Story
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows follows on from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). That movie ends with the evil villain Shredder in prison after the Turtles defeat him. In this new movie, the Turtles – Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Leonardo (Peter Plaszek), and Raphael (Alan Ritchson) – are still hiding out in the shadows of the city’s underground sewer system. They stay out of sight by day while doing vigilante work by night and keeping their friend April O’Neil (Megan Fox) out of harm’s way.
Although Shredder (Brian Tee) is still in prison, April has discovered that scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) has been secretly working for Shredder. Stockman plans to help Shredder escape during Shredder’s transfer to a new prison. April tells the Turtles about these plans but, even with the help of newcomer Casey Jones (Stephen Amell), they can’t stop Shredder when he uses a teleportation device to get away.
The teleportation device doesn’t work exactly as planned and transports Shredder to another dimension. Here an alien supervillain named Krang (voice of Brad Garrett) convinces Shredder to make a teleportation device on Earth. The device will allow Krang to bring an alien weapon to Earth so that Krang and Shredder can rule the world.
It’s up to the Turtles, April and Casey to stop Krang from building his device and destroying the planet.
Themes
Superheroes; mutants; alternate realities; weapons of mass destruction
Violence
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows has action violence throughout, much of which has a comic book feel. There are many scenes of stylised fighting that show characters punching and kicking each other in the head, chest and body. But the movie shows very few realistic consequences of the violence. For example, there is no death, injury, blood and gore. Examples of violence in this movie include the following:
Sexual references
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows has occasional low-level sexual innuendo. For example:
- After flirting with a man, a woman says that she has a boyfriend and she walks away. The man says, ‘You have a boyfriend? Of course you do’.
- A man and woman flirt mildly. The man asks the woman out on a date.
- A Turtle says to a man and a woman, ‘Are you two a thing?’
- After their transformation into mutants, the rhino and warthog look at their groin areas and high-five each other.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows shows some use of substances. For example:
- Characters drink alcohol in restaurants and bars and at a cocktail party.
- A man shoots a dart into the necks of two men. The dart contains a mutagen.
Nudity and sexual activity
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- A mutant warthog proudly displays his large, clothed buttocks in front of the camera.
- April dresses in a ‘sexy schoolgirl’ outfit, which includes a tiny miniskirt, a bare midriff, some cleavage, long black stockings and high-heeled shoes. She walks up to a man and starts to flirt with him, rubbing her hands over his shoulders.
- Women wear tight-fitting and revealing clothes.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows: iPhones, tablets and some soft drinks. Also, merchandise associated with this movie is being marketed to young children.
Coarse language
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows has some low-level coarse language and name-calling that children might copy. There’s also toilet humour, including flatulence and nose-picking.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the latest fantasy action adventure featuring the popular Turtle quartet. It’s best suited to teenage and adult fans of the series, but it’s likely to attract younger children who like the associated toys.
This movie isn’t recommended for children under 13 years. Also, we recommend parental guidance for children aged 13-15 years. The movie has very frequent violence and scary scenes and characters. Because of its violence, it was originally classified M by the Australian Classification Board. Following an appeal, the Classification Review Board decided that the movie should be classified PG.
The positive messages in this movie are about teamwork and acceptance of diversity.
Unfortunately, the movie’s constant use of violence without realistic consequences gives a very mixed message about violence as a solution to problems. You could talk about this with your children.