Jett Thoughts: Michael Bay and Turtle Power

Jett Thoughts: Michael Bay and Turtle Power

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Sigh. Having been a fan of the relaunch of the newest Turtles comic book, I find this news disappointing.

I take the fact that the Turtles have been around for years, and they have always been updating the movies, TV shows, the comics, and more. So bringing in a new take on the Turtles is just fine with me, the series and concept have been shown to roll with those changes and keep going.

The fact is that they have stuck to the core concepts in each iteration:

They are Teenage.
They are Mutants.
They are Ninja.
And they are Turtles.

The whole concept is in the title, and you have the freedom to do whatever you want with that as long as you stick with that concept. So if they are aliens, like how Michael Bay wants to take them, then that is stretching the property pretty far in my opinion. I can kinda sorta see them being mutant alien things, thus sticking with the idea that they are mutants, but why go there? who would really go for mutants from another planet that happen to be turtles?

Having just read Tales From Development Hell by David Hughes, I understand a little bit more about how a script travels through Hollywood. Producers and Actors all pouring in what ideas they want for the script, directors and executives and higher ups all doing the same. The idea that they are aliens reeks of an idea that someone who doesn't understand the core concept of the characters and what to do with them.

The fact that Kevin Eastman is saying it is all good doesn't really surprise me as much. This is a guy who has seen his creations being taken to extremes I bet he didn't want them to go to, and he still loves them for it. I don't think he is doing it to see dollar signs, I just think he is doing it because he loves seeing how people react and he, just like any creator, loves seeing an idea that they had come to life and entertain and inspire people.

So, like any Bay movie, I look forward to it being pretty on the screen, but I can't for the life of me hope that it has a good story to it. But at least I will have other Turtle stories to pay attention that will mean more, like the current Turtle comic book.