I have a very complicated relationship with director / producer Michael Bay. I hate him because of Transformers. The first movie was great, the next two (or three?) not so much. But I love him because of The Rock. And I think that Black Sails is one of the best things that happened on cable.
So you could say things got even more confusing when the third trailer for Bay’s version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You can see it here, if you want; I’m quite pleased with how it’s turned out, trailer-wise, so far.
In relation to this: a friend of mine mentioned how he’d pay good money to see Michael Bay make a reboot of SWAT Kats, a short-lived cartoon from the 90s peopled with anthropomorphic cats. And I can’t help but agree: if a petition asking Michael Bay to translate the show to the big screen is made, I’m on board.
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| SWAT Kats fan art taken from Blackwingedheart87 |
See, I loved SWAT Kats. The main characters, T-Bone and Razor, were the pilots of this renegade jet fighter called the Turbokat, and they fought evil from up in the sky while keeping the local Megakat City authorities at bay. True to the industry standards back then, the show was made kid-friendly by populating the Turbokat’s arsenal with as many “trick missiles” as possible. Despite all this, of course, there was plenty of high-flying action that would’ve made Top Gun creators proud.
Of course, this being a jet fighter show, there were plenty of big explosions. Which is right up Michael Bay’s alley. If he’s shown us anything, he’s pretty capable of directing fast movement and explosions, which makes things even simpler.
And if you’re worried about Michael Bay destroying your childhood, then SWAT Kats is one of the safest properties ever. Unlike the Transformers, most of the characters in SWAT Kats were less serious, and the two main characters were gung-ho swashbucklers, some of the easiest characters to write.
The plots were simple, too: there’s an enemy, and the ‘Kats have to take them down. End of story.
All Michael Bay has to do to keep from ruining the franchise is to think of the campiest storyline and the campiest script, and put in a lot of jet fighter action and explosions, and he’s got a full movie. If the third trailer for TMNT is any indication, Bay’s pretty capable of camp (and self-deprecation).
So do it. Make a big-screen version of SWAT Kats, Michael Bay. I will gladly give you my moneys if you do.