What is your favorite representation of the TMNT?

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The current cartoon series followed by the first film.

I can't believe how much I enjoy the newest show, I've always liked the Turtles but haven't really cared for anything they've been involved with in awhile, but this latest one is just awesome.

Both the action and humor are great, outside of the first film I've never cared much for Michaelangelo's comedic antics but this show nails it. The characterizations are also great, with the four all allowed to be funny but they are not homogenized by it(even in the great first film, Donnie is basically a second Michaelangelo), and an amazing Splinter who gives advice that is actually useful. After Leo complains about losing to the Foot because they had superior numbers and it was unfair, Splinter questions the entire thought process Leo is going through. If you are fighting something why would you not try to have an advantage? Why would you want your enemy to even have a chance at winning? Ending with: "Seek victory, not fairness."

Oh, and the perfect: "The first rule of the Ninja is to do no harm. Unless you need to do harm, then do L​OTS of harm."

Plus the recently added Casey Jones is already the bee's knees.
 
Kreed said:
That screen shot in the OP isn't a good representation because that was from the season 7 reboot. Season 6 of the series was rebooted to Fast Forward, changing the setting and the art style to be more simplistic from the previous seasons in order to sell more toys. Season 7 attempted to "fix" what was done with Season 6, but they kept the same art style.

The original 2003 opening
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I love how they changed "Watch out for Shredder" depending who was Shredder at the time.
 
I grew up on the early 90's ones, but as an adult I'd have to vote for the original comics. They're really cool and weird.

Also have a soft spot for the first movie, since it's actually sorta closer in tone to the original comics. The rap song even references them instead of the animated show.
 
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87 animation and Live Action 1&2 for me, but Nick show is very fun too.
 
The 87-96 series for me. It holds so many fantastic memories and it really was turtlemania at that time. I had turtles in time on the C64 and I loved that too. I really have to check out the mirage comics. They look pretty cool and I'm a big comics nut.
 
Slayven said:
I love how they changed "Watch out for Shredder" depending who was Shredder at the time.
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Oh yeah I forgot they did that. Karai Shredder was great, and I liked how they handled the Utroms/Shredder in the 2003 series. And 2003 was the first time Baxter Stockman was done "right" from the comics (Shredder really messed him up throughout the series though).
 
90s cartoon and the old Konami videogames.

Turtles in Time is probably the best Beat 'em up ever. Perfect pace, design and style in my opinion.
 
Sephzilla said:
No joke. The special effects are remarkable and the stuff the martial artists pulled off in those costumes is amazing. Also, most badass looking Shredder.
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It's impressive and I almost want to say underrated in the film world.

As a kid I liked The Secret of the Ooze and only saw TMNT III once. And after watching some retro reviews of TMNT III (for example, the one by James Rolfe) I realized how badly they screwed things up. It's almost puzzling how the live action films only got worse (from multiple standpoints including the costumes/puppetronics) as they went on.

The first movie still holds up pretty well. I don't know, I just enjoy practical effects that work. These are just guys in Turtle costumes for pete's sake, and yet they're pretty darn convincing.
 
Kreed said:
Oh yeah I forgot they did that. Karai Shredder was great, and I liked how they handled the Utroms/Shredder in the 2003 series. And 2003 was the first time Baxter Stockman was done "right" from the comics (Shredder really messed him up throughout the series though).
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First Shredder that was scary. And Foot Mystics were awesome. I still laugh that they made Baxter white in the original costume because they didn't want Shredder to be bossing around a black man.
 
The original cartoon was my favourite, although I think the Nick designs are stupidly marketable/would, and do make great looking toys.
 
Original movie turtles is the best representation of the turles in personality, humor while still having a grimy feel.
 
For me, the 2nd movie was perfect. The dialogue is so good and the interaction between the four brothers is just so fun to watch. The intro reveal of them along with the music is so epic. And as nerdy as Donny is, he's also silly.

What I don't like about the current Nick TMNT show is they make Mikey come off really stupid and they don't seem to be as goofy with each other. It's rather serious or it dwells on the personalities of the specific characters instead of bouncing off each other (haven't seen season 2 yet).

And I think that's what the original series did well - the four together were a party, so enjoyable to see see interact, despite their occasional differences. Also, that theme song is effin' epic.
 
1) The classic 80s cartoon.

If I were to make a videogame based on the franchise, it would be that series. The voice actors, the character designs, best April, best Shredder, best everything.

2) TMNT live action trilogy. 2nd best cast of TMNT actors. Plus, Secret of the Ooze had Ninja Rap.

3) Nick TMNT. I love the show but I hold the above two just so highly.
 
Rash said:
It's impressive and I almost want to say underrated in the film world.

As a kid I liked The Secret of the Ooze and only saw TMNT III once. And after watching some retro reviews of TMNT III (for example, the one by James Rolfe) I realized how badly they screwed things up. It's almost puzzling how the live action films only got worse (from multiple standpoints including the costumes/puppetronics) as they went on.

The first movie still holds up pretty well. I don't know, I just enjoy practical effects that work. These are just guys in Turtle costumes for pete's sake, and yet they're pretty darn convincing.
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The original TMNT movie despite its accolades is still an underrated movie I think. It has fantastic practical effects that still hold up pretty well, and it's one of the better comic book adaptations ever (yet you never see it on many peoples top lists).

Well done practical effects will always trump well done CG effects, all day every day. That's why the Alien Queen in Aliens still looks terrifying to this day, why original RoboCop still looks cool, and why the Stan Winston T-Rex in Jurassic Park looks way better than the CG version as the years go on.
 
The 80's series was before my time, so the one I'am most familiar with is the 2003 series. Which I loved to death (the first 4 seasons, before they semi-rebooted it into shit). I was big into anime at the time, and this show was really the only american made show that gave me a similar experience at the time. It had story arcs, dark themes, and a strong continuity.

However my first exposure to the franchise was with the 80s movies ( which I really enjoyed when I first saw them), and that weird live action TV show/power rangers cross over.
 
jett said:
The nick CGI show is by far the best. Genuinely funny, clever dialogue, awesome action, endearing turtles, and just super well-made with deep respect for the history for the franchise.
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First post gets it right. The movie is going to be a huge letdown be comparison.
 
The 2K3 cartoon is way better than what you give it credit for. It easily stomps all over the 80-90's TMNT show.

With that said, the first live action was amazing, and probably the best interpretation so far.
 
The first 2 live-action movies have my favorite interpretations of the characters, but I can't deny that the recent Nick cartoon has really given a lot more character to each of the turtles.
 
LSauchelli said:
The 2K3 cartoon is way better than what you give it credit for. It easily stomps all over the 80-90's TMNT show.

With that said, the first live action was amazing, and probably the best interpretation so far.
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It's easy to be better when you have a baseline on what was executed well and what wasn't. And TMNT was already one of the superior kids shows from that time (until the last couple seasons anyways).

That said, 2013 Casey's design is one of the most original designs of the series and it's fucking awesome.
 
The stock turtle figures from the new CG series are probably my favorite representation. A great middle ground between the too-streamlined Nick designs and the too-gritty original Mirage comics look, with a helping of the original toy line's endearingly chunky 80's toy proportions and surprising attention to detail.

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Too bad they didn't take that direction with for the rest of the series' toys, choosing to stick much more on-model to the Nick designs, which for the non-Turtle characters are fuckin' awful. UGH that Shredder design, with his giant cheese grater hooves and gauntlets. He looks like somebody said "Make him like Rob Liefeld would, but with blades where the pouches would be."
 
Grew up and loved the 80's cartoon, LOVED the first live action movie, was none too enthused about the '03 cartoon, was ADAMANTLY opposed to the CGI '07 movie. Never bothered with the original comics.

However, over the years, and after having watched the '07 movie, read Vol 1 of the hardcover reprint of the original comics, and re-watched the 80's cartoon...gotta say, the appeal of the lighthearted goofy TMNT thing just isn't there now.

Eastman/Laird had a few problems and like a few people here have indicated, the dimension-hopping and alien stuff was pretty out there, but when the comics focused on the street level heroics, the drama between the turtles, the gang violence, etc., it was FANTASTIC. The panels conveyed so much action with very little and the framing was spectacular.

I also came around pretty dramatically for the 07 CGI flick. The movement and expression sold me entirely. Being able to see the turtles move with such speed was immense. Having the camera so fluidly follow them down the side of a building was so perfect I couldn't believe I didn't want CG before. The movie got stupid with the monsters subplot but the rest of it blew me away. I came to really appreciate the character design, as well. In motion, it worked really, really well.

My top TMMT versions, surprisingly: the original comics, the '07 movie, and the first live action flick. Never thought I'd see the day when one of my biggest childhood cartoon obsessions would be tossed aside. Haha
 
The Blue Jihad said:
Eastman/Laird had a few problems and like a few people here have indicated, the dimension-hopping and alien stuff was pretty out there, but when the comics focused on the street level heroics, the drama between the turtles, the gang violence, etc., it was FANTASTIC. The panels conveyed so much action with very little and the framing was spectacular.
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Can't say that I cared for the 2007 film as much as you did, but I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about the comics. The way that they framed action with so much detail and a good sense of speed and impact was fantastic. I currently own Volumes 1 and 2 of that Ultimate Collection, and 3-5 are supposed to be arriving at my doorstep today from Amazon. :)
 
The original cartoon even though it's kinda campy today but, back then, it was gold.

The present series isn't bad either. I think it's the best representation of TMNT since the original cartoon.
 
I liked the second live-action film. I feel like it captured the "radical dude" vibe of the 90s TMNT I loved so much. I recall the first live-action being far more serious.
 
Of what I've seen: 2k12 > Live films > Turtles in Time > 2k3 > CG movie > The Next Mutation. Never really read the comics.

2k12 just hits every beat for me. Great action, characters, and visuals.
 
The Nick show is really good, but I still dislike how most of the mutants veer way too much into the abstract grotesque category.
 
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Followed by

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Living the first 27 years of my life in Northampton, Massachusetts - home of Mirage Studios - the Turtles were always a huge thing. Definitely a big part of my childhood.

One of my favorite parts of the paper route I got when I was 15 was getting to deliver newspapers there

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It disappointed me that the comic book museum that went in on Main St. during the 90s didn't do as well, and closed after a couple of years.

And, the Turtles died to me once they passed on from Mirage. Things could just never be the same after then.
 
IDW comics is the best.

Enough said, its the best rendition of the Turtles and their world we've ever had.
Not too goofy, not too gritty, extremely well written and just keeps getting better.

Anyone who is not reading it should be.

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Chezzymann said:
The nickelodeon show is my favorite incarnation now. At first I was skeptical, but after seeing it in motion, it looks fantastic.
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Yeah, this for me too. It's really, really good.
 
So I grew up on the original cartoon, and I loved it, like most kids though it bounced around networks so I lost track of it in it's final seasons.

Watched the live action movies as a result, and I liked the first 2, thought the 3rd was weird/terrible.

Sometime in between the movies, my mom and dad got me the graphic novels which were based on the comic, these were the big old comic graphic novels, and they had the turtles, and they were much, much much more bad ass and violent, there was blood, people got killed, they actually cut the shrdder to pieces and blew him up when they fought. I remember the first thing I did when I got AOL and the internet was to look up why the goofy cartoon I grew up on had this ultra violent/dark ninja turtles graphic novel, and learned the former was an adaptation of the latter made for kids.

I never picked up the comics aside from the original 4 graphic novels my parents bought me, truth be told I find most comic series to be hard to follow, but then I saw the 2003 TMNT series years later, and was kinda blown away at the tone and how it was a bit more faithful to the source material then the original series. It still remains my favorite series by far. I know alot of people just associate the TMNT with that original series that was fun/goofy with the foot clan being robots and the comedy, but I always remember seeing the turtles how they were originally meant to be interpreted, and appreciating anything that adapts them to video or in motion with that in vain.

The 2007 movie was a mixed bag, I thought the tone was kind of back and forth, and obviously the movie just wanted to have that Raph vs Leo moment that's been building across every single TMNT series for years, which was honestly the best scene in the movie and any TMNT media outside of the comics to date.

I find the new series entirely too goofy to get into, I just feel like I've grown up and I know the target audience for this one is entirely small children with a homage here and there towards their darker origins(pupil-less eye shots).
 
The 1987-1996 cartoon series is the number one representation for me easily. That intro is the greatest cartoon intro of all time. It's how I picture the Turtles with how they look, and the logo I associate the Turtles with. It's the Turtles I drew as a kid, and the toys I owned as a kid as well.

Second is the Turtles in Time video game - the greatest 2D beat 'em up game for me of all time, my favorite SNES game period, with Super Metroid right after it.

After that would be the Turtles movies. Still incredible to this day, and even though I acknowledge how bad Turtles III was, I had the VHS of it when I was younger, and would watch and rewind it for as many times as I could remember. I watched it about a month ago and could remember the scenes and lines because I remembered them perfectly with all of the rewatches I did back then.

After that, I'd have to say the new CG series - mainly because you can easily tell that it was made with love, and by a team that are genuine Turtles fans from all of their best incarnations, just like I am. They aren't just making a series for kids to tie in toys and merchandise to, or just a bunch of people hired that could write and make CG. From the logo to the intro & music, to the little throwbacks, this is the best return to an OG series I have ever seen, and I wish them the best of luck and continued success with it. If only more movie and series directors or game developers got the point. I'm way behind in it though, I've only seen the entire first season and the first episode of the second season. Will catch up when I get the time.

Never saw the 2003 Turtles cartoon because for one, the look turned me off to it anyways, and two, I had moved away from watching American TV some years before that so I wouldn't have been able to follow it to give it a chance anyways. The Turtles CG movie was great for them actually being ninjas, but I didn't like the style, and I didn't dig how April was suddenly a little girl, and I didn't like the villains either. April is a little girl in the new CG series as well, but everything else is so good that I let it slide I guess.

I happened to watch a few of the episodes of The Next Mutation, and I still don't know what they were thinking with that one.

Finally, I have never had the privilege of reading the original comics nor the newer ones out right now, but I will rectify that sometime in the future when I can have the luxury of time to do so. It's definitely on my list of things to do.

This thread did remind me that someone on GAF was supposed to show what he had for concepts of the Turtles for the new movie, and it's been weeks now with no show from him.
 
2003 > Mirage > 1st film > 2007 film > '87 > 2nd film > IDW >>>>>>>>> 3rd film > Next Mutation

Haven't watched enough 2012 yet, never read Archie. The 1st and 2nd films are different enough, IMO, to be considered separate. The same can not be said about 2 and 3, but I didn't want to drag 2 down.
 
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