This movie is
just awesome—far better than the second part and totally floors the third. The
producers and director decided to make this an all-out adult fun movie. Unlike
the second one, where the weapons are hardly used, here in this wonderful
movie, the weapons are used as often as possible.
The movie’s
dialogue is impressive, and the martial arts are something you’ll enjoy seeing.
For me, Casey Jones (Elias Koteas) was the icing on the cake.
Done in 1990,
the movie is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic script
by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The movie is directed by Steve Barron, and he
did a great job blending the characters and live actors.
The movie takes
place in New York City, where the crime rate is skyrocketing, and the NYPD has
no way of stopping it. A mysterious clan, the Foot Clan, is behind the crime
wave, led by Master Shredder.
Things take a
turn for Shredder and his Foot Clan when four vigilantes—Leonardo,
Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael—come out of the sewers to save the city.
The odd thing
about these vigilantes? They’re turtles—and not just any turtles. They’re Ninja
Turtles trained in the art of ninjutsu by their master and leader, Splinter (a
rat). Together with their new friends, April O’Neil (Judith Hoag) and Casey
Jones, they band together to take the fight to The Shredder.
This movie was a
huge commercial success, clearing a whopping $201 million at the box office
from a $13.5 million budget. Of all the sequels, it received the highest
approval rating, because it is that good.
The movie’s
script stays very close to the dark tone of the original comic but borrows some
elements from the animated series that was running at the time. For example, it
uses different colored masks for each turtle to differentiate them, unlike the
comics where they all wore red masks. (Though now, the colored mask idea has
stuck and is seen in the comics too.) Also, the idea of April O’Neil being a
reporter is taken from the animated series.
For me, I may
have loved the second part of the franchise as a kid, mostly because I adored
the comic idea. But nothing stands against this movie—it’s the best of all the
Turtle movies made so far.
Here’s a fun
fact from Wikipedia: All four actors who played the Turtles also appeared in
cameos as minor characters. David Forman (Leonardo) played a gang member,
Michelan Sisti (Michelangelo) was a pizza delivery man, Leif Tilden (Donatello)
was a Foot Clan messenger, and Josh Pais (Raphael) was a taxi passenger.
As we wait for a
new reboot of the franchise by Michael Bay (as I’ve heard—though things may
change), I just hope they stay close to the original story, keep the movie
dark, and add a bit of comedy. Because the Turtles joking around while fighting
crime might not be what many fans want to see.
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