Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (1990)

• 
  
  March 5, 2012

  MovieGeek13

  Growing up as a kid, I had two obsessions: Star Wars and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And of these two, the latter practically consumed me for the first five years of my life. I had countless TMNT toys and would spend hours playing and making up my own adventures. When I discove... read morered the show and the movies, well let's just say the hours I spent not playing with my TMNT toys were spent watching TMNT. Twenty years later, I'm all grown up, but I still look back on the heroes in a half shell with a nostalgic admiration. And I'll even defend this first live action movie as a legitimately good film. The costumes are remarkably well done, from the design to the people underneath the turtle suits. The action is lots of fun while not being too overly violent. Shredder is as much a badass here as he is in the cartoons, and even for an 80s film the story is well told and relevant.
  The Turtles have always had underlying themes of family and brotherhood. Possessing excellent martial arts skills, they fight only in self defense and to help those who can't fight for themselves. Beyond that, the Turtles are very much like kids, having much to learn about life and looking up to a mentor and role model in their Master, Splinter. I think the whole idea lends itself well to kids because there is so much that they can relate to, especially if they come from broken or single family homes. This film really confronts this kind of subject matter by showing a lot of homeless runaway teens, some no more than 8 years old, finding solace in the wrong place due to a lack of guidance and parents but nevertheless being tempted by the notion of belonging to a family. Even among the comedy, silly Turtle antics, and Elias Koteas' amazing performance as Casey Jones, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has a lot of heart.
  It bugs me that so many parents were outraged by the dark tone of this film. Its story allows kids to escape from reality while confronting some of the harsher aspects of it. I would have loved to see more films like this one rather than Turtles in Time or Vanilla Ice's Ninja Rap.

  Share This Review
• 
  
  October 17, 2011

  TheDudeLebowski65

  Growing up as a kid, I used to be a huge fan of the cartoon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I remember when this film came out, I was very excited. What five year old wouldn't be? After re-watching this film a while back, I was disappointed. The film has aged very badly, and now I... read more noticed all the faults that this film possessed. The film might have good back when it was first released, but it hasn't stood the test of time whatsoever. The acting, plot and directing are all bad. This is the type of film that was great as a kid, but when you watch it years later, you wonder why there's anything appealing about it. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a film that hasn't stood the test of time, and looking back, the film was way better back when I was a kid. This is a film that really can't be seen as a classic of your child because the film looks like crap now. Films like The Sandlot and Toy Story are still great because they were well made, and really haven't aged that bad either. But this one has, and it definitely looks dated and looks awful. The acting is terrible, the plot is bad, and the whole is silly. This is one of those films you look at years later, and you're like "what the hell did I love that for?" Well, the cartoon will always be a classic no matter what, it's just a shame that the film hasn't aged well, because when I was a kid, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But now, I saw the films faults, and there are too many to mention. Oh well, the cartoon is great.

  Share This Review
• 
  
  August 9, 2011

  fb729949618

  Loved this as a little kid, but I gotta rate it overall.

  Share This Review
• 
  
  June 15, 2011

  cosmo313

  This debuted in theaters on my 4th birthday, and it has been a favorite of mine ever since. I like the second and third ones, but this one has always been my favorite. It's also the best of the three, but that's generally how these things tend to work anyway (for the most part). ... read moreAnyways, this still holds up pretty well. When I was a kid, I knew this film had a darker edge, but it wasn't until I got older that I realized how dark and edgy it was, and how that works in the film's favor. This came out at a time when the PG rating still meant something, and kids thought it was awesome due to the mild swearing, the rough teens being punks and smoking, and the actual sense of danger and suspense one felt during the fight scenes.
  
  It also wasn't until later that I knew that Corey Feldman voiced Donatello, and that the lead punk (the one who offers cigarettes, confronts Casey, Splinter, and Danny at the warehouse, and talks to the cops at the end) was played by Sam Rockwell. I like Judith Hoag, but I like Paige Turco better as April. If only Turco was in this one. Hoag nonetheless does a good job though. Koteas is great as Casey Jones, but it's a shame his character got softened up as the series went on.
  
  Even though this is a comic and cartoon adaptation geared towards kids, it still shows some balls, and does a great job of creating atmosphere and building tension. If you suspend disbelief about the Turtles and Splinter being unrealistic, the rest of this movie actually feels pretty plausible. Shredder makes for a dark and convincing crime lord type figure, ninjas make for great menacing thieves, and the idea of using troubled kids as recruits works well in a social problems/urban issues context. Yes, that's right, there is a bit of substance in this film, and a major theme/motif is family, and the powerful bond of it. Of course this is not preachy, and it is given a back seat to turtle action, but it does mean that the film is trying for something greater, even if it is downplayed and not handled in the way an uberserious auteur would. I also like that this is a more serious film, but that there's still some humor, and it is balanced pretty nicely with the more serious stuff.
  
  Damn I love this movie. It makes me really nostalgic for the early 90s, and, should a live action reboot ever happen (if done right, it should), I think this is the film that used be used as the main model/template. If it is to be done, make it live action, use puppets and animatronics (not CG), make it dark, make it hard edged (but still retain the humor), and for the love of God, make the turtles actually seem real and plausible, and not cartoony. That's the thing here: you actually feel like what happens, could happen.

  Share This Review
• 
  
  April 14, 2011

  ajv2688

  If you're a huge fan of the Ninja Turtles, you can't miss this movie. It's fun, slightly cheesy, and exciting. I liked it when I was a kid.

  Share This Review
• 
  
  December 25, 2010

  FilmFanatik

  I'd say most of the reason I love this movie is due to nostalgia. I was a turtle fan and was excited out of my skull for a live action movie. Being an adult and trying to be objective about it, it winds up being one of the best comic book movies ever made and just an all around... read more good time. I never considered this a very family-friendly movie and never understood why it is still marketed that way. It's dark and brooding and has an overall tone to it that doesn't really scream family fun - at least to me. But I love the fact that it's dark. It just makes it all that more interesting. I'm still waiting for the day when this is given a proper deluxe edition treatment on either DVD or Blu-ray, or both. Until then, I'll still continue to enjoy the film in hopes of getting a good presentation of it.

  Share This Review
• 
  
  November 30, 2010

  LoughnerWasLucid

  if you grew up in the 90's and didnt fall in love with ninja turtles way before u liked boobs, then please, for the good of mankind go move to Iowa.

  Share This Review
• 
  
  July 29, 2010

  bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1

  C

  Share This Review
• 
  
  November 26, 2009

  ythelastman89

  A great movie that almost perfectly captures the tone of the comics. It is way more dark than the cartoon series and has a better feel for the characters. The effects look amazing, even today. They really brought the turtles to life. It is a great story and a lot more in depth th... read morean one might expect.

  Share This Review
• 
  
  September 25, 2009

  SirPant

  It was the classic playground must-see-movie of the time. It?s quite crap though looking at it now! Crap but fun!

  Share This Review

• Judith Hoag as April O'Neil
• Elias Koteas as Casey Jones
• Ray Serra as Chief Stearns
• Josh Pais as Passenger in Cab
• Michael Turney as Danny Pennington
• Michelan Sisti as Michelangelo/Pizza Man
• Leif Tilden as Donatello/Foot Messenger
• James Saito as Shredder
• David Forman as Gang Member

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

• 
  TMNT (92%)
• 
  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Secret ... (94%)
• 
  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (87%)
• 
  The Muppets (50%)

• • Michaelangelo: Who is THAT? Wayne Gretzsky... on steroids?
• • Michelangelo/Pizza Man: It's a kodak moment.
• • Splinter: I too once had a family, Danny. Many years ago I lived in Japan: a pet of my master Yoshi, mimicking his movements from my cage and learning the mysterious art of Jinjitsu, for Yoshi was one of Japan's finest shadow warriors. His only rival was a man named Oroko Saki, and they competed in all things, but in nothing more fiercely than for the love of a woman, Thang Shin. Shin's love was only for my master and rather than see him fight Saki for her hand, she persuaded Yoshi to flee with me to America. But Saki vowed vengeance. I remember it well, as my master returned home to find his beloved Shin lying on the floor, and then he saw her killer. Saki wasted no words, and during the struggle, my cage was broken. I leapt to Saki's face, biting and clawing, but he threw me to the floor and took one swipe with his Katana, slicing my ear. Then he was gone, and I was alone.
• • Splinter: I am proud of you, my sons. Tonight you have learned the final and greatest truth of the Ninja: that ultimate mastering comes not from the body, but from the mind. Together, there is nothing your four minds cannot accomplish. Help each other, draw upon one another, and always remember the power that binds you. The same is what brought me here tonight, that which I gladly return with my final words: I love you all, my sons.
• • Splinter: All fathers care for their sons.
• • Splinter: You will listen now. My Master Yoshi's first rule was 'Possess the right thinking', only then can one recieve the gifts of strength, knowledge, and peace. I have tried to channel your anger, Raphael, but more remains. Anger clouds the mind. Turned inward it is an unconquerable enemy. You are unique among your brothers, for you choose to face this enemy alone. But as you face it, do not forget them, and do not forget me. I am here, my son.

• which movie has the tagline: "Heroes in a half shell!"?  Answer »
• What movie has the line, "Ninja kick the damn rabbit!" ?  Answer »
• Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello, make up the team with one other fellow, Raphael! Name this immortal team brought to the big screen in 1990!  Answer »
• BattleToad's Synonym Game - Name the movie whose title means the same as the clues. -Pre-adult -Genetically Atypical -Shadow Warrior -Shelled Reptile  Answer »

• 
  A little bit tougher TMNT quiz
  by fb91100135
  82 taken
• 
  Ninja Turtles 1st movie (1990)
  by fb716128407
  89 taken
• 
  TMNT194
  by fb638497501
  0 taken
• 
  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  by fb1353866198
  8 taken
• 
  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  by fb583224342
  18 taken

• Trailer
• TMNT 2007 trailer
• The Rundown

• lystra69
• PrincessOf...
• thatautogr...
• DisneyMania86
• foxygracie
• leprosy4less
• davebush2003
• chefcharot

• 

  ?Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Producer Talks Plot, Characters And Potential Cameos In Reboot

  Posted by SexiVixxEN
  3 years ago
• 

  Turtles come to life

  Posted by MizasterJ
  3 years ago

• 

  SUPERHERO MOVIES

  by bearbudah
  13 Movies
• 

  Movie's seen

  by tidus3948
  65 Movies
• 

  FILMS - Superheros

  by SirPant
  110 Movies
• 

  Movies I Own.

  by trashboy4p1
  255 Movies
• 

  I just nostalgia'd in my pants.

  by cigaretteburns
  190 Movies

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?