The reason the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” became such a phenomenon in the late 1980s is because of its perfect blend of action and humor. Much of the humor came from the personalities of the four turtles themselves, with Michelangelo leading the way.
In the latest clip from the upcoming film reboot of the franchise, the Turtles find themselves waiting in an elevator. No matter that they’re heading up to fight their greatest foe, Shredder, at the top of the building, these guys can only take life so seriously. It doesn’t take long for them to start goofing off.
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Michelangelo starts them off, adding a beat to the beeping of the elevator. Within seconds, all four brothers are beatboxing to the rhythm. But it all comes to an end when those doors open.
Even being face-to-face with their nemesis isn’t enough to make them totally serious. With a little nudging from Raphael, Michelangelo lets loose with the signature cry of the “TMNT” cartoon.
“Cowabunga!” he shouts as they leap into battle.
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For the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” to be a success, it needs to nail that balance of humor and action, and this trailer seems to do that very well, showing how quickly the turtles can go from one to the other. If fans can get over their new noses, this one might just be a hit.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was directed by Jonathan Liebesman from a script by Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Evan Dougerty. It stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Pete Ploszek and Johnny Knoxville, Jeremy Howard, Danny Woodburn and Tony Shalhoub, and Tohoru Masamune.
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Produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Galen Walker, Scott Mednick, and Ian Bryce, the film will be released to theaters by Paramount Pictures on July 29.