The new trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just came out, but is it really new? With the trailer basically 85% reused footage  – even the same voiceover – it seems like there’s nothing left to see. And that’s basically true . . . UNLESS you have a very keen eye – and freeze frame. The 15% of this trailer that we haven’t seen yet not only shows all four turtles, but also gives us a look at the team’s mousy master, Splinter.

It’s Turtle Time:

 This time around we got to see a little bit more of Donatello (purple mask) and Raphael (red mask), but much like Michelangelo (orange mask) and Leonardo (blue mask) in the first trailer, these turtles range from weird looking to amazingly awesome. Maybe it’s the noses or those really pronounced lips, but Michelangelo and Donatello look like Shrek’s goofy and brainy clones.

On the other hand, Leonardo and Raphael look incredibly badass and perfectly embody the ninja-look. Now I’m aware those two were the more serious ones, but that shouldn’t affect their look under the masks that much. Remember the original Ninja Turtles movie from the 90s. Sure, they didn’t look realistic, but they all had the same genuine look to them. Maybe these trailers just used the most unflattering close-shots of Mikey and Donnie – who knows.

Regardless of their looks, it certainly seems like Michael Bay has their personalities right: Michelangelo is still the jokester; Leonardo is the quite and reserved leader; Donatello is the most intelligent of the group and works on his inventions more than his fighting skills; and Raphael is the most aggressive and short tempered of the group. All and all, bravo on this side Michael Bay.

 Splinter vs Shredder:

 Now the biggest new addition to this trailer was a VERY quick glimpse at Splinter, the turtles’ sensei and father figure. Over the years, Splinter has always been the mutated pet of the honorable ninja master Hamato Yoshi – or Hamato himself mutated into a rat. Which version Michael Bay is going to use we don’t know yet, but one thing – hopefully – seems certain: his relationship with Shredder.

As I said last time, I’m a bit disheartened that Shredder isn’t going to be Japanese like he is in every other incarnation TMNT. On the bright side, it seems that Shredder and Splinter’s antagonistic relationship towards each other remains the same. And if my hypothesis is true, then I’m very okay with William Fichtner playing Shredder.

Insightful Panda Hypothesis:

Since Shredder is narrating the trailer and is telling April O’Neil about how he and her father wanted to create heroes, perhaps April’s father is Splinter. Maybe Shredder tried to kill him and that turned him into Splinter.

If my theory is true, then this would add an interesting new dimension to the story while also remaining true to the long held animosity between Splinter and Shredder. At the very least, Splinter probably knows what happened to April’s father.

Whatever comes from this movie remains to be seen. We need a much more substantial trailer, but either way this movie is just meant to be fun. Don’t expect the political thriller of Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier, nor the grandeur and suspense of Godzilla (2014). This is just another attempt to bring one of our childhood cartoons to the movies, but will it be as fulfilling as the first Transformers (2007) or will it be as WTF as BattleShip (2012).