My uncle recently had a birthday party, and being one of the few members of my household who is not violently allergic to family outings, I attended in their place.
One of my relatives son was slamming two toys together in a chair, and while they appeared to be deformed ninjas at first, upon closer inspection they were the one and only deformed ninjas.
The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
It was an interesting moment to consider just how much nostalgia affects geek culture, and how things we love from our childhood manage to stay popular with the young people.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is completely ridiculous, and I’m just talking about the Madlibs name of the property.
It centers on a team of anthropomorphic reptilians that are taught martial arts by a similarly anthropomorphic rat that usually has an eastern accent. Oh, and the turtles are all teenagers, so they say things like “radical” and “reaganomics.”
You have to then wonder; are they selling these toys, video games and movies just for children? Or is the market of nostalgic college students that already are familiar with the “heros in a half shell” also being considered?
Michael Bay’s “Transformers” movies have been a ridiculous success, and all because the director knows there are more than enough people who are willing to pay money to see their child hood robots on the big screen.
We say we want new properties for movies, more original ideas. But we paradoxically flock to the familiar or the comfortable, the characters and story lines that remind us of when we were younger, and when the world looked simpler.
And let’s be honest for a second; how awesome would it be if Michael Bay made a new live action “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie?
Very awesome.