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Bug-Off — Mikey's Mask

Published: 2014-04-15 15:30:14 +0000 UTC; Views: 6294; Favourites: 90; Downloads: 14
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Description For those of you not in the know, this comic is spoofing Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie trailer at around the 1:06 minute mark.

Honestly, with all the other alterations to the story, the way Michelangelo looks in this movie has to be one of the most minor issues I take about it. But this joke struck me while watching the trailer and it seemed so simple, yet clever and it was easy enough to draw that I decided to just go for it.

...
But as long as I'm here in the Artist's Comments box and I'm on the topic of this movie...

Needless rant you can all just skip:
I really have no intention of spending money to watch this in theaters. More than the other 90's cartoon film adaptations, this one seems to be bothering me the most. When I get down to it, even though I've watched all the other major cartoons of my childhood, Ninja Turtles was my cartoon of choice.
G.I. Joes was not my cartoon.
Transformers was not my cartoon.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was what I turned on the TV after school for.

I would be one of the audience members to cheer the loudest for a Ninja Turtles movie done right. But if there's one thing I've noticed about Michael Bay movie adaptations, it's that he doesn't give a damn for the source material.
I get that changes have to be made. I GET IT! I get that when you make a movie adaptation, you HAVE to revise the content to suit the media. There's no getting around the changes that have to be made if you want a quality story that audiences can enjoy watching. But Bay just has this knack for turning these changes into hurdles. Hurdles that fans of a franchise have to jump over in order to accept the movie. And the hurdles in this movie are numerous and unnecessary. The Shredder isn't a Japanese warlord but some kind of caucasian businessman. The Foot Clan aren't a clan of ninjas but a terrorist cell. The ninja turtles aren't short and nimble but six-foot-tall hulking titans. All of them are just pointless hurdles to make fans jump over.
I couldn't care less that Megan Fox is April O'Neil. It wouldn't have killed them to make her hair red, but not really a critical detail. She's not the deal breaker for this movie.

But I suspect that I know why Michael Bay made these changes. It's because Bay likes his movies to be EPIC! and SERIOUS! and FATE DRIVEN! and the ninja turtles are just not the right fit for that kind of tone. The premise of the story is simply too ridiculous and silly to be taken seriously like that. Think about it. It's a story about a team of mutated turtles who are trained in ninjutsu... and who are, oh by the way, also teenagers. This is not a gothic tale of woe and honor here. The ninja turtles are popular thanks to their silly humor, fun ninja-style action, and various pulpy sci-fi themes. The movie should be funny and lighthearted and Bay is just incapable of delivering a movie with a tone like that.

Maybe... MAYBE if Bay were in charge of a "Gargoyles" movie adaptation, he could deliver the proper tone.
But with the ninja turtles, Michael Bay misses the point by a mile.
Related content
Comments: 85

nobody5679 [2016-06-14 01:09:03 +0000 UTC]

The sequel to this movie was better than the first one, that's all I'm saying

👍: 0 ⏩: 3

MataNuuuui In reply to nobody5679 [2020-11-27 05:03:58 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

ToonEGuy In reply to nobody5679 [2016-09-14 21:38:32 +0000 UTC]

But it still kept the same mistakes as the first.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Bug-Off In reply to nobody5679 [2016-06-14 17:43:34 +0000 UTC]

I was not that impressed.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Silverskullguy [2015-08-14 19:06:22 +0000 UTC]

I'm faving this just for your rant. Perfectly said!
And Bay's Transformers movies just got worse and worse

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to Silverskullguy [2015-08-15 08:51:12 +0000 UTC]

Thank you.
Still haven't seen the Turtles movie yet.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Silverskullguy In reply to Bug-Off [2015-08-15 11:44:25 +0000 UTC]

And I still don't plan to! 😊
They do much better as wiry little ninjas. Make the bad guys seem more threatening

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

ToonEGuy [2014-10-18 00:49:19 +0000 UTC]

See, that's what an appealing Ninja Turtles looks like! I can't stand the new ones.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to ToonEGuy [2014-10-18 14:52:31 +0000 UTC]

They really tried too hard. Honestly.

They were so obsessed with giving each turtle their own "bling", they never considered the possibility that "less is more".

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Hawkheart29 [2014-06-02 02:27:12 +0000 UTC]

When I saw the trailer I thought he looked like Shrek when he took off his mask.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to Hawkheart29 [2014-06-02 16:21:16 +0000 UTC]

I've seen people make jokes about that before.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

GrantPAdams [2014-05-10 18:24:29 +0000 UTC]

Sounds like you hit the nail on the head. I didn't grow up with TMNT myself, but even I can see the triple A, ultra realistic CG treatment is just inappropriate for the source material. I wouldn't even really mind the new turtle designs if the overall atmosphere of the movie was closer to the cartoons or the comics.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to GrantPAdams [2014-05-11 13:01:13 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, like I mentioned in the comments, it's not the designs for the turtles that really bugs me, it's all these weird decisions they made in the production. I feel like... this could almost be another movie. Like, if they just changed the main characters, no one would even know it was originally supposed to be a Ninja Turtles movie.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

GrantPAdams In reply to Bug-Off [2014-05-13 04:14:30 +0000 UTC]

When I first watched the trailer, for the first minute or so before they show the turtles, I actually thought I had clicked on the wrong link or was watching a trailer for a different movie.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to GrantPAdams [2014-05-13 05:43:24 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

N-I-V-E-K [2014-05-08 12:15:07 +0000 UTC]

Now that is a true TMNT!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to N-I-V-E-K [2014-05-08 13:26:33 +0000 UTC]

Best twist ever!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

N-I-V-E-K In reply to Bug-Off [2014-05-08 13:29:22 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

oldmanwinters [2014-04-28 22:43:01 +0000 UTC]

This really would be the best case scenario, wouldn't it?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to oldmanwinters [2014-04-30 08:37:16 +0000 UTC]

The ultimate in wishful thinking.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

rincevince [2014-04-27 23:19:50 +0000 UTC]

Oh noes, now I've got that song stuck in my head again after all these years!

Teenage mutant ninja turtles
Teenage mutant ninja turtles
Teenage mutant ninja turtles
Heroes in a half shell
Turtle power!

Dammit, I'll get you for this!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to rincevince [2014-04-28 01:16:34 +0000 UTC]

Embrace it!
Love it!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

MyEyesAreTiny [2014-04-23 06:19:48 +0000 UTC]

Hey, I like Michael Bay. I really hope he captures the dark, edgy, and gritty spirit of the cartoon series. I hope Leonardo stabs Shredder and kicks him off a fiery building while brooding over the death of Raphael, all while Megan Fox cries without her shirt on.

In all seriousness, I don't think anyone can make Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles not be campy.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to MyEyesAreTiny [2014-04-25 00:38:02 +0000 UTC]

What movies does Megan Fox cry without her shirt on?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

MyEyesAreTiny In reply to Bug-Off [2014-04-26 22:50:26 +0000 UTC]

Wouldn't surprise me if this was the movie it happened in.

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Randommode [2014-04-20 04:18:39 +0000 UTC]

GOD DO I WISH!!!! I wish. Oh Bug, thanks for a bit of hope lol 

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to Randommode [2014-04-21 10:25:52 +0000 UTC]

It would be awesome, wouldn't it?

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

DarthGojira [2014-04-19 13:14:02 +0000 UTC]

Brilliant!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to DarthGojira [2014-04-20 04:50:08 +0000 UTC]

I try.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

LovgrenO [2014-04-18 14:00:02 +0000 UTC]

This is what I think happened:
Guys with money: Hey Bay, we like how popular your Transformers films were, could you do the same to the Turtels franchise?
Bay: Sure, but it will be basicaly the same as all my other films and not nuch like the actual Turtels.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to LovgrenO [2014-04-20 04:47:28 +0000 UTC]

I'm pretty sure much of that was implicit.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

rainvine [2014-04-16 18:33:52 +0000 UTC]

LOL!!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to rainvine [2014-04-17 00:17:39 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

rainvine In reply to Bug-Off [2014-04-17 14:10:13 +0000 UTC]

OH GOD! lol

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to rainvine [2014-04-20 05:08:27 +0000 UTC]

You're digging these Diago Emotes, aren't you?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

rainvine In reply to Bug-Off [2014-04-20 05:57:36 +0000 UTC]

ya, oh baby!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Shadowstalker55 [2014-04-16 09:49:47 +0000 UTC]

 PLEASE! Do not put Michael Bay........ and Gargoyles in the same sentence ever again! Gargoyles deserves far better than him.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to Shadowstalker55 [2014-04-17 00:16:17 +0000 UTC]

Of course.
My deepest apologies.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Shadowstalker55 In reply to Bug-Off [2014-04-17 02:05:57 +0000 UTC]

NP.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

ChickenPaddy [2014-04-16 04:24:05 +0000 UTC]

Haha!  Nice.  I never really got into the Turtles as a kid (born too late, I suppose).  But my older brothers had all the action figures from the original cartoon series.  I know that some people reel really attached to these characters, and my heart ached for them when I saw the trailer.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to ChickenPaddy [2014-04-17 00:15:42 +0000 UTC]

Check out the 2012 CGI cartoon some time.
It's much better.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

ChickenPaddy In reply to Bug-Off [2014-04-17 02:50:13 +0000 UTC]

I've seen bits and pieces of it.  It looks rather good, despite some of the fan-hate directed at it for some reason. 

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to ChickenPaddy [2014-04-20 04:58:58 +0000 UTC]

Eh, I can understand some of it if it's coming from a Ninja Turtle purist.
It makes a couple changes and moves some details around. The biggest change in my opinion has to be that they changed April O'Neil from a twenty something reporter into a teenager in high school for the fairly obvious intent of making her a love interest for Donatello. But honestly, it's all worth it because they flesh out all the characters so well and you can just tell the artists are having a ball with the designs. They turn the sci-fi elements of the TMNT mythos into a veritable sandbox and just go wild.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

ChickenPaddy In reply to Bug-Off [2014-04-20 06:31:39 +0000 UTC]

I've seen just bits and pieces, including parts of the episode when they get into the aliens' spaceship.  It looks like a really fun show and there are a lot of people who seem to like it.  I'll have to give it a try when I get the chance.  I don't really watch TV much any more, but I'm getting a little tired of being the only guy in my animation studio who can't can't tell you what color each turtle wears and what weapons they use off the top of his head.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to ChickenPaddy [2014-04-22 02:22:02 +0000 UTC]

You can find the show on animeflavor.com

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Gangstah-Teddy [2014-04-16 01:56:58 +0000 UTC]

darthteken.deviantart.com/art/… This seems to be a popular thought.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to Gangstah-Teddy [2014-04-16 02:19:23 +0000 UTC]

Uuug. I thought I was so clever.
       

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Gangstah-Teddy In reply to Bug-Off [2014-04-16 02:28:31 +0000 UTC]

This might make you feel better. xDDD www.deviantart.com/art/Punch-M…                  

www.deviantart.com/art/Raphael…

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bug-Off In reply to Gangstah-Teddy [2014-04-17 00:19:02 +0000 UTC]

Clearly, there are other people taking this upcoming movie harder than I am.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Gangstah-Teddy In reply to Bug-Off [2014-04-17 21:32:37 +0000 UTC]

It's rather hilarious. I do understand though, considering Michael has turned the ninja turtles into ninja aliens. I'd be pissed off too.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1


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