Movie Review: Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Finally had the chance to sit down and watch Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I went into this movie with no expectations and without reading the synopsis. It is a really enjoyable animated movie.

Spoilers ahead

The Story:

Shredder and the Foot Clan attempt to steal a machine that will allow them to engineer a mutagen and mutate all of the citizens of Gotham into their inner animal.

It turns out this plan was created by Ra’s Al Ghul who promised Shredder immortality for himself and his clan by using the Lazarus Pit. However, the mutagen had to be created first to cement the deal.

Our favorite pizza eating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles travel to Gotham City to stop this diabolical plan and end up clashing with Batman, Bat Girl, and Robin. They eventually realize they are working against the same evil and decide to work together to save the day.

Thoughts:

This movie had a lot of great moments in it. There were small nods to the story surrounding Batman and his past. Most notably when there was a subtle Jason Todd death reference when Damian was at risk of getting hurt.

Ace Chemicals were used to create the mutagen for Shredder and Ra’s Al Ghul. Keeping in mind that an Ace Chemical plant is where Joker fell into the chemical bin that caused him to become manic.

There was even a joke from Michael Angelo about New York and Gotham being basically the same aside from the huge blimps that are always flying in the air for some reason.

Even Joker and the rest of the reoccurring Gotham villains had their moment to shine despite not being the main protagonists. They used the mutagen on themselves and turned into huge snarling animals to act as a distraction while Ra’s Al Ghul prepared the infection of the entire city.

Batman (animated Batman) is always a cool untouchable renegade, but in this film is his interactions with Michaelangelo made him likable in a fun way, whether they were ordering pizza, driving the bat mobile, or fighting the Foot Clan.

Leonardo even had his moment to shine while fighting Ra’s Al Ghul. Realistically, I wouldn’t think he could beat him because Ra’s AL Ghul is a borderline immortal being with years of martial arts experience. However, the fight was actually very entertaining.

The biggest shock moment came after the credits rolled. After a fight with Batman, Shredder actually ended up going over the railing into a chemical bin. He emerges from the bin laughing and exhibiting manic behavior.

Unhinged Shredder? Now that’s a Shredder I want to see!