elvisdo's Full Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The Movie
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
The most famous green-skinned superhero is probably the Incredible Hulk from Marvel Comics, though the Martian Manhunter from DC Comics is climbing up from obscurity to recognition. But they haven’t made as fast an impact as Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s comic book creations in 1984 by Mirage Studios.
Four mutated turtles trained in the ways of the ninja warrior by an overgrown rat proved to be a successful hit. It was only a matter of time when the phenomenon would reach the masses and the 1990 live-action movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles proved to be an instant hit with many people. Nobody expected “Turtle Power” to catch on fire like it did.
Ninjas Turtles They Might Be But They Are Still Teenagers
There is a severe crime wave hitting the streets of New York City that has kept the NYPD quite busy. Investigative reporter April O’Neil researches the situation on a gang known as the Foot Clan committing these acts of crime. Unfortunately, she gets too close and encounters a few Foot Clan Ninjas that want to silence her. Luckily for her, she has a guardian angel in the form of a teenaged, mutant, ninja turtle named Raphael.
Along with his three brothers—Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo— and Splinter, their sensei master who happens to be a giant rat, they all try to figure out who is behind the Foot Clan. Their question is answered when the Foot finds their secret lair and kidnaps Splinter. An armour-plated, ninja warrior named the Shredder leads them. Incidentally, Splinter and Shredder have a history between each other.
Without their master’s guidance, the Turtles are in disarray as they are caught off-guard and outnumbered by the Foot Clan, even with the help of the masked vigilante known as Casey Jones. They need to find their focus and regroup to save Splinter, or lose their master forever at the hands of the Shredder.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made such a huge impact with kids, thanks to the animated series that came out three years prior to the movie. It was only a matter of time before “Turtle Power” hit the big screen. When it was first announced that it was going to be a live-action movie, I rolled my eyes so far back into my head that I think I actually hurt myself.
To my surprise, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and this was due to one name that gave me faith: Jim Henson. The innovative puppetry technique by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop was truly magical. The costumes of the Turtles didn’t look clumsy or bulky at all as movement performed by these actors wearing them was quite fluid in nature.
But there are two disturbing things about this movie. The first is Judith Hoag, who plays April O’Neil. Actually, it’s not Hoag who disturbs me at all. She was actually good in the movie. It’s her hair that scares me. That leftover 80s frizzy do on her head was quite, quite scary. Shredder wasn’t scary at all. April’s hair eclipses him.
Speaking of 80s leftovers, how did Corey Feldman get a gig as a voice actor as he plays Donatello in this movie? That’s the other disturbing thing.
Interestingly enough, the movie followed more of its comic book roots than the animated series. This accounts for its darker tone, though there were light-hearted elements from the animated series that managed to seep its way into the movie. Can anyone say “Cowabunga, Dude?” But I think this dark feeling to the movie surprised parents. I’m sure they were expecting to see the cartoon version come to life. The stylized violence and fighting was perhaps a little more than they bargained for when they took their kids to see this movie. There is humour but not as much as one would expect.
Though the Turtles do take the spotlight, human figures such as April O’Neil (Judith Hoag), Casey Jones (Elias Koteas) and Shredder (James Saito and voiced by David McCharen) had impacting roles. It was also a good reminder that this wasn’t a cartoon.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could have been a debacle by doing a disservice to the characters. I think director Steve Barron had the foresight to stick closer to the source material making sure that it didn’t become campy in any sense of the manner. I know parents didn’t like the dark undertones surrounding the movie, which later accounted for the lighter feel to the sequels. I’m just glad such a risk was taken to producing a movie like this, especially at a time when comic book movies had a huge albatross hanging around its neck. This small, independent movie proved that there was still life. It just existed in the sewers.
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