IGN, a site that clearly was not impressed by the early previews of Nick’s TMNT show, gave its verdict of the first episode, titled “Rise of the turtles”, and it seems that the show was able to win IGN over.
From the review:” In the end, though, the real draw of this show is its characters. Not only is the series voiced by a stellar cast — Sean Astin, Mae Whitman and Jason Biggs among them — but the writing is genuinely funny. Greg Cipes’ Michaelangelo in particular has some hilarious interplay with his brothers throughout the pilot. What’s more, each turtle is dynamic and layered, with different goals and perspectives. April, meanwhile, has been aged down to 16, which may seem like a bad idea at first, but it actually matches her up with the turtles and allows her to play on their level.
In the vein of shows like The Legend of Korra and Young Justice, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a show that’s entertaining for all ages. While the tech and pop culture references have been updated to reflect the modern times, the new series still retains TMNT’s trademark humor, as well as its violence — although, to be fair, alien cyborgs take the brunt of the beating. Nevertheless, the turtles aren’t afraid of using their weapons whilst kicking butt, which, as an older viewer, is much appreciated.”
The review ends with a stellar 8.5 score.
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