TMNT: What Fans Want From The Live Action The Last Ronin

Paramount announced that it’s developing a live-action R-rated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie that’s going back to the TMNT roots. That means it will be considerably darker than modern day fans are accustomed to with this franchise. The original series was scarce with its humor. However, it’s not because this movie is going to tell a new origin story or be a continuatyion of the original comic. It’s because Paramounts new movie will be an adaptation of The Last Ronin, a particularly emotional, tragic, and violent story that follows only one of the four titular Ninja Turtles.

Besides the movie receivng an R-rating and that it will be live-action, not much is known about the film. It’s still in the early stages of development. The story about The Last Ronin is a self-contained tale that takes place in an alternate future with a mix of familiar and new faces. It should be an exciting movie, but only if the director and writer cover their bases.

The Last Ronin, Explained

In the far future, when there are jetpacks and flying cars, New York City is no longer protected by the four turtles audiences are familiar with. In fact, the city isn’t protected by the turtles at all. It’s a world where the Shredder won. A coordinated attack by the Foot Clan killed off Splinter and three of the four turtles, though it wasn’t easy for the lone brother to survive. Shredder’s grandson, Oroku Hiroto, and the Foot Clan go on to rule New York City with an iron fist and only a small resistance group tries to stand up against Hiroto’s tyranny.

Wielding the weapons of all the turtles, the surviving brother infiltrates Hiroto’s stronghold on a suicide mission. Shredder’s grandson proves to be too well-protected and skilled, forcing the Ronin to flea. Before he committs sepukko in the sewers near his old home, he’s stopped by some familiar faces. He’s given new motivation to survive and formulates a more thorough plan of action to give New York back to its citizens. The Last Ronin, over everything else, is about grief and overcoming it.

Less Humor, More Grit

Fans of the comic book series and all the feature films know Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles for the comedy. It works well for a series about some human-sized turtles who just want to live like humans. The Last Ronin is tonally different. It’s a complete contrast to what long-time fans are used to from this franchise. The movie needs to follow suit.

The writers shouldn’t try to find humor in a dark place to “help” the audience acclimate to the story. It shouldn’t be treated like the MCU, which is littered with witty one-liners. They’re funny, but this isn’t the movie for it. If there’s humor at all, it should be used in the flashbacks when events were dire, but still more lighthearted.

The Ronin sees the specters of his brothers throughout his journey against Hiroto, which would be painful for anyone. He nearly committed suicide at one point because the weight of the events were emotionally crushing. The story is significantly more emotional than other TMNT iterations and it shouldn’t be tarnished. It might be difficult for some writers because it’s only natural to lean into humor with these characters, but it’s necessary to keep it more serious.

Characters in The Last Ronin don’t function with the same preparedness or even the same technology that the turtles have used in the past. The surviving turtle mostly has his own wits to rely on. Something the live-action movie should focus on. Since it’s a revenge story, there should be plenty of violence. With an R-rating, it’s likely to be a bloodfest.

Just as much focus on the past as the Present

The Last Ronin comic jumps between the present –or rather future– and the past to tell a complete story. Readers witness the events that lead up to the death of the Ronin’s family in fragmented pieces while also seeing the aftermath and what he does to avenge his family. This builds up tension in two instances. One where the OG team goes out in a blaze of glory and another where the Ronin tries to stop Hiroto and his armies.

Filming The Last Ronin live-action movie in a similar fashion wouldn’t just be loyal to the source material, it would also give audiences some context. It’s not enough to only show the dystopian future. The audience needs to see what happened to all of their beloved characters from Casey Jones to the turtles to Master Splinter. It would also set it apart from the previous live-action movies that were more linear.

While fans are already attached to the characters, the sequences in the past could be used to develop a bond between the audience and those who are going to perish. The audience needs to care that these characters die. They need to feel a grief similar to what the Ronin is feeling. Simply knowing of these characters isn’t going to accomplish it. Some members of the audience might have only seen Michael Bay’s action packedNinja Turtle movies and hated them. There wouldn’t be much an emotional connection then. That’s what the new movie needs to do.

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