Michael Bay ruins Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
"i dont like michael bay movies so no one else should either! wah wah wah!"

It's pretty obvious that as far as critics are concerned, MB movies are going down hill. 2 out of the last 3 awards he's won have been for "Obviously Worst Film". He's also won worst director and worst picture once, and been nominated again for both a second time. Seems like he made more critically accepted films earlier on in his career.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
I also take viewer ratings more serious than critics ratings, at least in terms of "should I give this a chance or not". So far, 65% of the people who saw this and decided to vote liked it (which is probably closer to 70%, when you account people are more likely to go and review something after a bad experience than a good one), which means I will see it.

Not sure why you're ignoring that I'm a viewer, and I thought it was bad. :p Honestly, I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. As I mentioned in my post, I think the trailers are a huge reason for that as you'll probably note that any decent scene from the movie was shown in the trailers. As I also noted, the trailers spoiled any sort of mystery about the movie.

My favorite part about the movie was probably the pun at the end where
Michelangelo tells April that he has a song for her, and he starts singing So Happy Together. I chuckled to myself, and said, "Hah... that's funny because he's a turtle singing a song by The Turtles."
:p
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
To me movie critics are like food critics... both are utterly useless. The only metric I sort of pay attention to are the audience ratings, but only so much. I am pretty picky about my movies, same with games and food. I know what I like and rarely end up buying something I regret. So I'm going to see TMNT because I really enjoyed the cartoons and movies as a kid.
 

TheUnk

Golden Member
Jun 24, 2005
1,810
0
71
I had my 8yo son pick which movie he wanted to see most this weekend...Guardians, Apes, or Turtles...and he chose Turtles :(

These reviews are scaring me! I'll have to do my best to talk him into one of the other two better choices!

Man if only my parents would have let 8yr old me have my pick of PG-13 movies I might be more awesome.

Watch Guardians.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,757
6,635
126
It's pretty obvious that as far as critics are concerned, MB movies are going down hill. 2 out of the last 3 awards he's won have been for "Obviously Worst Film". He's also won worst director and worst picture once, and been nominated again for both a second time. Seems like he made more critically accepted films earlier on in his career.

i'm glad i don't give a rats ass what people that hand out awards think, because many of the movies that are up for awards and ones that win awards aren't that entertaining to begin with. i watch movies to be entertained and nothing more. i don't watch them to pick them apart and dissect them. many of michael bay's movies are entertaining as shit.

(waits for all the "oh you like michael bay films so your taste in movies doesnt count" replies, even though i enjoy many other types of movies as well)
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,757
6,635
126
To me movie critics are like food critics... both are utterly useless. The only metric I sort of pay attention to are the audience ratings, but only so much. I am pretty picky about my movies, same with games and food. I know what I like and rarely end up buying something I regret. So I'm going to see TMNT because I really enjoyed the cartoons and movies as a kid.

i bought the tmnt trilogy on bluray about a year ago, and part 1 STILL holds up to this day as a VERY solid movie. it's still extremely badass and awesome. part 2 was pretty lol and childish to me now, and i will even admit, that i liked part 3 now more than part 2. i hated part 3 back in the day, but i actually enjoyed it quite a bit when i watched it within the past year, more-so than 2. i never realized how much part 2 was geared towards children until i watched it again recently. i think my major gripe about part 3 back in the day was the main villian.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
Not sure why you're ignoring that I'm a viewer, and I thought it was bad. :p Honestly, I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. As I mentioned in my post, I think the trailers are a huge reason for that as you'll probably note that any decent scene from the movie was shown in the trailers. As I also noted, the trailers spoiled any sort of mystery about the movie.

My favorite part about the movie was probably the pun at the end where
Michelangelo tells April that he has a song for her, and he starts singing So Happy Together. I chuckled to myself, and said, "Hah... that's funny because he's a turtle singing a song by The Turtles."
:p

You're one viewer though. And, since you didn't enjoy the film (and the lack of mystery, as if it was supposed to contain such), you are in the category of "more likely to bitch about it on the internet". And, you're obviously in the minority. RT has it at 65% liked.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
i'm glad i don't give a rats ass what people that hand out awards think, because many of the movies that are up for awards and ones that win awards aren't that entertaining to begin with. i watch movies to be entertained and nothing more. i don't watch them to pick them apart and dissect them. many of michael bay's movies are entertaining as shit.

(waits for all the "oh you like michael bay films so your taste in movies doesnt count" replies, even though i enjoy many other types of movies as well)

Generally speaking, I like MB films, too. I think when you go see a MB film, one needs to keep in mind that now a days it's tends to be just a fire work show, with some dialogue thrown in there so it's not mistaken for a 4th of July spectacle.

At least Armageddon was a good movie with action and some kind of emotional connection between viewers and actors. Didn't get great critical reviews, but I think most people liked it. Now you get Transformers with 18% critical acclaim, yet makes over $100M. Clearly, the critics are forgetting that MB movies now lack substance and are purely for entertainment. Which is all fine and dandy, just have to keep that in mind, that's all.

Idk maybe Im out growing action films as I get older. I tend to like movies where I can attempt to develop some kind of feeling and empathy for a character.

For what it's worth, I loved Pain and Gain, even though that got crappy reviews, too. Mainly because Dwayne Johnson was awesome, and not because it was some masterpiece...but MB directed well I think.
 
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Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
i bought the tmnt trilogy on bluray about a year ago, and part 1 STILL holds up to this day as a VERY solid movie. it's still extremely badass and awesome. part 2 was pretty lol and childish to me now, and i will even admit, that i liked part 3 now more than part 2. i hated part 3 back in the day, but i actually enjoyed it quite a bit when i watched it within the past year, more-so than 2. i never realized how much part 2 was geared towards children until i watched it again recently. i think my major gripe about part 3 back in the day was the main villian.

The first movie was and still is awesome, definitely. It was the most serious movie, which is what I think keeps it as the best of the bunch. The 2nd was definitely more geared towards children, but I can still happily watch it today if I randomly saw it on TV or something. The third one I enjoyed as a kid, but now I just don't like it, time travel movies are always full of too many plot holes, and I liked their escapades in the city (and pizza!), which was not in the 3rd film.
 

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
14,011
3,400
146
(waits for all the "oh you like michael bay films so your taste in movies doesnt count" replies, even though i enjoy many other types of movies as well)

I hate michael bay movies because of his shooting. Every scene is on crack and he can't let a take go for more than 5 seconds. Still love "The Rock" though.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
Generally speaking, I like MB films, too...

For what it's worth, I loved Pain and Gain, even though that got crappy reviews, too. Mainly because Dwayne Johnson was awesome, and not because it was some masterpiece...but MB directed well I think.

I am actually the opposite. I generally dislike MB films (I didn't like any of the Transformers, and only saw 4 in theaters because I like Marky Mark) and I hated Pain and Gain. But, that is probably because I knew the real story behind it, and just how not funny the subject really was. I mean, it is about a group of guys that kidnap, extort, and try to kill (and succeed in two cases) three people. All because they don't want to work a real job. Plus, the entire police inactivity is incredibly mind boggling. They wouldn't even investigate the first crime because the victim was from Columbia, and being in Florida in the cocaine days, they just assumed he was in some kind of drug related activity and "deserved" it.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,757
6,635
126
Generally speaking, I like MB films, too. I think when you go see a MB film, one needs to keep in mind that now a days it's tends to be just a fire work show, with some dialogue thrown in there so it's not mistaken for a 4th of July spectacle.

At least Armageddon was a good movie with action and some kind of emotional connection between viewers and actors. Didn't get great critical reviews, but I think most people liked it. Now you get Transformers with 18% critical acclaim, yet makes over $100M. Clearly, the critics are forgetting that MB movies now lack substance and are purely for entertainment. Which is all fine and dandy, just have to keep that in mind, that's all.

Idk maybe Im out growing action films as I get older. I tend to like movies where I can attempt to develop some kind of feeling and empathy for a character.

For what it's worth, I loved Pain and Gain, even though that got crappy reviews, too. Mainly because Dwayne Johnson was awesome, and not because it was some masterpiece...but MB directed well I think.

i like those movies too. i know this probably comes as a surprise to many people on the internet (not saying you specifically though), but it's okay to like more than 1 type of flick. so tired of this "us or them" mentality that 99.9999% of the internet seems to have now a days.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,994
31,557
146
If you didn't have fun watching "The Rock" then you have no humor at all. That was entertainment and not just mindless action.

The Rock was a loooong time ago, I was a young, dumb(er) male, and I was more susceptible to such fare in those days. Plus, I saw everything in the theater, because everything was free (buddy was a projectionist for several years in HS), and it was just useless to complain about free, mindless anything :p

Difference is, I can't watch something like The Rock, or Conair, today, at all. From the same time period, I can watch something like True Lies, and still enjoy it. Ditto the Lethal Weapon films--even the later ones. All of those fall in the same category of mindless entertainment. But the difference is--there is a very true, very visceral dumbness to everything that Bay touches. I find it insulting, really. It's as if he can't make a simple entertaining movie without outright hating his audience.
 

Sonikku

Lifer
Jun 23, 2005
15,915
4,959
136
The first movie was and still is awesome, definitely. It was the most serious movie, which is what I think keeps it as the best of the bunch. The 2nd was definitely more geared towards children, but I can still happily watch it today if I randomly saw it on TV or something. The third one I enjoyed as a kid, but now I just don't like it, time travel movies are always full of too many plot holes, and I liked their escapades in the city (and pizza!), which was not in the 3rd film.

I really liked the first turtles film when I was a child. Fast forward twenty years, I like it even more. The critics gave it a 40% rotten rating on Tomatoes, but that is just plain harsh. They saw it purely as a quick cash grab with nothing else to offer. I in contrast saw some powerful themes of family, and love. You don't see many children's movies like that any more. :(
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
I don't care that it has a bad rateing. i will go see it anyway!

I love the TMNT comics (old black and white ones). the Archie brand ones were ok.

The movies were ok. though I would love to see a series off the old black and white comics.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
you are in the category of "more likely to bitch about it on the internet".

Honestly... how often do you see me bitch about movies? The only thing that I bitch about on a consistent basis are the drivers in my area! :p I'm actually the complete opposite, as I'm more likely to not talk about a movie for the sheer embarrassment of people knowing that I'd throw my money at garbage.

It sounds to me more like you're in denial, and just want this movie to be good. I was just like most of you before last night -- I wanted to see it because it's Ninja flippin' Turtles!! Cowabunga, dudes!
 

Schmide

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2002
5,788
1,093
126
Michael Bay is just an effects firm looking for a story to exploit. This is his downfall. While in most good films the story defines the effects (helps the story), he seems to be stuck writing the story to the effects. (story enables effects)
 

AznAnarchy99

Lifer
Dec 6, 2004
14,695
117
106
The Rock was a loooong time ago, I was a young, dumb(er) male, and I was more susceptible to such fare in those days. Plus, I saw everything in the theater, because everything was free (buddy was a projectionist for several years in HS), and it was just useless to complain about free, mindless anything :p

Difference is, I can't watch something like The Rock, or Conair, today, at all. From the same time period, I can watch something like True Lies, and still enjoy it. Ditto the Lethal Weapon films--even the later ones. All of those fall in the same category of mindless entertainment. But the difference is--there is a very true, very visceral dumbness to everything that Bay touches. I find it insulting, really. It's as if he can't make a simple entertaining movie without outright hating his audience.

The Rock and ConAir holds up over time much better than True Lies.

and there's also Bad Boys. NOW THAT'S HOW YOU DRIVE. FROM NOW ON THAT'S HOW YOU DRIVE!
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,757
6,635
126
welp just got my tickets for it tonight, i'll report back later! fandango has buy 1 get 1 free so if it sucks, i only spent 1 ticket price on it!
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,994
31,557
146
The Rock and ConAir holds up over time much better than True Lies.

and there's also Bad Boys. NOW THAT'S HOW YOU DRIVE. FROM NOW ON THAT'S HOW YOU DRIVE!

Rock/Conair/all Michael Bay films are basically this: strings of long, panning shots around people with "serious faces" talking about nothing important. ThIngs explode in the middle.

True Lies had a cheesy 80s soul to it. It knew what it was. It also had Bill Paxton. I shouldn't have to explain more beyond that.
 

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
This movie has been a solid pass for me ever since it was announced. Definitely a eye patch movie.