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HTF HD-DVD Review: TMNT (1 Viewer)

PatWahlquist

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TMNT (HD-DVD)

Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: PG (Animated action violence, some scary cartoon images and mild language)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
HD Encoding: 1080p
HD Video Codec: VC-1
Audio:Dolby True HD: English 5.1; Dolby Digital Plus: English 5.1, French 5.1 (Dubbed in Quebec) and Spanish 5.1
Subtitles: English; Spanish; French
Time: 87 minutes
Disc Format: HD-DVD/ DVD combo disc
Case Style: Keep case
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
HD-DVD Release Date: August 7, 2007


I remember many years ago, not too long after I got heavily into comic books, and I was just learning who Frank Miller and Dave Sim were, a comic called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) came out. It completely missed my radar as I was too concerned with the various titles with X or Spider in them to really care. After about a month, the Comic Buyers Guide began posting how TMNT was now the hottest thing around and first printings of the first issue were going for $50-$100. Never being too shy to jump on a bandwagon, young creators began churning out the rip-offs: Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters and Pre-Teen Dirty Gene Kung Fu Kangaroos come to mind. Eventually, First Comics struck a deal with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the creators of TMNT, to reprint the issues in collected, color editions, so I finally got to read them. After the hype that surrounded them, I really didn’t see what all the fuss was about. Many years later, I began reading Miller’s Daredevil issues and his Ronin series, and Dave Sim’s Cerebus and my appreciation of the parody came into focus.

Eastman and Laird had successfully parodied the industry, made a few bucks and Hollywood came sniffing around. Cartoons, live action movies, and every other consumer good you can think of soon bore the images of the four turtles, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo, and remained very successful for many years. With all good fads, the turtles run petered out (both in comics and other media) until now, where we are presented with an updated CG version. In this version, we seem to have continued where previous movie continuity left off: the turtle’s main enemy, The Shredder, has been destroyed and each turtle has gone off to pursue new lives. The turtle’s reporter friend April (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds Leonardo (James Arnold Taylor) training in South America, while Raphael (Nolan North) chases crooks as a vigilante, and Michelangelo (Mikey Kelly) and Donatello (Mitchell Whitfield) make ends meet in other boring side jobs. Wealthy businessman Max Winters (Patrick Stewart) is using The Shredder’s clan, The Foot, to track some monsters that are attacking the city and he has resurrected some stone soldiers to aid in their capture. Winters is doing this so he can apparently achieve immortality (or not) and rule the world. The opening throws a lot at you and makes some left turns that left me scratching my head as I was trying to put it all together, so the kiddies may be left doing the same thing. While this is going on, there is family drama between Raph and Leo, and their aged master, Splinter (Mako) must convince his sons how the value of family and team work will help to stop the end of the world.

In this dizzying update of the franchise, writer/ director Kevin Munroe seems to really want to design video games. Almost every shot in the movie pans out, pushes in, or highlights the action in sweeping moves. This style reminded me very much of most any video game you see these days where our hero performs death defying moves to save the day while the camera follows him. While I may not “get” this form of storytelling for the Gen X-box crowd, my friends kids ate it up. In the end, those of us who are TMNT traditionalists still have our trusty comics to read while our kids can watch this one. Some of the scenes are amazing in their composition and execution and it shows how far CG is coming.


Video:
Note: I am watching this title using a Marantz VP 12-S4 DLP projector, which has a native resolution of 720p. I am using a Toshiba HD-A1 for a player and utilizing the HDMI capabilities of both units.

The picture is in VC-1, encoded at 1080p and it is framed at 2.40:1. The CG picture is excellent, but there were minor instances of banding. Detail on the turtles is exceptional stretching the limits of the animators rendering software. ILM used similar techniques in Episode III on Yoda to achieve a more realistic look to the “skin”, and the same goes for the turtles. The human characters look good at best, maintaining more of a Legend of Zelda look as opposed to realistic rendering. There is a very specific color palate to the picture, so what is here is purposely muted to maintain consistency. Depth of field was very evident in the video presentation, achieving that near 3-D look at times. Black levels are good, with deep shadows and good delineation. The rooftop fight scene between Raphael and Leonardo is amazing, especially the water reactions as the turtles jump and land and the reflections of the neon only enhance the experience. Upon close inspection of the picture, it appears to be a little soft, especially in the background items, but I believe this was the intent of the animators to give it a film-like appearance.


Audio:
The Dolby True HD soundtrack was attained by a 5.1 analog connection.

I watched the movie with the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track engaged. This TrueHD track has a very immersive soundstage with the surrounds being utilized constantly. There is richness to the soundtrack that envelops the listener and places them in the middle of the action. Highs and mids are well represented and accurate. Bass effects were full and deep, blending nicely into the rest of the mix. Vocal elements are natural sounding and smooth. Since there is so much action in this flick, I was concerned there may be some stumbles in the panning effects, but there were none. You can trace the on screen action with the visuals, again, adding to the overall enjoyment of the movie. This is an incredible surround experience.


Bonus Material:
With the advent of HD-DVD, we are faced with several different audio and video codecs being used on each disc. Due to this, I have begun adding the encoding details as part of the explanation of bonus features when applicable and relevant. For this release, the extras are in MPEG-2, 480p unless otherwise noted.

Commentary by writer/director Kevin Munroe: Munroe spends most of his time talking about the CG process involved in making the movie.

Munroe goes on to narrate all of the following bonus materials:
Mikey’s birthday party full sequence (3:16)

Raphael’s Rough House Fight Test (1:41): early CG test footage the producers showed to the studios to sell the project and see how the characters would work.

Monsters Come Alive (2:50): a storyboard sequence with live CGI comparison where Casey and Raphael battle the Stone General.

Donny’s Digital Data Files (1:57): Producer Paul Wang and Munroe talk about the technological challenges of the project, specifically the detail in the characters skin.

Roof Top Workout (5:35): A cut scene while the storyboards play.

Still Wanna Fight? Temp/Scratch Test (3:11):The expanded Casey and April apartment scene lends a little more weight to their relationship.

Alternate Opening (3:03): Splinter tells the story of where the turtles have been since the last movie in this color storyboard to finished CGI sequence.

Alternate Ending Temp/Scratch Test (1:17): Some extra story material that took away from the turtles, but included some Casey and April expansion.

Additional Scene: Splinter Gets Cake: (2:09) Mikey sneaks cake to Splinter in this grey scale pre-viz.

Interviews with Voice Talent Patrick Stewart, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laurence Fishburne and Filmakers (5:04): The voice actors and Munroe explain the plot and characters. It’s kind of funny to hear these actors try and put some legitimacy to TMNT.

Trailer: TMNT Internet Reel (3:52)


Conclusions:
TMNT returns to the screen in an updated version sure to thrill the kids for the video game-like visuals and attitudes of the four turtle brothers. The HT enthusiast parents of these young viewers will enjoy the incredible HD video and audio presentation. Unfortunately we are left with a ho-hum set of extras.
 

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