Film Preview: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)

Page Revisions:

(January 10, 2016) Original
(May 8, 2016) New Trailers (#2 & #3) / New Posters (#3-#16)
(May 29, 2016) New Trailer (#4) / New Posters (#17-#18)

Release Date:

June 3, 2016

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “The Turtles return to save the city from a dangerous threat.”

Poster Rating: C- (2) / B (4) / C (2) / C- / B / B- / B- (4) / C / C / C-

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Review: (#1 & #2) These teaser posters are to introduce characters from the comics/TV shows and excite those who are fans of the property. That doesn’t give those not familiar any particular interest in the film.

(#3-#6) A clean-looking, almost sepia-toned city acts as a backdrop for these New York City saviors. These are solid, visually appealing designs that probably need a bit more grit and grime. (#7-#8) The villainous pair are back with another set of character posters. While these are a bit more setting specific, they aren’t that much more interesting.

(#9) To have only one turtle suggests perhaps there’s a four-poster set that I’ve somehow missed. That doesn’t give it much of a visual boost. (#10) This is a natural extension of the four skyscraper-set character posters and makes a fitting combination. (#11) It conjures up images of their comic book roots, but that’s the extent to which this design can appeal to audiences.

(#12-#15) Four more character designs and this time, the backgrounds aren’t as impressive, though these are definitely more action-oriented. For a film like this, it’s a good thing. (#16) An underwhelming combination poster that uses seemingly cheap visual effects to accentuate the water of the background and overall looks like something rejected from a better campaign.

(#17) A group poster design for a foreign market that looks neither original or exciting. The tilted viewpoint only shows how out of its depth the design is. (#18) I suppose this is a character poster for the humans of the film, but the background is bland and the poses are forgettable, which only makes the poster useless.

Trailer Rating: D+ / C- / D / C-

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Review: (#1) I guess if you liked the first film (it was a box office hit after all), then this might immediately appeal to you. However, this haphazardly constructed trailer piles on the cheese without any of the foundation and looks like your standard, mass-produced codswallop targeted at undiscerning audiences.

(#2) Apart from the Michael Bay-inspired sexualization of Megan Fox, this trailer is much more adventurous than its predecessor. While it may appeal to fans of the franchise, there is a lot of childish energy that doesn’t play well to an adult audience. Kid-friendly does not have to mean immature.

(#3) This marketing campaign has accentuated how wasteful this entire film is. The stakes are minimal, the action is serviceable and other than appealing to an audience steeped in a lack of maturity, there seems to be little on display in this trailer to suggest something worth watching.

(#4) Talk about a hyper-kinetic waste of money. Sure, it will appeal to all those fans of Michael Bay-type action and simplistic plotting, but for everyone else, this looks painfully outdated.