The Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made a $65 million debut this weekend, thanks in part to the critics.
It would be a easier to find a hard working senator than it would be to find a positive review for the latest Ninja Turtles movie, but this hasn't stopped moviegoers from flocking to this movie. In fact, the movie's success can be attributed to one key phrase that seemed to be repeated in many of the early reviews:
"It's not as bad as Michael Bay's Transformers."
That is not to say that all reviews are redundant. I was quite impressed with a few of them:
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/08/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-what-the-shell/375777/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2014/08/07/review-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-is-a-cowabummer/
But it comes down to why people went to see this movie. To rekindle some old nostalgia? Sure. To indoctrinate a newer generation? You betcha. Due to lowering literacy standards, no one reads reviews any more? Possibly. There's nothing good on Saturday nights? Okay. Because it's better than that piece of $#!+ Transformers franchise? Nail-on-the-head correct.
And I'm not preaching from the mound either. I plan on seeing Ninja Turtles sooner rather than later. In part because I grew up during the original craze, but mostly because it's not going be as bad as Transformers.
I hope.
