Tales of the TMNT Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady is retro, mash up gold

I can’t believe that they sent out videos that had the wrong show. When you start watching Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady it looks like a bad copy of the original show. The DVD is supposedly new and features the current TMNT, however, the first things you see when the video starts are the old school turtles from the 80’s. The turtles are in a massive sewer following Shredder, Krang, Bebop & Rocksteady, who are also the 1980’s version.

Krang and Shredder use the Technodrome to take them to another dimension-and it actually works. They find themselves in modern times. A time period where Shredder is not around, the turtles are much more combat ready and less likely to use puns to defeat their opponents. When the pair first lands in modern times Shredder looks at himself and says something to the extent of “I feel much more solid and less rounded”.

That spirit is what makes Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady such a treat to watch. Shredder and Krang are used to wise cracking turtles who are much less of a ninja than today’s TMNT. The 1980’s turtles find themselves in modern times too, which leads to them meeting the current turtles. There is no butterfly effect here; this is strictly a time portal with all of the fun and very little thinking of future impacts.

I forgot that new Rocksteady is much more Russian influenced, whereas the 1980’s version has more in common with a stereotypical low level mobster from New York City.  The 1980’s TMNT also used snappy comebacks and droll humor as much as they did their ninja skills. The new turtles are all action and that fact isn’t lost on the visiting turtles who comment on how violent things are.

April and Casey join in on the fun, with the vintage TMNT realizing that this April is much more different. It was also fun to see the Mighty Mutanimals join in on the fun. The TMNT world is big enough to have more characters that share the same spirit that might even merit their own series.

I don’t know if old school or new TMNT fans will enjoy Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady more. The new fans who have a little history of the vintage series will get some of the jokes. The old fans will wonder what happened to Shredder and how did Bebop get to be so cool.  We’re somewhere in the middle of both camps and found Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady incredibly entertaining.

This also marks the first time that episodes of Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be on DVD before airing on television. You can get the episodes now and they will air on television in November. Bebop & Rocksteady has four episodes on the DVD:

Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady

The Foot Walks Again!

The Big Blow-Out

Lone Rat and Cubs

That final episode takes a look at Splinter shortly after he’s been mutated, how he learned to live life as a giant rat and the TMNT as babies. The DVD is rated PG and was perfectly entertaining for our 7 and 5 year old children.