First and foremost, let's start with a disclaimer: I'm going to see the movie and hope for the best. Based on the trailer and TV spot, it doesn't look amazing, but hopefully it'll at least be a good dose of popcorn entertainment. That's not asking too much, right? Okay, now that it's clear the objective here isn't to blatantly hate on the movie, I will admit I'm not the biggest fan around of the new designs.
There's three key attributes that now define each Turtle: the color of the mask, their signature weapon(s), and their personality. Originally, it was just the weapon and personality since the comics were black and white, but let's be honest: the color masks really help them stand apart and say a little more about who they are. It's a tried and true design that has now lasted decades. Each new version tends to bring little changes while respecting the original design, too.
A great example is what the current Nickelodeon show has done for each character. The three main attributes obviously remain, but they've added subtle changes to compliment who they are. Raphael's the most muscular of the batch and his shell has a crack -- he's the brawler and the most aggressive, so it's fitting. Michelangelo is the shortest, has a few freckles/spots, and is lean. He's the "little brother" (in terms of personality, at least), so once again, it's fitting. Donatello's the tallest and the leanest, a stereotypical physical trait that's sometimes applied to "nerds," so once again, it makes sense. And Leonardo's the most balanced. Not too tall, not too short, not too muscular, not too lean. Again, appropriate for the character. These changes to their designs do enough to make them unique and stand apart as their own "version" of the Turtles. None of these changes are a drastic departure from the source, either.
This upcoming movie, though? Its several additions to the Turtles just come off as unnecessary to me. Look, I can get past the team being bigger than they usually are. I get it, they're mutants and mutants often grow. Whatever, I'm cool with it as long as they can remain nimble and stealthy. But why does Raphael have sunglasses? "It's because he's cool and a badass!" Okay, but why does a guy who lives in the sewers and likely fights crime at night wear sunglasses? From the little we've seen, he doesn't even have them over his eyes when he's out during the day. Aren't those annoying to have on your forehead when you're flipping around and such? It's a little silly to me, but I'd be a total liar if I said he doesn't look like he'll be quite a powerhouse in the movie.
Mikey has a necklace, a hoodie tied around his waist and sneakers to make him seem "cooler," but why not focus on showing this through his personality instead of sprinkling him with so much extra gear? If they're ninja turtles, don't they want to wear less stuff so they make less noise and fewer things can potentially hinder their movement? I get Leo's armor is a nod to tradition, but wearing bamboo armor seems a little silly when you already have a shell for armor, yes? Then there's Donatello in his Ghostbusters cosplay. He's wearing something that looks like a Proton Pack. Why? No idea. Maybe it has all of the tools he needs? But again, if they're ninjas (it's in the title for a reason, people), lugging around a huge backpack seems a little counter-productive, right? Then he also allegedly wears stereotypical "geek glasses." So he has bad vision now, too? He's sure to be an awesome ninja!
As for the lips and nose, it's obviously a drastic shift from the norm and is absolutely noticeable with the little we've seen from Mikey and Leo. Truthfully, it looks a little creepy and, as the internet has pointed out several times now, absolutely draws parallels to someone like Shrek. That said, this huge change could serve a bigger purpose. Perhaps they're humans that were mutated? Every new take on the TMNT brings changes to their origin story and it's clear this movie's going to make quite a few. We won't know until the movie comes out, obviously, but that would seemingly be the most logical reason for this huge design change.
I don't mind if new versions of the franchise want to stray a bit from the traditional designs Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird established. In fact, it's awesome to see so many different incarnations make slight additions to the classic look (I can't praise the IDW comic and the Nick show enough). However, it seems like the upcoming movie looked at the characters and said something like, "Yes, they have the colors, the personalities and the weapons... but let's add at least 2-4 more unique bits of attire to each one!" It feels like they went overboard with accessories and currently, it doesn't quite feel like the four brothers we've come to know and love. Maybe these alterations will be really cool as we see them unfold in context, but for right now, I can't say I'm the most enthusiastic person around about the new look.
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