¨Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie¨ is based off a Nickelodeon series that premiered on July 20th, 2018. Which was a reimagining of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. After the show had abruptly ended on August 7, 2020, it came out with a movie that  streamed on Netflix on August 5th 2022. The movie was directed by Ant Ward and Andy Suriano. The main actors are Ben Schwartz, Omar Benson Miller, Josh Brener, Eric Bauza, Haly Joel Osment and Kat Graham. The movie also has a film budget of $35 million dollars. The movie was made to give the franchise a proper conclusion. When I was first introduced to the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show, I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, because I thought it was mostly one of those shows that just had childish plain humor. When the movie first dropped on Netflix, my expectations weren’t as high and believed it would be an alright movie. When I decided to watch the movie out of curiosity, I was completely shocked. The story was really good and I felt myself almost connected with the characters and also understood what was at stake for the story. I also related immensely to the personal development of one the main characters, Leo and how he struggles to be the leader his brothers need him to be. 

The movie follows a darker plot where the turtles have to face a new threat that approaches. The movie is about a guy named Casey Jones who comes from an apocalyptic future where the world has been decimated by the alien race called the ¨Krang¨ , he is flung into the past to the day where the day where the invasion starts and he is told of his mission to stop the Krang from invading the world. As Casey navigates the past to stop the Krang, the four main characters Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey, fight off their enemies as they discover an alien key that a group of ninja’s called the Foot Clan wants, which connects to the threat of the Krang. When the turtles along with their best friend, April O’Neil find Casey Jones, he warns them about the threat that soon approaches which will cause inevitable doom to the future. The turtles along with Casey, April and Splinter decide to confront the Foot Clan and stop them from releasing the Krang and destroying the world.   

The movie shows an immense amount of creativity by utilizing the background and setting the mood for the viewer. In the movie, When the turtles are in the sewer it’s kind of dark and looks almost cramped, when the turtles hang out on the surface in New York City is shown to be a bright city, and to be really beautiful. This affects the turtles perspective because it shows how the turtles see New York City as home for them and how it represents the moments and memories that the turtles and their friend April has shared with them, throughout the story. It also gives them all a reason to save their city from the Krang. I also really liked the character development for Leo because in the story, his personal struggle that takes stage is being the leader that his brothers are relying on him to be. In the story we really see him panic and struggle with the weight of being the leader, due to his flamboyant and laid back personality. When he realizes that his careless decisions could be the cost of him losing his family, he starts to slowly understand that there is more to being a leader and a hero. 

This movie was really enjoyable to watch, I loved the characters, and the family dynamic that was shown throughout the movie. I thought it was interesting seeing Leo as a character who was really chill and laid back, finally facing his personal struggles and growing into being the leader that his family needs. It compares to other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchises where Leo is normally very serious and is already the leader, but never has the story spend time focusing on any personal struggles he is facing as a leader or the weight that comes with being a hero. I also really like the symbolism with the photo that Casey and Leo hold onto throughout the movie. The photo is a picture of the turtles along with April and the photo is seen as a symbol of hope throughout the invasion especially in heartfelt moments. The picture reminds the characters what’s important to them and what’s currently at stake. 

The filmmakers are successful in their purpose because what created a deeper understanding of this movie, was towards the end of the movie, when all the characters take a new photo of themselves together. The new photo represents how they all have fought for a new future along with a new family. This also affects the secondary main character Casey as it shows that he has found his new family and also has a new sense of hope for the future.