You can't keep a good turtle down, apparently. Since their debut in comic form in the mid eighties, the adventures of Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Leonardo, have leapt from the page onto the screen a number of times with mixed results.

This sequel to 2014's reboot sees the teenage turtles once again take on their nemesis Shredder, as well as a new foe from another planet, who is keen to invade Earth and take over things.

Despite saving NYC from evil, Leo (Pete Ploszek), Raphael (Alan Ritchson), Mikey (Noel Fisher) and Donatello (Jeremy Howard) still have to live in the city's sewers; although New York is a cosmopolitan city, it's still not ready for teenage turtles with a propensity for martial arts.

All is quiet until Shredder (Brian Tee) escapes from police custody and decides to continue with his dastardly plans. With the help of fairly mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry), Shredder evades capture by the turtles when he is teleported out of their grasp. However, Shredder finds himself in another dimension where he meets Krang (Brad Garrett) - a pink, brain thing - who is keen to take over the planet, but needs Shredder's help. Shredder agrees and is returned to Earth, where he has to find the missing pieces of a device that will open a portal big enough for Krang and his army to pop through.

Helping out the turtles once again is reporter April O'Neil (Megan Fox) and Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett). They are also joined by newbie Casey Jones (Arrow's Stephen Amell) who puts his hockey skills to good use.

But can the turtles and their pals save not only the city but the world from an alien invasion?

Someone is clearly keen on making this franchise work - quite possibly Michael Bay who produced this film - but on this effort, the saying 'flogging a dead reptile' comes to mind.

In the comics, the material was on the darker side, but these big screen outings have been as light as popcorn and just as fluffy. It's no surprise when you consider that kids channel Nickelodeon currently own the license to the franchise, so they wouldn't want to veer too far from their cartoon counterparts.

The fact is, Out of the Shadows is a cinematic fireworks display; it looks pretty and impressive while it lasts, with its mix of CGI and live action antics, but as soon as it's over, it's instantly forgettable.

It will no doubt appease a younger audience, which is no doubt its target audience - why else would Megan fox be involved? - but if you're expecting something along the lines of a Dark Knight reboot, this isn't it.

That said, director Dave Green has avoided littering the script with the now clichéd cowabungas and kept the pizza references to a minimum in a attempt to move the series along, but it's not enough to see these teenage reptile's adventures appear more grown up.