Everything Action Theater: TMNT (2007)

Along with the 10th anniversary of the Michael Bay-produced reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which we’re diving into on the Everything Actioncast this week) and the premiere of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Paramount+ on Friday, you can also watch the 2007 CGI movie, TMNT, for this week’s Everything Action Theater.  Directed by Kevin Munroe in his directorial debut, the movie came out the year before Nickelodeon purchased the franchise, which led to any potential sequels being canceled and led to the 2014 movie and the 2012 and 2018 animated series.  TMNT found the Turtles facing off against Max Winters (Patrick Stewart), a wealthy tycoon who is, in reality, an immortal warlord trying to capture 13 monsters to bring back his generals, who were turned to stone centuries ago.  The movie took a darker tone than the last film in the franchise, the ludicrously bad TMNT III. It took inspiration from the original Eastman/Laird comics and Hong Kong action movies for its action sequences, including the fantastic duel between Leo (James Arnold Taylor) and Raph (Nolan North).  Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chris Evans, Mako, Laurence Fishburne, Mikey Kelley, and Mitchell Whitfield rounded out the cast.  You can watch teh entire movie below, thanks to YouTube.