saying that they “look more like the cartoon,” which is exactly what many shellheads wanted to see in a TMNT movie. Here’s hoping this wasn’t just a treatment for the trailer, because that has been known to happen in the past.
4. Bebop and Rocksteady in Action
We finally got our first look at the classic villains Bebop and Rocksteady, both as their mutated counterparts and the original thugs who took part in Shredder’s experiments. In both cases, they look almost exactly like they did in the cartoon, which is definitely a good thing. After all, these villains were a creation of the original animated series, so they better look similar to those character designs. While some fans weren’t impressed, most shellheads were happy to see that they got these character designs just right.
5. The Party Van is Back
I don’t know about you, but when that party van/shellraiser showed up early in the trailer, I was immediately transported back to my childhood. I recall playing with some TMNT toys that shot manhole covers, and that’s exactly what I want to see out of the vehicles in this movie. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed when I saw that manhole cover go flying at the Foot Soldier, and neither were many of the TMNT fans that watched the trailer. In fact, I heard several people say “I had that toy!” If you’re a long time fan of the franchise, that kind of fan service is definitely a joy to behold.
6. Foot Soldiers Are Ninjas
One of the major complaints about the first film was that the Foot Soldiers were all carrying guns and acting more like terrorists. In fact, they weren’t behaving like ninjas at all, and that was definitely out of character. When we finally get to see them fighting in this trailer, it becomes obvious that they’ve got swords and are actually performing some sort of choreography, which is nice to see. That’s right, the Foot Soldiers might actually be ninjas in Out of the Shadows!
7. Shredder Isn’t a Robot
Another major complaint about the first film was the fact that Shredder turned out to be more robot than man, with tons of little gizmos and gadgets allowing him to slice and dice his way to victory. While we still see some sort of technology on display in this trailer, we also get our first glimpse of Brian Tee as the Shredder. He wears much less armor and uses his blades for intimidation. Shredder is supposed to be performing martial arts, just like his Foot Soldiers, so it’s probably a good sign that he isn’t wearing some sort of overpowered suit in Out of the Shadows.
8. Half-Shell Humor Returns
While they cracked a few jokes in the first movie, one of the biggest issues fans took with the original film was the lack of time with the turtles. Since they were spending most of their time fighting, we didn’t get a chance to see them joke around or act like the goofy brothers we know them to be. Thankfully, in the trailer alone we see at least two or three funny moments from our half-shelled heroes, indicating that this movie will be a lot more entertaining than the last. Even Bebop notes it when he says “Y’all got jokes, huh?”
Shellheads Rejoice!
There are so many improvements on display in this trailer that it is difficult to deny how Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows appears to be light years better than its predecessor. I was hopeful when they mentioned that Dave Green would be directing. My hopes only rose higher when they announced that Bebop, Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman and Casey Jones would be in the film. I almost lost it when I heard the rumor that Krang might also be in the sequel. Now I’ve seen the first official trailer, and I only have one word to describe my feelings about the results: Sold.
What do you think? Were these moments shocking enough that they made you excited to check out the TMNT sequel? If so, let us know in the comments below, and share your biggest surprise with us!
This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen them use more than one actor to capture a character on film, as 
