Why I’m Excited for the New ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ No Matter What Anyone Says [VIDEO]

Everyone has their childhood fantasy heroes.  For some, it's Flash Gordon.  For others, it's Transformers.  For me, and my wife, it's the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

We have the entire original movie trilogy on DVD, a small trunk full of old TMNT action figures; and yes, I even saw the less-than-great CGI TMNT reboot in the theater on opening day, with tickets purchased in advance.  To say I'm a "fan" is a bit of an understatement.

So of course, I've been excited about the upcoming movie reboot of my favorite crime-fighting mutant brothers since it was first announced.  Even as rumors circulated that producers (i.e. Michael Bay) were cutting the "teenage mutant" part of the mythos and making them into turtle-like aliens, I remained cautiously optimistic (even if a little disappointed).  But when the first official trailer was released a few months back, and I saw the full "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" title on the screen, I can't even describe how relieved and excited I was.

But the Internet is full of obnoxious people who abhor change and would rather live in the past, cuddled up to circa-1980's ninja turtles.  The YouTube comments on the trailers are littered with negativity: "Michael Bay is ruining my childhood." "Looks Terrible." "Megan Fox? Really?" The swirling tidepool of pessimism over a movie that isn't even out yet is nauseating.

But I'm still excited.

Change is inevitable.  Hollywood is bringing a beloved franchise to a new generation of fans, and I think that's great; but you can't do that with crude puppet-costumes and stop-motion animation.  TMNT needed a fresh start, a post-Avatar treatment, with the latest movie-making technology.  It looks to me like they're pulling it off quite well.

So come August 8th, you can find me at the movies, bathing in the nostalgia of my childhood being renewed on the big screen once again.  Hope to see you there!