Hey folks, Valkor here. Ever since their arrival from the comic
books, to the cartoons, and even the films, I've always been a
huge fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I've always tried
my best to keep tabs whenever a new property of theirs emerges
and now we're on the cusp of a new film (which has plenty a folks
ragin) and even a new series thanks to the folks at Nickelodeon.
We're still a ways off from their release dates, so until then
we can thank writer and director Polaris Banks for giving us a
short film to hold us over entitled "Casey Jones". Looks like
tonight's the night!
Casey Jones as the title states revolves around vigilante hot head with lust for beatin down baddies with anything sports related – Casey Jones (Hilarion Banks). The short film is kinda like Batman Begins, where we're thrust into his early life of getting kicked out from his Hockey team and moving back in with his mom. As Casey is outdoors doing a paint number, he's confronted by a bunch of thugs who go by the name "The Purple Dragons". They work our boy Casey over good, but he's not giving up without a fight. He puts himself on a strict training regiment and with one final piece of hardware - the infamous mask, Casey is ready to hit the streets. And he hits em… hard. Brutally hard! Like dudes ain't wakin up no more, that kinda hard. Things change when he meets a green dude in a trench coat and fedora hat named Michelangelo (voiced by Robbie Rist, who actually voiced Michelangelo in the first film). The very same Michelangelo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who sorta teaches Casey that killing isn't the way to go. I say sorta because before he can learn that lesson, a bunch of Ninjas attack the duo and the fight is on to save the streets of the lower east side.
Casey Jones has a runtime of 35 minutes and features some nice character cameos such as April O'Neil (Savannah Welch), Krang (voiced by Chris Frasier), plus you get voices of the other turtles and yes Casey gets the chance to mix it up with The Foot clan. Now let's dive into this short one slice at a time as we delve into the TOV Breakdown. Hold the anchovies.
The Good:
Casey Jones is 35 minutes of hard core, no holds barred, kick you in the face until you're spittin chiclets action. I'm not even exaggerating; this is the Casey Jones I've always wanted to see! And now that I've seen it, I'm ecstatic! The dude does not hold back and when he nails a guy with any one of his weapons… yes there will be blood and plenty of it. Not buckets mind you but enough to make you say "DAAAAAAAMN"!! The story is simple and very well thought out maintaining the continuity of… Hmmm… I'll say the 80's cartoon (I'll talk more about this in the next section), the pacing is tight and the choreography is right on the money, though there were some spotty moments, however I have no complaints overall when it comes to the fight scenes and the editing. And kudos for nailing Robbie Rist, who slips right back into his Ninja Turtle role with ease, spouting all sorts of fun lines during the fight scenes. In the end, I love me some Casey Jones (No homo) and if you're a fan of the Ninja Turtles in general, this is one short you'll want to seek out!
The Not So Bad:
Ok this might be me nitpicking, but as I recall reading the books, seeing the original live action film, hell even the CGI film, it's always been Casey and Raphael who were partners from the jump. Now I'm not saying I'm against the whole him and Mikey being buddies from the start, but I think the scene would have been even more fun with two hot heads bustin chops. Now as far as continuity, I stated above that it fits in with the 80's cartoon, which would be true since Krang is involved plus you have April in her cartoon jumpsuit. However there are bits that feel like it's from the live-action film (the pizza guy who has to get a new route, plus Robbie Rist spouting a few lines from the film), and then there's Michelangelo himself who has the white eyes ala TMNT 2003/original Eastman/Laird comic. Again these aren't complaints. I'm just pointing out the obvious that I'm sure many a fans will see.
The Ugly:
Krang! Nice job but wow! I never thought I'd ever see the day when I'd get to see Krang in live action form. Wow!
If you wanna check out the film for yourself, click the logo on the right and prepare yourself for 35 minutes of entertainment you won't soon forget – especially if you're a fan like me. Casey Jones is an awesome short topped with a great story, fun cameos, and heaping piles of action that's a winner in my book. So out of TOV 5 stars, I'm givin Casey Jones 4.5. Now outta my way ya purse grabbin pukes!
