Netflix content reviewed in 150 words. Or thereabouts.
Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
Dir: Randall Lobb
Running Time: 98 minutes
An exhaustive talking heads chronology featuring all the key
players behind the amphibious phenomenon, Turtle Power charts its various
incarnations throughout the past thirty years. However, despite the sewer-based
origins of the perennially popular fightin’ foursome, Randall Lobb’s
green-skinned history skim is a distinctly dry affair.
True, the light subject matter arguably warrants little more
than an anecdotal sprinkling covering the array of comics, cartoons, merch’ and
– erm – rock concerts, but there remains a stark void at the heart of the
material. Crucially, it’s made with a celebratory, rather than an exploratory
attitude. As such, events such as co-creators Eastman & Laird’s
professional break-up and the sale of the franchise rights are given disappointingly
scant screen time.
That said, if you’re just aching for a nostalgic ninja fix you’ll
be more than sated by the extensive archive material, and it’s joyous to see
the cartoon cast reunited one last time with since-passed James Avery.
In conclusion, the Turtles could do with a touch more power.
6/10
