The Turtles are Back! Cowabunga!

Cowabunga... Dudes!

Up for another run at greatness, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) have returned in CG glory on Nickelodeon (or YTV for us Canadians). 2 months in, the series have established themselves, but have they shown they have what it takes to return the green machine back to it's former glory?

Also after the jump, a COMPLETE version of the First Episode, just in case you need to catch up!

Looking back into something so near and dear to my heart is always through a Rosy lens, meaning, the original series is probably not as good as we remember as a kid. One can't help but compare the new to the old, so that's what I'll do...

The original series TMNT. I'll take that with a jellybean and anchovy pizza!

Bottom Line, the original series shows it's age. When TMNT first came out, we were just coming off the eighties and into the nities era, everyone was a surfer and apparently everyone loved simplistic and outrageous plot lines, how else could the original TMNT have gotten so huge? Don't get me wrong, the Original TMNT is still awesome and radical, but it is dated (not always a bad thing). I find after an hour of episodes, I get a fix that lasts quite some time.

The Nickelodeon TMNT - Still Green, Still Awesome!

The new TMNT has all same spirit and gusto of the original, but updated and relevant for a new age of children with their "Ipods" and "Internets". One thing I DID like was that each turtle, dispite still all having a teenage attitude, each character into their OWN persona more than the original. Mikey is still the party dude, but now he is almost the "runt" or youngest of the group. Donny (Donatello) is the tall lanky geek with a gap tooth. Raphael and Leonardo are still the "bruisers" of the group, but Raph literally has a chip on his shoulder (well... chest plate), much like the rude and crude movie version. Leonardo is still the faithful student and leader of the group.

In regards to the episodes themselves, the stories have shown inspiration of the original series mythos, updated and re-imagined while keeping to the spirit of TMNT. For instance, the new "Metalhead" was introduced recently and inserted perfectly, fitting GREAT into this universe.  Granted, in essence, this is still a children's show, the stories and characters have a greater depth and substance than the original syndication. The Splinter and Shredder saga has been unfolded "gnarly-ly" and has me excited for what's to come.

Overall, this show is now a permanent fixture on my PVR watching schedule and I am enjoying it. I find myself laughing and overall, entertained. Any hardcore or even former fan of the original TMNT should find themselves easily transitioning to this version. Cowabunga Dudes!

-N8

Find a full version of episode 1 here on YTV's website before it's gone!