Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) is an interesting reinterpretation of the franchise, filled with action, personality, and humour.

With the Foot Clan spreading crime throughout New York City, report April O’Neil sets out to discover the root of their crime wave despite resistance to her notion of vigilantes saving citizens from the Foot. During her investigations, she encounters four mutant turtles with ninjitsu skills. When she learns they are from her unsettling past, April asks an old friend for help but becomes involved in a sinister plan to poison New York City. It’s up to April and the turtles to stop the mysterious Shredder and his sinister plan.

The turtles in this film look bizarre at first. However, these more realistic depictions lend the film a heightened sense of authenticity. Megan Fox is well cast of the determined yet vulnerable April. Will Arnett as Vern adds some much-needed and well-played humour to the film.

The story is mostly standard action film fair in the second half. The first half, however, provides a more convincing genesis for the turtles and ties April closer to them without straying too far from the original concept.
Some of the concepts, like Shredder’s technological armour and the turtles been bulletproof, are little over the top but fit in well with the campy action sequences towards the end. Fight scenes are well choreographed if a little underwhelming, and the turtles are portrayed as vulnerable and clumsy as well as skilled.

Each turtle has a distinct personality that lends credibility to the film. However, Donatello and Leonardo are pushed to the rear as Raphael and Michelangelo’s more extraverted personalities steal the show. Fortunately, this doesn’t detract from the story.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a good update to this classic superhero franchise. While it lacks in originality, it makes up for this with personality. TMNT fans will enjoy the ride if they don’t take it seriously and the film might just create a whole new generation of turtles fans.

3 stars.

Marianne De Pierres’ Peacemaker (2014) is a fast-paced thriller set in a futuristic urban western society that will have speculative fiction readers burning through the pages.

Set in the near future, where large sections of natural landscapes are preserved as parks, Virgin Jackson works as a ranger at Birrimin Park in northeast Australia. When Virgin witnesses a murder in the park, several attempts are made on her life. Since the American marshal, Six Killer, arrives about the same time, Virgin can’t help thinking he’s involved somehow. With the help of the creepy techie Totes and the resourceful reporter Caro, Virgin learns that outer city gangs are involved and it may even be related to her father’s death. Virgin has her work cut out for her with the police eager to arrest her for the murders, the reappearance of an imaginary animal from her troubled teens, and the mysterious Six Killer sticking to her like glue.

The pace of Peacemaker is blistering, leaving readers few moments of reprieve as the plot twists and turns with nearly every page turn. De Pierres crafts a complex plot and complex world, which she draws readers into with skill. Sadly, the prose itself, while good for the most part, is poorly edited, meaning obvious mistakes jar readers often, pulling them out of story’s otherwise frantic narrative as they try to make sense of them.

Virgin is an interesting character with a sordid past that is never fully revealed, probably to lure readers back to the trilogy’s following instalments. Virgin is a strong, capable woman who bears some similarities to Marvel’s Jessica Jones, sans superpowers. Other characters are interesting too, with Six Killer’s enigmatic nature, Totes’ doll collection, and Caro’s mysterious contacts all adding a sense of intrigue and spice to the narrative.

For readers seeking a fast-paced thriller, an intricate plot, and engaging characters in a unique urban western setting, you can’t go far wrong with Peacemaker. If it wasn’t for the glaring errors, it would rate much higher.

3 ½  stars