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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Babbles of a Fangirl - Why I Might Boycott TMNT

This isn't the first time I've put in my two cent in about Michael Bay's production of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  If you'd like to catch up with my thoughts, visit here

As you might have noticed, I was one of the very few who decided to give Bay a chance after he released the detail that our turtle buddies were going to be, in fact, alien creatures.  And hey, with recent developments, he actually announced there would be NO ALIENS IN HIS MOVIE!  This was a ray of hope amongst so much bad. I called for Bay to give us something encouraging, a spark of hope amongst so much fanboy doubt, but instead he's gave us this.... 

Megan Fox is on track to play April O'Neil in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie....

Get it out now, kiddies
I've really tried my best to collect my thoughts on this subject.  At first I wanted to scream out at the top of my lungs "BAY YOU'VE FINALLY TAKEN THIS TOO FAR!" I wanted to jump up and down, screaming like a little girl about how my childhood was being stabbed in the face, but I soon realized I needed to step back from this anger and identify why I was so upset.

Was I mad that my choice for April was being overlooked?
In all honestly yes.  Let's be honest, there has never been a casting in a modern take on a nerd franchise that was not met with opposition.  

Case and point
....and again
Despite these qualms (in less extreme cases) we have found bliss with many of the movies with love.  Still, are these jeers valid?  To be honest, sometimes not.  I'm not going to be bitter that April was not played by the actress of my choosing because guess what?  I didn't have anyone in mind.   Which leads me to my next theory for why I'm upset.

Was I mad at the choice of Megan Fox?
After thinking about this I decided, not really.  I'm really not familiar enough with Megan Fox's performances to judge her as an actress.  I remember her being the villain in some Lindsey Lohan movie that no one remembers and of course I remember her as being that half naked chick in Transformers.  I soon decided that it really wasn't much to go off of as far as reasons to place hatred go.  Sure I disagree with girls who jump head first into the sex symbol category, but then again, why shouldn't girls be proud of their bodies either?  I guess that bring me to my next internal question.

Was I mad at what hiring Megan Fox was insinuating for what April will become?
Let's face it kiddies, Megan Fox is known best for one thing.  Not for her talent as an actress (though I'm sure opinions on that vary), not for her work as a speaker-- no Megan Fox is know for this....

[Insert all your dirty thoughts here and NOT my comment section]
Is this really what people want April to be?  There are many variations on what April has been throughout the years.  A reporter, a scientist, a girl with the ability to kick butt.  But a sex symbol?

See the difference?
Am I making myself clear yet?  April is supposed to be the every girl.  She was our link as normal people into this fantastical word.  I could connect with her because she was just an average girl with average looks who managed to become something special.  Hollywood is losing focus on making a real connect between a movies characters and their audience.  By making April look so beyond the norm it is making the movie too far fetch and hard to reach.  Granted I understand that a movie about giant turtles in the adolescents is not exactly easy to make relatable, but we have seen them do it before, haven't we?  

I'm sorry, Bay.  I really want to love this movie.  I keep giving you a chance, but can you please make April something real.  We need ground in the real world to help us reach out.  Something familiar to remind us of home.  Thoughts?  Babble is over.

Xoxo



7 comments:

  1. Fantastic article, stating how it is.

    Sadly, we can expect the same kind of things she brought to the Transformers trilogy, no acting but just eye candy. It's a sad state of affairs.

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  2. I find it interesting how she's set to be in this film, because that fallout she had with Bay a while back was what got her booted off of Dark of the Moon.

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  3. I'm not too picky about my nerdy stuff. If people want to rewrite April O'Neil as some kind of sex symbol I'll let it slide. It wouldn't have been -my- choice, but I always love to see different takes on things.

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  4. I watched Michael Bay rape Transformers before. I'm not going to watch him rape the Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles.

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  5. I don't mind a new take on characters either. I just dont like it when a character alienates it's audience. Think of it this way: I'm coming form the perspective of a girl who was eased into being nerdy through characters like April. She made me feel okay to be in this world. I don't think little girls will look at a sexy version of April and feel the same way. I get that this movie will probably be going for a "edgy" take on things, but realistic people can still be edgy while still being relatable.

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  6. After the second Transformers movie, I couldn't care less what films Michael Bay directs. He is a horrible director, and I can probably say that he's a horrible person. He takes a property and butchers it beyond recognition, and then he pretends he has made a work of genius. I for one am not going to see this film.

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  7. It's funny that my first reaction to the news was surprise that they had made up after she called him Hitler. My second thought was disgust that the character was going to be so watered down. I don't think much of her acting ability and can only assume this is part of the Bay formula for success. Explosion + Hot Chicks = Money. April is supposed to be a tough reporter like Lois Laneand she can't pull that off. I'm not going as far as saying the whole movie is ruined, but this part is.

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