TMNT (film)

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"I must've hit my head pretty hard. I'm seeing giant turtles."
—Max Winters

TMNT is the first Ninja Turtles movie to be done in complete CGI.

After training for years in Central America at the request of Splinter, Leo returns home to New York and reunites with his brothers.

Meanwhile, super wealthy mogul Max Winters has gained possession of four stone statues, one of which was retrieved by his client April. We learn that Winters is a warlord made immortal thousands of years ago upon contact with a rift in dimensions, and that those statues are his generals, who were transformed into living stone. Winters also has hired guns in a reformed Foot Clan led by the mysterious Karai. As all of this is happening, monsters are starting to appear all over the city.

The turtles must overcome their personal differences and become a whole once again to get to the bottom of things and quite possibly save the world.


Tropes used in TMNT (film) include:
  • Action Girl: April.
  • Actor Allusion: Splinter is a very lax, laid back master of the fighting arts in the fourth film, much like one of Mako's other main animation role.
  • Anachronism Stew: The four ancient Aztec generals from 1000 BC had SPANISH names. The Spanish language did not even exist back then. And the Spanish language did not arrive to Mexico until after 1492 AD. Also possible example of Spexico.
  • Badass Family:
    • The Turtles and Splinter, of course.
    • Winters/Yaotl and The Stone Generals.
  • Battle Trophy: Splinter has a trophy shelf displaying various keepsakes from previous films.
  • Bash Brothers: All four of the Turtles, it's even Lampshaded in the battle of April's apartment that they're not used to fighting with a man down.
  • Battle Couple: April and Casey.
  • Big No: Raph gets one when he returns too late to stop the Stone Generals from taking Leo.
  • Broad Strokes: The events of the first three movies, as applied to the fourth. It was basically confirmed by Word of God that, they did happen, just not in exactly the same way.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Tatsu, who is completely absent.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Casey Jones.
  • Continuity Nod:
    • Splinter's trophy room contains a whole collection of references to the previous films. Shredder's helmet and staff, a Foot Ninja mask (based on those worn in the previous films, as opposed to the more modern members led by Karai) the T.G.R.I. canister, the Time Scepter, Walker's hat, Lord Norinaga's helmet and the armour of the Honour Guards whom the Turtles took the places of in the third film.
  • Dark Action Girl: Karai.
  • Designated Girl Fight: The Oner shows Karai taking on April amidst the chaos.
  • Disappears Into Light: Max Winters.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: General Aguila.
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: One of Donatello's first scenes is of him handling tech support calls over the phone. But one call: "No, sir, I'm not playing hard to get. I'm telling you, it's not that kind of phone line!"
  • Gotta Catch Em All: The Foot Clan capturing the 13 Monsters.
  • Hybrid Monster: Most of the 13 Monsters.
    • The first monster looks like Bigfoot or a Yeti, but with reptillian spines on its back.
    • The warehouse monster looks like a cross between a cyclops, a centaur, and a minotaur.
    • Raph, as the Nightwatcher, fights one that shares fearures of the Jersey Devil and a gremlin.
    • We briefly see a monster on the train that looks like the cryptid Lizard Man, but has sloth-like claws and knuckle-walks like a gorilla.
    • The final monster looks like a cross between a Chinese dragon and Quetzalcoatl, but is supposed to be the Loch Ness Monster.
  • Julius Beethoven Da Vinci: Max Winters.
  • Let's Get Dangerous: Raph does this. After fighting Leo in his Nightwatcher gear and being outclassed, he pulls out his sai, the weapon he's trained with from birth, loses the helmet which constrained his vision, and puts up a better fight, before nearly killing Leo after it's revealed (To Leo) that his brother is the Nightwatcher.
  • Monster of the Aesop: Raph is having issues with Leo's leadership. General Aguila and Yaotl are also brothers with similar issues. While Leo and Raph reconcile at the end, Aguila ends betraying Yaotl.
  • Mood Whiplash: The funny scene with the Raphael and a tiny monster is followed by a scene where Raphael and Leonardo have a falling out and have a fight, all culminating in Leonardo getting captured by the villains.
    • And in the final battle, we cut from an epic battle to Casey and April arguing about reckless driving, Karai snarking that they seem like they should be more concerned with the giant monster chasing them, the Foot Ninja nods in agreement, back to epic battle.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: More of a "My God, What Have I NEARLY Done?" example, but Raphael when he realizes that, in his rage, he was dangerously close to killing his own brother after a fiery battle; the realization causes him to run away in fear. Of course a straighter example happens soon after when Leonardo, beaten and weakened, is easily captured by the Stone Generals and Raphael is unable to stop them from taking him. He blames himself entirely for this.
  • Mythology Gag:
  • The Starscream: General Aguila. Granted, all four stone generals betrayed Winters, but Aguila was who convinced his siblings to do it.
  • Thirteen Is Unlucky: Especially when its thirteen powerful, bloodthirsty,immortal monsters capable of eradicating a whole army. Did I mention they're from another dimension?
  • What Happened to the Mouse??: Played straight, where there are said to be 13 Monsters, but only 8 are actually seen.
  • Who Wants to Live Forever?: Max Winters, again.
    • He wouldn't but his generals would.
  • The Worf Effect: as per the plot demands, Leo gets this treatment, both at the hands of Winters's monsters and Raphael.
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