*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I was indifferent to the first TMNT movie. It was okay; it could have been better. It could have also been far worse.

So, there was some apprehension going into TMNT: Out of the Shadows, because, traditionally, sequels were worse than their parent films.

Well, Turtles wasn't. The second film is actually much better than the first. It still has hard- to-digest action sequences right out of Michael Bay's wet dreams, but this one also had some heart. It had a theme.

Being a teenager is difficult enough without, one, having to shoulder the burden of saving the city from an evil ninja, and, two, being forced to hide from the very society they are protecting. The TMNT concept practically begs to touch on things like teen angst, and the feeling of being an outcast that almost all teens feel at some point. But, because they're mutant turtles, this would of course be magnified 10 times.

But the franchise, in its various incarnations, hardly addresses this. But the new Turtle film does. It appeals to the sensibilities of people who recall the awkwardness of being a teenager. This movie actually says something.

There are some flaws, however. Shredder and Krang meet for the first time, Krang proposes an alliance, Shredder accepts. At no point does Shredder flip out while a talking brain rambles on about his plans for world domination. At no point does Shredder question Krang. He is a banished evil warlord. Why would Shredder trust him?

Megan Fox, unfortunately, is still a thing.

Would have been nice to have Casey Jones truer to his original character.

But where the film works is in the script, and, particularly, the scenes with the Turtles, sans their human friends.

And then there's Rocksteady and Bebop. We 80's kids have been waiting 26 years to have them on screen, and, when it finally happens, it doesn't disappoint. There's an interesting dynamic at play with them: While the Turtles yearn for acceptance and to be human, Rocksteady and Bebop, former humans, are happy to be monsters.

I guess the ooze is always on greener on the other side.

But a pretty good Turtle movie overall, and a lot of fun.