The Turtles Come To Greenwich

If you're wondering what to do with the kids this weekend, (especially that schools have broken for Easter), then bundle them all up and take them to the movies. The Odeon at Bugsby Way is now showing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT).

Whimsy ChiChi had missed out on growing up with these turtles. The only turtle I can recall was a sorry one in my parents' backyard that not only lived a slow dull life but equally slowly and unnoticed faded into obscurity. Not these green super-hero turtles. They fight, they play, and they crack jokes. End of the movie you might (I said might) forget that they're JUST turtles.

Whimsy ChiChi's junior loved it (it helps that he's already a TMNT buff with all their charactes and gadgets which we had to haul all the way to the movies). He was mesmerized by the sound and the special effects. The dialogue is easy to follow and I spotted a few kids as young as three. There are no wildly frightening sounds or visuals (even the bad guys are toned down compared to what kids' shows have these days). There is no blood and gory scenes (Some of the older kids seemed disappointed and cracked a joke or two about the turtles being pansies). But what visuals that are presented are done well and big. The music is quite catchy as well. The effects are more of a PlayStation sort of way.

What is the story about? Well after the defeat of their old arch nemesis, The Shredder, the Turtles have grown apart as a family. Struggling to keep them together, their rat Sensei, Master Splinter, becomes worried when strange things begin to brew in New York City. Tech-industrialist Max Winters is amassing an army of ancient monsters to apparently take over the world. And only one super-ninja fighting team can stop them-those heroes in a half shell-Leonardo (James Arnold Taylor), Michelangelo (Mikey Kelley), Donatello (Mitchelle Whitfield) and Raphael (Nolan North)! With the help of old allies April O'Neil and Casey Jones, the Turtles are in for the fight of their lives as they once again must face the mysterious Foot Clan, who have put their own ninja skills behind Winters' endeavors.

Voices are provided by Chris Evans (Casey Jones), Sarah Michelle Gellar (April O'Neil), Patrick Stewart (Max Winters) and Ziyi Zhang (Karai). It is also the last film by Mako Iwamatsu (Master Splinter). Check out their official website here for more info.

Filmline:
0871 22 44 007
Address:
Odeon Greenwich

Bugsby Way

London SE10 0QJ