I've noticed somewhat of a phenomenon - the resurgence of 80s pop culture. I'm pretty sure that this is because children of the 80s like me have now come into careers and are beginning to have real disposable incomes. Thus, DVD box sets of He-Man, repackaged Atari systems, Rubik's cubes, and, most interestingly to me - movies from 80s brands. Hitting the theaters soon will be big-budget reduxs of the Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. American capitalism is not stupid - there is big money in nostalgia, especially nostalgia that they can get people to spend money introducing to their kids. Who knew that toy makers would become big time movie houses (e.g. Hasbro)?

But, I must admit, I am intrigued by such things as these movies. I was both a huge Transformers and TMNT fan as a kid. I participated in discussions about the relative power of Megatron and Optimus Prime. I owned the original Turtles graphic novels by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. I knew every word to the "Turtle Power" rap. I was such a Turtles purist, in fact, that I hated the cartoon because it changed the creation story of Splinter. Unfortunately, judging from the trailers for TNMT, I am pretty much embarrassed. Transformers looks like it may have potential, though.

So, am I just a blind consumer who is being sheared like the dumb sheep I am? Am I getting taken once again in the consumerist frenzies that originally were Transformers and TMNT? Perhaps. But isn't life aided by these creations? How can you argue with "Freedom is a right of all sentient beings" and "If you fight for what's right, and stand up for what you believe in - that's TURTLE POWER!"