The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live-Action Film Trilogy: A Nostalgic Retrospective
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- Опубликовано: 3 июл 2024
- [SPOILERS: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live-Action Film Trilogy (1990-1993)]
As a kid, I spent a lot of time at my Grammy’s house where me and my cousins would gather round her built like a nuclear missile silo Magnavox television and watch one of the three VHS tapes she had: Fried Green Tomatoes, Christmas Around The World w/ Perry Como, and the 1990 Live Action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie. My vote would always be for Fried Green Tomatoes, but more often than not I would be overruled and we’d end up watching Ninja Turtles.
Having previously revisited my dormant childhood memories with my video on Meet Joe Black, I figured I’d do the same for the original live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy and see how well they stack up 30 years later.
Quick note: I am not at all familiar with either the OG comics nor the animated series that debuted in 1987, so I won’t be factoring them into my analysis; although I’d love to hear any insights from those who are in the comments.
And with that said, let’s dive in…
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[00:00] - Intro/Shout-outs
[01:24] - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
[08:08] - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze (1991)
[15:09] - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: ??? (1993)
[21:05] - Conclusion
[21:41] - Outro/Patrons
VIDEO
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Animatronics: • Teenage Mutant Ninja T...
Making Of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: • Teenage Mutant Ninja T...
ARTICLES
Interview w/ Marta Evry: www.btlnews.com/crafts/editin...
Judith Hoag Not Asked To Reprise Her Role: www.cbr.com/teenage-mutant-ni...
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III - AFI Catalog: catalog.afi.com/Catalog/movie...
LA Times Review: www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
MUSIC
"Danse Macabre" by Kevin Macleod: • "Danse Macabre" Kevin ...
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (OST) - Main Theme" by John Du Perez: • Teenage Mutant Ninja T...
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II (OST) - Turtles Arrive, Main Titles" by John Du Perez: • Teenage Mutant Ninja T...
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (OST) - April Brings Gifts, The Scepter" by ???:
• Teenage Mutant Ninja T... 
Кино
Hey - look what came up in my feed?! I was scrolling while on an endless hold with my bank and took the bait. Full disclosure: I only watched until 8:15. Thank you for the very kind review of our little movie. You got SO much right concerning the behind-the-scenes but a couple things were off. Someday maybe I’ll fill you in. Steve Baron made this movie what it was along with Henson’s Creature Shop and a brilliant hardworking crew. His vision was the guiding force behind the film and we were very lucky to have him. Wish Golden Harvest had felt the same.
The Fire Goddess herself... it is an honor and we would love to learn the full story sometime as the film was a big part of my childhood. You're always April in my book ❤❤❤
I had such a crush as a kid. I even had this jealousy thing going on because I wasn't keen on Casey and didn't even want the action figure 🤣
All I can say is that you were awesome in the movie. I wished the cartoon April was more like your character.
You were great in the movie. Your Character was really authentic to the source despite not wearing the yellow jumpsuit. Like many other guys will say, you were the first crush lol
There's only one TMNT and one April.
As someone who read the original comics as a kid it’s actually surprising how dark they would get. You’d have scenes ranging from the Turtles massacring an entire alleyway of Foot soldiers to the Shredder committing sebuku in order to protect his honour.
OG turtles was the shit my dudes.
My favourite part of TMNT 2 is when the turtles are strung up in a net, and completely forget that two of them have sharp bladed weapons that can cut through rope
Lol that one of my favorite moments too! Whenever I see someone stuck in a net I still think about that scene ☺️
@@darkdemonqueen Every time I watch it (and that's quite a bit) I say something like "Wow a Katana would help..."
The original film is a masterpiece, Elias Koteas is the perfect Casey Jones and just gets the character, the whole cast and crew really understood the comics and fit it so perfectly. One of my all time faves
all i remember is that he's the guy who broke into Stew Leonard’s that time, stole all those pork loins
No it isn’t.
@@alexgomez6723 incredibly crafted rebuttal
Thank God number 2 is the the best
@@joserose95 If you're 5 years old
This film has one of the most terrifying behind the scenes moments, the turtle's mouths and facial expressions were controlled via radio signals, however, one day while filming on the farm there was an issue with the inception due to planes constantly flying overhead resulting in the mouths moving in sporadic poltergeist-like movements.
What do I look up?
The first movie is a masterpiece. There's no doubt about it.. So well written, so heart warming, so funny and serious.. What a movie, what a movie!
No. No it’s not.
@@alexgomez6723 fight the power, Alex 💪
TMNT 1990 has the most memorable screenplay of all time. My whole family has been quoting this movie since before I was born. So many zingers and so much genuine pathos.
Donnie in TMNT 2 still has me dying 20 years later with the clown scene."Yeah....ye-yeahhhh!"
The puppetry of the first still looks incredible today. Handcrafted filmmaking perfection.
Now this-this is the in-depth analysis I came for. Sopranos who?
Saving Private Ryan what?
Shawshank where?
What what what what what what?
Citizen Kane why?
Gotta love that studio mindset. After changing the tone and look from the first movie as well as ditching 2 of the stars and killing off all the action, the response to TMNT 2's underperformance is "I think this property is losing steam"
Yeah, listening to how the studio screwed themselves over here, I can't help but think about how a key to Marvel's success is that when they hit a dud, instead of cutting their losses, they double down on time and money to make something that works better and makes the IP more valuable in the long run. I don't love the machine they've built, but I gotta respect the work they out into it.
The original 1990 TMNT movie is one of the best comic book adaptions *to this day*. I rewatched it last year for the first time in 20 years, expecting it to be kind of cheesy and bad, like so many others of my favorite childhood movies, but dude was I wrong. It holds up surprisingly well, the humor still works, the characters feel alive, the dialogue is snappy, the action is fun and fluid, the story is engaging, the pacing just right, and the Shredder has one of the best villain introduction scenes ever. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, it was awesome. And it was so nice to watch a movie where I don't have to sit on a nail board just to occasionally feel something.
I have only nostalgia memories of the cartoon, but I got into the comics when I was in college. They're...interesting. There's no real story or arc that you could call "good" with a straight face, though there are a few really great standout issues. You get the sense that Eastman & Laird never really settled on what they wanted to do with the characters or even concept (which kinda makes sense, as it was all conceived of as pastiche first, and they only tried to make a real "thing" after it blew up). They tried out a bunch of different tones and types of stories, and came up with a bunch of fun ideas, but they all feel like rough drafts. Most of them just kinda get dropped instead of ever being fully explored or resolved.
Still, though, there's something kinda magic about the old Mirage comics. Maybe it's just that the character designs are so instantly iconic, or that the entire gimmick of teenage mutant ninja turtles is so dumb that it goes all the way back around to actually being really fun.
From what I can tell, the cartoon actually made a lot of improvements, cementing the characters trait/dynamics, and making the lamentable but inarguably correct decision to tive each turtle their own mask color. For my money, part of why the first movie worked is that it drew the crystalized archetypes and playful spirit of the cartoon, and ran that back through the raw nerve the comics sprung from. In away, I guess that's also what makes it feel like a movie that could only be made in 1991. There's still some of the grittiness of 80s crime and sleeze, but it blossoms with the laid-back humor and family themes that would dominate the 90s. And maybe that's part of why no one's been able to recreate that magic since.
(Oh, also, there a whole arc in the comics where the turtles wind up getting flung into space and end up in a galactic war where one side is all angry triceratops aliens it's the best fucking thing ever and I have no idea why no one's ever adapted it GIVE ME TRICERATOPS ALIENS DAMMIT.)
i though city fall was a good story in the og comics, now the archie comics where the ones i read when i was a kid, if you want great stories i suggest the idw ones the ongoing and the amazing last ronin
@@redred222 Yeah I was maybe a bit dismissive when I said that none of them were good. I more meant that none of them truly gelled in a way that felt totally satisfying to me. Do you mean the City at War arc? That's definitely the one I'd say is the high bar for the original run, but I remember being more impressed by the ambition than the execution. Still, I also remember it having great art, thoughtful development, and a genuine, tender vulnerability.
Oh, I loved the Archie tmnt comics as a kid Just thinking about them now I can't believe how weird they got. Heard good stuff about the IDW run, hope to get around to them some day if I get back into comics.
You should check out the IDW comics, it's one of the original writers (Eastman) swan song, it's a compley well tought out retelling of the original story pieces but much refined and very well written, its has the original charm too, real nice!
I just love how the tagline of the first movie is “This ain’t no cartoon”
As someone who was born in 1984 I can say as a kid and at the time the second one to me as a kid was amazing, it was like the first one made me love them and the second one made me obsess over them. As a young kid and that’s what the movies were for, I remember being so excited watching this movie. Your take on these movies are from an adults point of view, which really it wasn’t for adults. I do agree though the 3rd one was a let down. Expecting it to be as awesome as the first 2, I was let down. But I was older and aware of quality.
As a longtime Ninja Turtles fan, I’m lookin forward to this.
When I was kid, the local movie theater had kept a poster of the first film on display apparently since it came out. Understandably, little me was horrified by the uncanny visage of those mutants, and it put me off from ever getting into TMNT in any iteration. I also remember having a nightmare about those turtles coming out of a sewer grate, so that probably didn’t help either.
Lol. It was too good for your brain to handle
Yeah, even for me, as a kid, there was something that just didn't click for me to why a live action TMNT movies series just don't work. I mean story and tone problems aside, it just doesn't work because you're dealing with characters that are anthropomorphic and there's so many limits you can make for them, which all end up turning them uncanny. I think that's the beauty of what the comics and the animated series (Both the 1987, 2003, and 2012) did, because with animation and drawings, you have more freedom. Nothing needs to look real. And I get there are those that will defend maybe even the first one saying that it still holds up, and I get it. Jim Henson and his company clearly put in a lot of work to make the effects and puppetry, and I will give credit since he still continued to work even though he was dying and still had to work on The Witches (1990). However, here lies the problem. When you go to see a Muppet movie, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors (even though Henson wasn't involved in that one, many of the workers and puppeteers were people who worked in his productions) or Babe, it makes sense because at least you can tell somehow that this isn't real, but you don't even care because the characters emotions tell it all. But with the Turtles in the film series, you can't take it very seriously. And while not a fan of the Michael Bay films either, at least their movements were on point. But God, did their CG faces and bodies look more awful.
To me, if they really want to get TMNT in live action right, try mixing both puppetry/dummies and CG/facial mo-cap (Also, for once, can we get actual TEENAGERS for the roles?). Movies like Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog got this correct.
To be fair, Turtles like monsters called Kappa are from Japanese stories, so you're not too far off getting scared of giant ass turtles walking around.
To me, what makes IDW TMNT so special is how it has the funny, but dark, tone of the first movie, but without feeling dumb and cringe weird like the sequels. The interactions is great, the action is perfect and has a lot of great serialization and episodic nature in it. It is amazing how a story of four mutant turtles who know martial arts is so profund and deep. It is a must read.
Yknow, I have a similar story about watching a limited number of films at my grandparents’ house…the only effective difference is that my granddad (rest his soul) thought it was ok to show a ten year old The Godfather, rather than the TMNT movie.
Thankfully, I had already suffered enough childhood trauma that it didn’t bother me and The Godfather has since become my favorite film.
Yall lucky, my grandparents had me watch the bee movie, cars, or whatever was on pbs after the kids block
@@connorregan1904
I mean, PBS doesn’t sound bad, but otherwise I deeply empathize lol
The first film is one of my favorite films of all time. Everything was amazing. The costumes looked really good, and they actually looked like Ninja Turtles.
I still remember my mom picking me up at the Boys and Girls Club to go see the first movie in the theater. I was seven or eight, and it was the best movie I’d seen since Ghostbusters. She also got me a framed movie poster for Christmas. They just don’t make kid’s movies like this anymore.
Ahhh yes... we were young at truly the BEST years! Sad tho because OUR kids and grandkids are getting crappy regurgitated copies of the life altering originals that we got to see!
The giant Magnavox TV... I remember those. Kids these days just don't know how good they have it with 4k flatscreens. I came to this video for the nostalgia, and got hit with the old tech right out the gate, so I already see a success.
This, Back to the Future and Treasure Planet made up far too much of my childhood
Another masterpiece I didn’t know I needed in life
Interesting fact regarding the first cartoon, the creator of the og comics did not like it thinking it as too childish and wanted a series to be rather darker which resulted in the creation of the TMNT 2003 cartoon series, which had the Shredder getting beheaded, characters getting killed and torture, and Leonardo getting stabbed several times in the gut.
Wow that makes clone wars seem like a kids show.
Man I love TMNT 2003. It's such a shame the last two seasons lost that edge it had
I can't overstate how much i love this movie. It's pure magic!
The third movie is actually a guilty pleasure. I loved it as a kid. But I agree with your criticisms. If the costumes were the original designs and the plot was more developed I think it could have been the best.
Same here. To me the second was easily the worst. I thought the jokes in the second were way worse, and how Shredder went out was a disgrace. At least in the third movie they're using their weapons.
I’m absolutely impressed by what they achieved from a vfx perspective lmao.
Love the first movie.. Brought the comics and 80s cartoon to life in a perfect mashup.
The 1990 TMNT is a master piece and is a must watch for a TMNT fan🤣🤘
I has forgotten how much I loved the original and watched most of the sequels hoping for that same quality and feeling and never getting it
The scream of Raph stayed with me for years
I freaking LOST it at 11:35! Did NOT expect that
The 2nd movie is my favorite. I do really like the first one. But I watched the 2nd one a lot more growing up.
TMNT 1 is the only one worth returning to today.
There will NEVER be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie that can ever pretend to be as good as the first live action!!! From start to finish, one of the best comic book movie adaptations EVER!!!!!! The movie is FLAWLESS!!!!!
I think most can agree that the early 90s were a very under appreciated year of comic book adaptations, from TNMT, to Dick Tracy, to The Rocketeer, to The Mask and The Crow. Heck, they hold up way better than DC and Marvel.
The claustrophobic scène is hilarious ! ❤ Live this film, thank you man for this vidéo
Knowing that the original movies were Golden Harvest productions really revamped my recent viewing experiences. I just re-watched the first movies a couple of weeks ago.
something I am adamant about is that Raphael is the main character of the first movie. As in before the other movies (none of which I have seen) he gets the most attention out of all of his brothers. He loses the tri knife thing, he meets Casey jones first, and he is the only ninja turtle that gets his own fight (even if he gets beat up bad)
Happened in the 07 movie too, it was 40% Raph, 40% Leo, and 10% Mikey and Donnie. I guess Raphs personally is just the easiest to build a story around.
I’ve always been a fan of the Turtles image, for lack of a better term even tho I’ve never seen anything Turtles except a couple of the 4Kids series episodes, so this was interesting
The original Nina Turtles movie will always be one of the most Nostalgic moments from my childhood. :)
i’ve always found it super interesting the original film was indie. (not sure weather that was a choice or no one wanted to pick it up) it’s crazy how different the 1990 landscape was compared to now where people wanted to watch thrillers and now we all want to watch comic/cartoon adaptations
Wow I watched the first two Ninja Turtles movies on VHS as a kid so many times, to this day I didn’t know there was a third one…thanks?
17:22 WET WILLY!!!
I havent seen the 3rd film since I was a kid but I remember what happens 😆
The original TMNT movie was one of the first Movies I was allowed to go see with my buddy without parents. I was 10 years old and absolutely loved all things Ninja Turtles. I still watch it on DVD or TV once a year or so
The second and third movie aren't even close to how great the first one was. I can't stomach either of them
As for the newer CGI tmnt movies, they're not half bad. Fun action movies at least
I remember my childhood friends got me into the TMNT back in the early 90's, I enjoyed the cartoon, loved the first two Turtles movies (third one was ok) and loved all the video game's. Now 30 years later I still enjoy watching these movies and eating pizza (Papa John's being my favorite). Cowabunga!!
i hate that i legit only remember the sequels but its also dope because i can rewatch the original for the first time again lmao
Another plus of the second movie: the songtrack, imho the best of the original trilogy.
Decent research till a little later, Ernie did the stunts for Donatello in part 1, and actually, 3 of the voice actors return for TMNT III as opposed to 2 for TMNT II. Corey Feldman rejoined Brian Tochi and Robbie Rist in III.
This film was basically a comparison of Danny and Raph how they both control there emotions
3:40 Judith Hoag left after the 1st because the studio cut out character development scenes
Damn these movies were a staple of my childhood. Unfortunately i never could appreciate them until I was older.
Good review!Also,glad to know you're willing to give the 2014 and 2016 films a chance.They are pretty fun!
It being gritty is what is best about it
I did like the large monsters in TMNT 2 - those two creatures eating donuts for some reason has stuck with me thru the years
11:35 I'm soooo glad I wasn't drinking water at this part.😅
I’m a little perturbed I’m just now stumbling into this gem of a video. You my friend are on a relatable wave and I commend the hustle.
Hey! It's about time we found another Mandela Effect. I KNOW I remember the third film being called Turtles in Time. The truth is, the game came out first so it's probable the film was marketed as TinT in certain places but not actually subtitled that officially for copyright reasons. But you can't convince me I don't remember what I remember 😆
Much as I hate echoing other people's thoughts, the AVGN had an interesting idea for the third film -- instead of dealing with the rebellion against Lord Norinaga, the Turtles could've ended up tangling with the Foot, showing a connection across time.
Hell, it could've ended up tying in to how the Shredder in the first film pretty much had the Turtles' number.
Thanks Smithers for the narration
Keep making great videos man! Inspiring me to make more myself
Your videos are really well made!
Rewatched the first fight scene after this video, and I knew every single shot and line by memory.
Didn’t know the entire movie was etched into my mind.
I love your content. So awesome to see life breathed into the original movie. I wish I could have seen the original, dark, version. To all those in the know, the comic book TMNT were pretty effing dark.
To think, having the original, even darker, cut would probably be viewed as a masterpiece (in its own rights) in today's times.
The 1st 4 Graphic Novels are amazing. A must read!
Anyone else remember those trailers for Suburban Commando and Surf Ninjas on the TMNT 2 and 3 VHS?
All I can say is watch the original cartoons and I love the first 2 movies have stories I could share but won't about seeing all the movies in theaters as a kid some of them multiple times and loved the original toys
Bruh it’s so epic yes it holds up
We owned 1 & 2 on video cassette and we watched them so many times it was bordering on unhealthy! LOL
This brought back so many memories! I need to watch these again!
Thanks for the video 😁
The more recent Turtle movies are ok. I like how the first one treats April as a character and Megan Fox plays her personality well if not her likeness. It nails the Turtles' personalities as far as I'm concerned and has a number of really worthwhile moments. The handling of Shredder is clunky though.
The second movie is a ridiculous cartoon. Bebop and Rocksteady are great but the turtles don't get to fight them near enough.
The original live action was the best, for sure.
Ernie wasn’t the suit actor for for Leo, he was Donnie.
Damn, I just typed in "teenage mutant ninja turtles" and this popped up. Fucking fated.
Also Eastman and Baird originally had them all in red eye bands for anonymity
I was surprised when you said the second one was bad bc that my favorite as a kid. When you said it was heavily sanitized, bright, and goofy I understood why. I was a squeamish kid so the only thing keeping me from getting nightmares over them was seeing them dance around like idiots haha
Glad I'm not alone on the April o Neil thing
Always been a legs type of guy
Hah my vote was always for Fried Green Tomatoes too! We had the extended edition VHS tape, which I really reccomend if you haven't seen it, I think it adds much more to the story
Funny how the ninja turtle movie seems to have traumatized many people as kids whereas I watched Fried Green Tomatoes as a child and developed a robust fear of trains.
The Michael Bay produced ones are worth seeing.
Take it from a lifelong fan, your cynical adult side will pick it apart, but your childhood self can't help but enjoy seeing the Turtles in over the top action and effects.
The CGI "TMNT" movie is better and is technically a sequel to the original 3.
Go, ninja. Go, ninja, go!
Go Ninja Go Ninja Go! Lighten up Macabre lol...cool channel, appreciate your insight👈
This was nice, but you know what'd be nicer? A review of the 1997 hit classic GOODBURGER!
It may not be Ivan's Childhood or Barry Lyndon but I think this movie has its own merits to be placed in the Criterion collection or selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The choreography that those stuntmen did in those costumes and the workmanship put into them don't deserve to be put into the dustbin of film history.
It was gritty and dark. thank god. its aged well because of it.
Alright to explain your misgivings as to why the second movie from third movie were the way they were is mainly because the movies were trying to align more with the 1987 cartoon that was really popular at the time. In fact the entire reason the whole film series even got started was because of the popularity of the cartoon
I would rematch the original 3 before I ever sit through the remakes ever again.
5:47 and 6:12 Hmmm!!! 😂😂🤭🤭 Had me laughing.
I don't think there was much in the way of character PROGRESSION in the second movie, but I do think Raphael at least also maintained his distinct personality. In fact, him being the impulsive, angry, aggressive brother directly drives the plot, leading to him finding the Foot hideout in the junkyard, discovering Shredder, and requiring his family to come rescue him. While I agree it largely disappears in the back half of the movie, the front half repeatedly showcased his temper, and it was still completely in line with his characterization from the first film.
. . . I won't waste ANY time defending the third movie. Well spotted. **LMAO**
Man maybe it’s because I was like 5 years old or something and it was the first film in the series I saw but I loved TMNT 2 back in the day, heck I still do lol. I actually liked it more than the first one, tho it was great as well.
I loved the chemistry between them and just how fun the 2nd movie was. It felt much more in line with the 1987 cartoon, which I loved. But yea the 3rd film is a complete train wreck, it was awful, so bad that I only ever watched it a handful of times compared to the dozens of times I’ve watched the first two movies.
So much nostalgia from this movie
I remember having to watch the first movie so much because my little brother love this shit so much like it was crack
The first film is almost a frame by frame of a comic. The only real major difference is the ending and it’s Leonardo that got jumped by the foot clan and not Raph.
Wait why did I not realise how hot Casey was? What the hell!
I died when I found out Elmo was voiced by a black dude.... Now I'm revived by the knowledge he is also Splinter. Omg 😂❤
Yay!!
Leonardo : Awesome! Mikey : RIGHTCHOUS! Don: BOSSANOVA! Mikey : Bossanova? Don : Shebby-Nova Don: *thinking * Don: Exelent!!!
TMNT 1 was for the fans of the darker comics.
TMNT 2 was for the fans of the lighthearted cartoons.
TMNT 3 was simply a cashgrab.
Okay, first of all, you need to do 1:24 - 1:32 for every copyrighted song from now on.
Second, the last time I've ever seen anything TMNT-related, it was the dark 2003 cartoon and the just-as-dark 2007 movie...both of which I saw when I was still in elementary school. Still, I might give the first film a watch, since I've always liked it when kids films/shows aren't afraid to get dark, no matter how light or heavy the darkness is.
You’re great at figuring stuff out. pug
Wow I never realised the issues with the second movie.