Aug 5, 2020

Seth Rogen's TMNT: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Seth Rogen, yes THAT Seth Rogen, is making a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? That is the question:

Can Rogen make a better TMNT than the previous Michael Bay produced movies?
Yes.
Am I afraid of Seth Rogen focusing WAY TOO MUCH the TEENAGE aspect of TMNT and turn it into a stoner comedy?
Yes.

I get that many movies don't touch the Teenage aspect, because they are Teen Soldiers in Splinter's revenge quest. Raised as ninja, the Turtles wouldn't be ordinary teens. In fact, their behavior would be  closer to a Japanese family than American teens. Splinter lived with the Hamatos (or was a Hamato depending on continuity) so they would be different to the type of teenagers Rogen is thinking about...
But he has a point. THEY ARE TEENS and they probably had access to American Media, being raised under New York. So, the dichotomy between Splinter's Child soldiers and "normal American teens" would be an interesting way to look at the TMNT...  it could bring a new layer to the character dynamics.

Leo is content with being Splinter's Child soldier because he's good at it. Meanwhile, Raph, who is also good at being a Child soldier, yearns for the freedom they've observed from the sewers. This causes them to butt heads with each other, and then add the sibling rivalry angle. Mikey would be Seth Rogen turtleized. You know, mr. Chill, laid back dude. Donnie, well, his freedom lies in technology.

What I'm trying to say is that Rogen needs someone to keep him in check, to stop him from going Full Rogen.
A somewhat subdued Rogen and a team of people who UNDERSTAND TMNT and we could have a great movie.

I really hope this doesn't suck...

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