While TMNT is the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles project to take advantage of CGI animation, the movie stakes out no new ground for the highly profitable franchise. A certified phenomenon in publishing, toy manufacturing and TV cartoons - along with three live-action features in the early '90s - the green fighting machines' return to movies is a tad too conservative and calculated. CGI delivers best on moody sets and a noirish atmosphere achieved by lighting, backgrounds and visual effects. But the characters look like plastic dolls, and the story is recycled sci-fi. The film will satisfy youngsters and newcomers but might divide older fans.

• Accès à la publication

Whereas most toons take years to produce, Hong Kong-animated TMNT was rushed through the pipeline in just 28 months. The turtles themselves look great, with perceptible design differences among them beyond their face-mask colors and weapon selections, and the nocturnal Gotham environments impress. But the human characters - namely April, sidekick Casey Jones (Chris Evans) and villain Maximillian Winters (Patrick Stewart) - disappoint, their mouths matching their dialogue with all the accuracy of a sock puppet. Considering the inevitable sequels (bolstered by none-too-subtle references to "further business" involving "familiar faces from your past"), it's a shame that TMNT manages only two virtuoso scenes. But the rest feels little more than obligatory, with Munroe's script denying fans the satisfaction of a decent story or amusing interactions. Rather than waiting for a screenplay that warranted their bigscreen return, TMNT feels like an attempt to exploit the phenomenon further.

• Accès à la publication

In fact, TMNT works best when Munroe moves away from his plot and simply focuses on the Turtles' sibling rivalry. So many films geared toward young people wield a cynical, achingly hip attitude, fearful of exposing any real emotion, but TMNT possesses a remarkably kind spirit. Despite the action sequences and violence, Munroe's feature-length debut shows no blood or even anyone dying. The movie's sweetness - and its heartfelt paean to family - is its secret weapon, and Turtle actors Taylor and North both give strong performances, creating empathetic characters without dipping into sappiness. Unfortunately, TMNT knows its core audience will be young boys, and the movie caters to them too easily, shoving obnoxious heavy metal onto the soundtrack and filling the screenplay with many awkwardly "cool" lines which hit the ground with a thud. Additionally, pacing and plotting prove to be constant liabilities. At less than 90 minutes, including lengthy credits, the movie takes an inordinate amount of time setting up the villains' motives, as well as reuniting the Turtles, who before the film begins have drifted apart. Later, Munroe strands our heroes in a story that's needlessly convoluted, leading to an overblown battle-scene finale that barely makes any sense.

• Accès à la publication