Shredder, Skateboards In New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trailer

The closer the Michael Bay Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie gets to its August 8 release date, the more it looks like something that might not have longtime fans outraged when they see it.

Yes, the Turtles’ designs are a bit radical (no pun intended). Shredder’s armor has a lot more blades, and he’s described in the new trailer as a “robot samurai.” And April O’Neil is still being played by Megan Fox.

Yet the tone of the trailer is very much in line with previous takes on the franchise. There’s humor mixed in with the action, and the personalities of the four teens appear to be what we’ve grown to expect. There are skateboarding sequences too, and anyone who grew up with the 80s-90s cartoon would associate that with the TMNT. Bay even seems to tweak those who believed the rumor that he would reveal that the Turtles had extraterrestrial origins, which was only believable because it totally seemed like something he’s really do.

Look, I’ve been down with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since the original black-and-white comics, and I’ve got a third printing of issue #1 and a second printing of #2 at the family home to prove it. I wanted to dislike this movie without seeing it as much as anyone, but I’m going to grudingly admit we all need to give it a chance. If nothing else, having low expectations allows it to surprise you to the upside, and this trailer is making me think there’s potential for the movie to do just that. Check it out and judge for yourself.