Have modern movies increased our ability to accept outlandish heroes like the Ninja Turtles?

Yes, and it’s a good thing, James writes…

Theres a newTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesmovie out.

Its a franchise reboot, bringing the iconic brand back to the big-screen in a fresh live-action feature.

Splinter names the turtles Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo after great Renaissance artists.

They are, thus, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It is also patently ludicrous.

They have a fondness for pizza, catchy catchphrases (cowabunga!)

and they spend their nights street-fighting in New York City.

Sometimes they are fighting alien invaders and other mutant anthropomorphic animals.

Sometimes they are kicking it with Vanilla Ice.

Exactly as it says on the tin yes, theres a tin.

Instead, theyll constantly be interrupting the flow with thoughts of thats impossible!, thats unbelievable!

or the worst one, because sarcasm stings yeah, right!

I came to this beautiful realisation as I thought about the Turtles in anticipation of the reboot movie.

Taking a conscious moment to reduce it all down to the raw what is this actually about?

state I find that I accept it in matter-of-fact fashion.

(Because the funny books are where youre most likely to find preposterous plots and protagonists.)

heroes and villains of theX-Menmultiverse.

In spite of that, they are close, feel real and are thought as being just like real.

Firstly, ongoing developments in filmmaking and advancing technology have smoothed over the process of belief.

Gone are the days of stagey sets, unconvincing miniatures and men in rubber suits.

Gone are the days when hokey studio-shot action sequences were filmed in front of obvious superimposed backdrops.

Theres no disconnect in those contemporary examples when you look into the eyes of their leading creatures.

You dont find yourself thinking its an actor or its a special effect.

Our minds are constantly in amazing fictional spaces, and they bleed into our off-screen identity and outlook.

We believe and are willing to believe, and thats our default position.

And why would you not want to entertain the notion that such things are possible?

If you have a problem with that, Ill fight you.

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You canread Jamess last column here.