It’s been interesting seeing how upset some people are about this new version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with a lot of the cries “They’re ruining it!” from those angered about changes to the material. To me, it’s strange to try to be a TMNT purist, since this has been a franchise that has been changed over and over and over again. Really, unless you were a fan of the original, 1984, black and white comic book, it’s difficult to make any claim to being a fan of the “real” Ninja Turtles – after all, the late 1980s animated series (and accompanying toyline) that made TMNT a true cultural phenomenon was itself drastically altering the depiction and tone of the characters.

All of which is to say, it’s best to go into the new Ninja Turtles film accepting it won’t exactly match your ideal of TMNT; that ideal usually being whichever version first introduced you to the characters in your respective childhood. There have been many versions of TMNT before and there will be many after. This is just the 2014 model.

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