Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Directed by: Steve Barron | 93 minutes | action, family, fantasy | Actors: Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Raymond Serra, Jay Patterson, Josh Pais, Michelan Sisti, Leif Tilden, David Forman, James Saito, Joseph d’Onofrio, Corey Feldman, Sam Rockwell, Michael Turney

It sounds like a random story from a threepenny novel: two friends invent a parody of the popular youth comic books and become world famous and wealthy through their parody. Yet this is exactly how it went for the Americans Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

The two decided to jokingly create a comic that poked fun at the then-popular teenage and martial arts comics. After some sketching and devising a vague storyline, the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ were born: four mutated turtles that were subdued by a rat in Eastern martial arts.

Eastman and Laird decided to launch their bizarre creation as an obscure underground comic.

In a short time, the pulp stories grew into one of the most successful comic book franchises in the world. Internationally, the tortoises broke through and made their spiritual fathers into multimillionaires. Soon a cartoon series about the Turtles appeared, which became very popular. A real ‘live action cinema film’ about the fighting reptiles was inevitable. It is clear that the feature film also became a hit: in 1991 and 1993 sequels to ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ from 1990 were released.

The print begins with the introduction of a mysterious street gang: ‘The Foot’. These organized, juvenile criminals are sending a wave of terror to the streets of New York. Journalist April O’Neil (Hoag) is on the trail of the gang and wants to dedicate a report to the young people, but suddenly her life changes when she is threatened by ‘The Foot’. Just as O’Neil is about to be beaten up, a mysterious figure comes to her rescue. This character, named Raphael, turns out to be a man-sized turtle who lives in the city’s sewers with his three turtle brothers, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo. The quartet turns out to be excellently trained in nin jitsu martial arts, by their sensei, the rat Splinter. Due to their strange appearance, which they owe to mutation by radioactive waste, the creatures live in the shadows. The four reptiles are forced to give up their lives in the dark when Splinter is kidnapped by ‘The Foot’. To save their master, the Turtles must use all their ninja skills. The street gang’s leader, “The Shredder,” Splinter’s sworn enemy threatens the existence of the four.

The story is not your average fare. The rather odd idea of ​​combining fighting turtles with a rather clichéd ninja twist is, to say the least, unusual. The film demands a lot of empathy from the viewer. But it is clear that ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ is mainly aimed at fans of the comics and cartoon series. The readers of the comics will not be disappointed, because this film is very faithful to the (original) stories. Those who have enjoyed the original cartoon series may be in for a slight disappointment.

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ is an exceptionally faithful film adaptation of Eastman and Laird’s characters. The print is very dark and at times even grim. In addition, the film exudes a fairly pessimistic and threatening atmosphere. To make the film interesting for a wider audience, the most violent edges of the comic have been shaved off. There are no deaths and the homicidal nature of the Turtles, from the comics, has been removed. Director Steve Barron has treated the roots of the original comics with respect. The sense of a constant threat of ‘The Foot’ and ‘The Shredder’ hangs in the air throughout the film. Barron manages to increase the tension by providing only little information about the origin of the turtles, their teacher and their enemies. In this way the print remains interesting, because of the tension that is created there.

The greatest asset of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ is the fantastic way in which the cartoon characters have been brought to life. The Turtles look very realistic (as far as that is possible, of course) and look very much like Eastman’s drawings. The Turtles and Splinter’s convincing appearance is thanks to Jim Henson Creature Shop. Henson was previously responsible for creating the popular ‘Muppets’. The ninja turtles are brought to life by skilled actors and the clever technique that ensures that every move looks ‘natural’. The characters of the four Turtles come out well. For example, Raphael is a real loner who is often at odds with Leonardo. Donatello and Michelangelo are less heavy-handed, so that there is some (comic) air in the film.

The acting of the youngsters in ‘The Foot’ comes across as a bit clumsy. These actors don’t convince with their choppy acting and ‘cheesy’ one-liners. Also ‘The Shredder’ doesn’t always come out well. This is partly due to the dubbing of James Saito’s voice. Saito has to act mainly with his body, because a metal mask hides his face. This results in grotesque gestures and exaggerated drama in Saito’s playing. It’s not annoying, but it could have been better. Elias Koteas plays a nice role as the crazy vigilante Casey Jones. And Hoag doesn’t play bad as O’Neil either. In general, the acting in the film is decent, but not spectacular. Obviously, the film relies heavily on the chemistry between the Turtles’ characters rather than other cast members or characters.

The battles in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ look neat. The action is well put together and is portrayed in a flashy way. Also the fact that the Turtles are not invincible fighting machines and are themselves injured makes the fight scenes interesting to watch. The accompanying soundtrack by John Du Prez gives the print a nice swing and maintains the momentum of the film well. Don’t expect bombastic or epic sounds, but rather a sober, tightly coordinated musical setting that is entirely at the service of what is happening on your screen.

Fans of the green ninja comics shouldn’t miss this production. Whether you can enjoy this movie depends entirely on the imagination of the viewer. The film is unadulterated pulp, which you have to love to see the fun in it. If you can go along with a bizarre story full of nonsense and unbelievableness, then a special viewing experience awaits you. The Turtles are inextricably linked to the late 80s and will arouse the necessary nostalgia for many young people in their twenties. People who have never heard of the comic or who have missed the entire (media) phenomenon surrounding the fighting reptiles can safely remove one and a half stars from the above score.