TMNT
A slow revival: strong animation, thin humor, and Eastern religious overtones.
Should You Watch It?
The computer-generated animation is very good, and the movie lifts up teamwork, loyalty, honor, and standing up to injustice. It also contains no foul language, no drinking, no smoking, and no sexual immorality beyond one kiss.
But those strengths do not overcome the film’s problems. The turtles look simplistic beside the complex human beings and monsters. The wise-cracking teenage humor is missing for much of the movie. Too much time goes into explaining who these characters are, leaving the story slow, plodding, talky, and crowded with storylines that never fully come together.
The Eastern religious underpinnings also call for discernment, especially for younger viewers and teenagers who may not understand their implications. For your family, the practical answer is to skip this uneven revival.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESLeonardo has left New York on a sabbatical under the orders of his sensei, Splinter, the giant rat. In a South American jungle, he reconnects with April, who is searching for gigantic stone statues for the wealthy Maximilian Winters.
An ancient alignment of the stars has connected Winters and his generals to monsters from another universe. Leonardo returns to New York, reunites with his three brothers, and prepares the ninja team for a battle that could restore the stone generals.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means there is real craft here, but not enough storytelling strength to make the movie succeed. The CG animation is terrific, with complex computer-animated human beings and monsters.
The problems are mostly structural and tonal. The turtles look very simplistic by comparison, the humor of the wise-cracking teenagers disappears for too much of the movie, and the setup slows the story. The movie contains several potential storylines without bringing them together into a cohesive plot with a single premise. It begins to take off about two-thirds of the way through, but by then the slow pacing has already tested the viewer’s patience.
The Worldview
The movie celebrates teamwork, loyalty, honor, and standing up to injustice. It also seems to oppose vigilantism, although the teenage mutant ninja turtles themselves appear to operate as vigilantes. Those moral values give the film something worthwhile to affirm.
The story’s underpinnings, however, display overtones of Eastern religion. The ninja culture includes false religious elements, and the plot involves an alignment of the stars, immortality, and vague references to calming oneself. The film plays these elements down and does not ask viewers to embrace a particular answer, but it seems content to go along with them. A biblical answer to spiritual confusion is not astrology or Shintoism but Jesus Christ.
The central question is where people should look for meaning and direction. Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Romantic pagan worldview with Shinto overtones where the sensei master of the four mutant ninjas has them kneel in obeisance before candles but no real references to Eastern religion other than vague talk of calming oneself, talks of immortality being gained through alignment of the stars 3,000 years ago, combined with some moral values extolling teamwork, loyalty, honor, and standing up to injustice; no foul language; lots of ninja violence and scary creatures but no blood; no sexual immorality but one kiss at the end; no nudity; no drinking; no smoking; and, nothing else objectionable.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The movie praises teamwork, loyalty, and honor. Which of these virtues is hardest to practice, and how can your family encourage one another in it?
Philippians 2:3–4 · Ecclesiastes 4:9–10The turtles may oppose injustice while also looking like vigilantes. What is the difference between seeking justice and taking revenge into your own hands?
Micah 6:8 · Romans 12:19The story includes astrology and Eastern religious overtones. Where should Christians look for wisdom and guidance instead?
Deuteronomy 18:10–12 · James 1:5The Final Word
TMNT has terrific animation and some worthwhile moral values, but its thin humor, slow setup, scattered story, and Eastern religious overtones keep it from coming together. For a stronger family movie night, choose from these alternatives. The answer is SKIP IT.
