The heroes in the half shell are back on the big screen. The unfortunate news is that the latest adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will probably only appeal to the diehard fans. The turtles are pretty much what you'd expect, but the focus isn't really on them. Megan Fox, who plays the plucky reporter - April O' Neil, is front and center when it comes to screen time here. The film is centered around her character's discovery of the turtles in a ludicrous plot. Fox is certainly attractive, but has zero range as an actress. Her dull performance was not the banner to hang this movie's success on. That said, the turtle repartee and action scenes save the film from being a complete dud.

The story begins with a crime wave hitting New York City. A masked gang called 'The Foot Clan' is terrorizing the city. Channel 6 reporter April O'Neil (Fox) is tired of covering fluff pieces and decides to strike out on her own to discover who's behind the gang. She uncovers a wise-cracking, ass-kicking, foursome of mutant turtles battling the baddies from their sewer lair. They've been trained by a mutated sensei rat called Splinter (voiced by Tony Shalhoub), who informs April that it was her destiny to uncover the turtles, as it was her actions as a child that helped create them. As April digs deeper into the turtles mystery, with her goofy camera man sidekick (Will Arnett) in tow, she becomes targeted by Shredder (Tohuro Masamune); the evil leader of The Foot Clan, who wants to poison the city.

The plot for the film is a major disappointment. The turtles origin story has the April O'Neil character instrumental in their creation. This is taken verbatim from the original comics. But In the cartoons, April is a side character to the turtles, not the primary protagonist. They are the stars and drive the plot. I believe this approach would have served this story much better. The film puts April's beauty and sex appeal forefront. I supposed it's no surprise a Michael Bay produced film would be shallow and target the crotch instead of the head.

The Turtles - Leonardo (Pete Ploszek, voiced by Johnny Knoxville), Raphael (Alan Ritchson), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), and Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), are exactly like they were in the cartoons and comic books. Leo's the leader, Raph the tough guy, Donnie the nerd, and Mickey the wise guy cracking "cowabunga". They love pizza, rag on each other, and behave as expected. They're fairly entertaining. The turtle humor and action scenes try their best to make up for the plot deficit. Director Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans, Battle: Los Angeles) has the visual FX and action background to deliver the goods in key scenes. I wanted a lot more from the turtles, but was not unhappy with their fighting. Shredder as a character is foolish, but brings the razor sharp beat down enough to not be terrible.

The TMNT fan base won't be blown away by this film, but should find enough parts to like it overall. The casual filmgoer has absolutely nothing to gain by watching this movie. It's what you'd expect from a Michael Bay production, weak plot, bad acting, hot babe, and CGI violence. For some people, that'll be good enough. I will say that TMNT is better, and mercifully shorter than Bay's - Transformers: Age of Extinction. If you like that film, then this adaptation is a winner. If you want to see a much better turtles film, I highly recommend the CGI cartoon, TMNT, that was released in 2007.