--- title: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2014/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2014" critics_score: 41 critics_reviews: 21 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 41 from 21 reviews: 1 positive, 8 mixed, 12 negative. Most critics find this relaunch a muddled, rather joyless business that trades the boyish fun of earlier versions for noise. Only one of the twenty-one reviews is positive. The praise that exists clusters in two places: the motion-captured Turtles themselves, whose movement and banter several reviews call convincing and occasionally funny, and a single chase down a snowy mountain, which even the harshest notices single out as the film’s inventive highlight. The complaints are consistent. The human characters are thin, the origin story is rushed and heavy on exposition, and the humour feels bolted onto an anonymous action film. The spread is wide, from Eye for Film, which finds it surprisingly enjoyable, to Consequence, which calls it a cacophonous cash grab. Screen Daily goes furthest, likening the Turtles to green-skinned Transformers. ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be read, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint is available from the accessible text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2014) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be confirmed from the provided content. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/08/movies/movie-review-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles.html) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating C+. 7 August 2014. Dowd finds the reboot perfunctory, preserving the Turtles’ origins but losing their boyish fun. He praises the energetic, cartoonish action and expressive digital Turtle performances, while criticizing the bland human characters. [Read the review](https://avclub.com/michael-bay-preserves-the-origins-but-not-the-fun-of-1798181071) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 3/5. Jones finds the film an entertaining ride despite its overblown approach. He praises its balance of pop-culture banter, cartoon action and family friendliness. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-so0ser/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/) ## IndieWire — Gabe Toro Rating C-. 5 August 2014. Toro finds the film nonsensical and often unpleasant, though its action sequences provide some genuine highlights. He particularly praises the imaginative, gravity-defying snow-mountain fight and the lifelike motion of the turtles. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-starring-megan-fox-will-arnett-and-more-273791/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Justin Lowe Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2014. Lowe finds the film an uneven but energetic franchise return, with its strengths offset by a slow setup and weak human characters. He praises the convincing turtle performances and polished visual effects, while noting the action and cartoonish violence may wear thin. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-film-723074/) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2014. Chang finds the film neither particularly good nor the franchise-destroying disaster some feared, and says it relies too heavily on fan loyalty. He praises a ridiculous, entertaining action sequence but faults the Turtles’ photorealistic designs for lacking the earlier versions’ soul. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1201274733/) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 2/5. 20 May 2014. The two-star rating indicates a negative verdict. The available description singles out April’s station steering her toward puff pieces, but the review text is unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2014. Ebiri finds the reboot too serious and lumbering to be much fun, despite occasional entertaining moments. He praises the inventive snowy-mountain chase, while faulting the humor for feeling bolted onto an anonymous action film. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/08/movie-review-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles.html) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2014. O’Sullivan finds the film intellectually and emotionally worn out, though it has occasional perverse brio. She singles out the snowy-hill chase as its special-effects highlight and criticizes Megan Fox’s miscasting. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-film-review-megan-fox-is-miscast-as-a-smart-cookie-9801866.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Mark Olsen Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2014. Olsen finds the film half-hearted and ultimately forgettable, though not wholly terrible. He singles out the snowy mountain action sequence for its snap and specificity. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-review-20140808-story.html) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 4 August 2014. Grierson’s visible verdict is sharply negative, likening the turtles to green-skinned Transformers. The complaint singled out in the standfirst is the film’s apparent resemblance to that franchise. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/5075865.article) ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 15 April 2014. Richards finds the film a joyless, muddled misfire that fails to make its silliness fun. He particularly criticizes its underwritten characters and thin plot, as well as its focus on violence over humor. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-3-review/) ## The Guardian — Jordan Hoffman Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2014. Hoffman finds the film a lazy, dreary relaunch that will entertain mainly young children. He praises the inventive snowy-hill action sequence for making distinctive use of the turtles’ shells. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/07/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2014-review) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2014. Wolfe Murray finds this overplayed franchise entry surprisingly enjoyable. He praises the care put into the production and April’s appeal as a character viewers want to follow. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2014-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## Den of Geek — Mike Cecchini Rating 2.5/5. 7 August 2014. Cecchini finds the film a passable, faithful kids’ adventure but says its strengths cannot overcome its shortcomings. He praises the well-realized, funny Turtles, especially their elevator scene, while criticizing the exposition-heavy pacing and frenetic action. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-review/) ## /Film — Germain Lussier Rating 3.5/10. 4 August 2014. Lussier finds the film disposable and emotionally flat, with a rushed plot that leaves its characters underdeveloped. He praises the Turtles’ elevator beat-boxing scene as funny and charming, and their visual effects as impressive. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/533124/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2014. Pape finds the film entertaining but overly familiar and generic. He praises the Shredder as a formidable threat, while criticizing the rushed origin story and weak character writing. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-review/) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2014. The critic finds the film dull, cynical and poorly written, a comparative misfire despite its appeal to young viewers. They praise the turtles’ design and dynamic movement as the film’s main strength. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a600002/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-review-a-shell-shocking-cowa-blunder/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 4 August 2014. The critic finds the reboot hollow and uneven, with only a few thrills and laughs. They single out the turtles’ unappealing CGI designs and incoherent action for particular criticism. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-review-michael-bay-megan-fox/) ## Consequence — Blake Goble Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 9 August 2014. Goble pans the film as a cacophonous, misguided cash grab. He praises the motion-captured Turtles’ rendering and the enthusiasm of some performers, but finds the effects eerie and the humor and story lacking. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/08/film-review-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2014.md