Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows parents guide

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Parent Guide

Teen and adult fans of these "heroes in a half-shell" may be thrilled to join their old friends for yet another rumble, however, young new-comers may want to stay out of the sewers for a while.

Overall B-

This sequel to the 2014 reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has the heroes in a hard shell returning to save society from yet another threat --this one involves other mutants.

Release date June 3, 2016

Violence C-
Sexual Content B-
Profanity B-
Substance Use C+

Why is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows PG-13 for sci-fi action violence.

Run Time: 112 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

The creators of the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series (which started with the 2014 origin movie) are walking a fine line. They are working with a pop culture entity (anamorphic turtles that live in the sewers below New York City) initially engineered to entertain the Saturday morning cartoon crowd. Today the owners of this franchise still want those same fans, even though they are now two or three decades older, to stay engaged with these characters while at the same time making a blatant attempt to bring new 8-year-olds into the club. The outcome is a bizarre mix of serious action movie violence, Megan Fox (who plays a friend to the turtles) strutting her assets to gain favors from men, and jokes about flatulence and penis size.

Our green champions, known as Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo and Raphael (Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek and Alan Ritchson), open this adventure feeling frustrated. While they were instrumental in saving the city from an angry mob in the previous film, they still must live underground so as not to upset the general public. Their captivity, along with not being recognized for their valor, is becoming an increasingly divisive issue for them, especially when they see their human friend Vern (Will Arnett) being lavished with the praise they deserve.

Not to worry. Another opportunity for heroics is coming down the pipe. Turtle aficionados will be familiar with many of the antagonists presented in this tale. Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) is a mad scientist who creates a serum that brings out the natural animal within the human psyche. Shredder (Brian Tee) returns to challenge the turtles as the evil overlord who tells Baxter what to do next. Finally, Krang (voice of Brad Garrett) is the baddest, evilest villain of the trio. With the help of his underlings, he will open a black hole allowing him to warp space and time… or at the very least causing chaos and catastrophe around the world. Borrowing a line from the movie, Krang’s visual appearance is best described as akin to a chewed piece of bubble gum. His disembodied head extends from the abdominal cavity of a giant, alien robot. Yup… that’s the part the eight-year-olds will think is cool—if they aren’t too grossed out.

Teaming up with journalist April O’Neil (Fox), these reptiles look like protagonist suitable for middle-school kids, however this movie holds serious content concerns for viewers that young. An opening chase scene with Shredder attempting to break free during a prison transfer depicts many law enforcement personnel vehicles being blown up. We also see a driver thrown out of his truck and landing on the roadway at high speed. Many other action scenes depict people engaging in physical confrontations with implied deaths, although injuries are rarely shown (one character is seen with a blackened eye). The intensity doesn’t always reach the point of that portrayed in other comic-book genre films, yet it still seems strangely out of place in a script spouting 3rd grade bully lines like, “playtime is over.”

Then there’s Megan Fox playing the once-innocent April who was one of the first “humans” to discover the turtles. In the opening act of this film, the news reporter demonstrates how a woman might use her sexuality for manipulative purposes when she steals a short skirt from a retailer and ties her shirttails into a navel-baring school-girl-gone-wrong outfit. The provocative look is intended to allow her to get close to a man for the purposes of extracting information.

Add a half-dozen profanities—thankfully mostly mild terms—and the mandatory fight against evil against the backdrop of New York City’s skyscrapers and you have a mediocre experience at best. For teen and adult fans of these “heroes in a half-shell”, you may be thrilled to join your old friends for yet another rumble. However, parents of young new-comers may want to hold off and stay out of the sewers for the time being.

Directed by Dave Green. Starring Stephen Amell, Megan Fox, Alessandra Ambrosio. Running time: 112 minutes. Theatrical release June 3, 2016. Updated

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Rating & Content Info

Why is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows rated PG-13? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sci-fi action violence.

Violence: Frequent conflicts throughout include depictions of fighting, beating, shooting, stabbing, explosion and dismemberment. These confrontations often include hand-to-hand conflict and weapons use, however there is no blood or other explicit effects. Likewise, there is little consequence for the destructive behavior. Law enforcement personnel are depicted as useless or disposable—one scene shows a prison transfer motorcade being interrupted by explosions that send many of the vehicles hurtling through the air while erupting into flames. An antagonist appears as an alien “head” that extends from a large robotic body and may be frightening for young audiences. Many scenes portray characters in peril. Two humans are transformed into animals that fight and cause destruction.

Sexual Content: A woman alters her clothing to reveal her legs and navel in an attempt to gain access to information from a man. Two human characters, that are transformed into large animals, look into their pants and make a brief comment alluding to the size of their penises.

Language: A single scatological term and four other mild profanities are heard. Some name calling is included.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Adult characters are seen drinking in a bar and appear to be inebriated.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Parents' Guide

How does this movie integrate a childish scenario with an adult action story? Do you feel this is an awkward mix? Do you think older audiences who enjoyed the Ninja Turtles as children would be unwilling to see a movie without additional violence and sexual content?



What role does April play in the Teenage Ninja Turtles’ life? Is she a friend? A mother? A romantic interest?



The turtles are supposed to be teenagers. What do these mutants represent within the time of life of a teenager? How does their environment (the sewers), their diet (pizza) and their inability to integrate with the outside world reflect issues some teens may face?

News About "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows"

From the Studio: “TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS” is the sequel to the 2014 hit film “TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.” The film is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman and is directed by David Green (“EARTH TO ECHO”). Michael Bay (the “TRANSFORMERS franchise) returns to produce alongside his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (“ TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES”), with Galen Walker and Scott Mednick (“TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES”) also producing. Also returning for the sequel is Megan Fox (“TRANSFORMERS”) as April O’Neil, Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”) as Vernon Fenwick and the Turtles: Alan Ritchson as Raphael, Noel Fisher as Michelangelo, Pete Ploszek at Leonardo, and Jeremy Howard as Donatello. Rounding out the cast is Stephen Amell (“Arrow,”) as Casey Jones, Tyler Perry ("GONE GIRL", the "MADEA" franchise) as Baxter Stockman, Academy Award nominated actress Laura Linney (“The Big C”, “LOVE ACTUALLY”) as Chief Rebecca Vincent, Brian Tee (“JURASSIC WORLD”) as Shredder, WWE World Heavy Weight Champion Stephen “Sheamus” Farrelly as Rocksteady and Gary Anthony Williams (“THE INTERNSHIP”) as Bebop. ©Paramount Pictures

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows movie is September 20, 2016. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Release Date: 20 September 2016
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows release to home video (Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD) with the following bonus features:
- We Are Family
- Whoa! Expanding the Turtleverse
- House Party
- It’s Tricky: Inside the Van
- ILM: The Effects Beneath the Shell
- Did You Catch That? Turtle Eggs!
- Deleted Scenes

Related home video titles:

This movie is the sequel to the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Other super heroes whose powers come from mutations include Spider-man and The Incredible Hulk.

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