The turtles still live as recluses in the sewers despite having saved New York City from the menace of the Shredder. Unfortunately Shredder has escaped from jail thanks to the brilliant Dr. Baxter Stockman along with two other dangerous criminals: Bebop and Rocksteady. Can the Turtles trust each other along with April and new ally Casey Jones to stop Shredder's out-of-this-world scheme?
All I can say is that if you are able to buy into the premise of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the first place, you should be able to turn your brain off to many of the leaps of logic that this film makes. While I do believe that this sequel is better than the first, those who didn't care for the first movie probably won't like this movie either. There is a lot of sci-fi that is just too ridiculous to buy into that you must just accept or you won't have a good time. The movie also takes several leaps of logic where the audience may know what's going on, but it is not apparent how the turtles have figured out specifics to Shredder's plan. Of course my biggest complaint was how Casey Jones' hockey stick was able to stop a ninja sword. Again, you have to be able to turn your brain off to enjoy this movie.
Aside from my critiques, there was some genuine heart and a fairly emotional story about the brothers accepting who they are. It's also worth mentioning that this movie primarily follows the turtles. While I enjoyed Stephen Amell and his take on Casey Jones, he was still pretty much a side character as was Megan Fox's April O'Neil. They had important roles, but the movie is all about the turtles. The studio also couldn't have chosen a better Stockman than Tyler Perry who I think nails the role.
As expected the visual set pieces were very spectacular on the big screen. Bebop and Rocksteady definitely provide a great foil for the turtles and do provide some humor although I can get annoyed by bathroom humor very easily. I thought the CGI looked pretty good and didn't really take me out of the movie. You also must love the 80's and early 90's trope that everyone has a parachute although there are still deaths in the movie but none by the turtles!
This is definitely a "popcorn" movie. Just something to watch, enjoy, and turn your brain off for about two hours. If you liked the first movie in any way, can turn your brain, and just accept the movie's logic; you will definitely enjoy the sequel. If you didn't like the first movie, but are a fan of the Ninja Turtle's franchise, you may want to give this one a shot. I did enjoy this one more and at least they featured Bebop and Rocksteady instead of Tokka and Rahzar.
I give this 3 stars out of 5
1 star = I hated it. Avoid it at all costs.
2 stars = I didn't like it, but you might.
3 stars = I liked it. Doesn't warrant a repeat viewing.
4 stars = I really liked it. Has rewatchability.
5 stars = I loved it. Make plans to watch it.
