Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)

Directed by: Stuart Gillard | 96 minutes | action, family, fantasy | Actors: Elias Koteas, Paige Turco, Stuart Wilson, Robbie Rist, Corey Feldman, Sab Shimono, Vivian Wu, Mark Caso, Matt Hill, Jim Raposa, David Fraser, Henry Hayashi

After two previous films about the turtle quartet, it wasn’t enough. A third film had to be made to knock even more money out of the slumped Turtles franchise. Over time, the popularity of the four reptiles declined, and this 1993 production was one last frenzied attempt to milk the Turtles merchandise even further. And as is so often the case with follow-up films, this second successor is also a lot worse than its illustrious predecessors. Where did it go wrong?

First with the story. Where the first two Turtles films were set in a recognizable setting, the big city, this print goes down by sending the turtle quartet, consisting of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelangelo, to medieval Japan. Through a crazy combination of circumstances, the reptiles find themselves more than 400 years back in time to rescue journalist April (Turco), who also has to survive in turbulent Japan where a war is raging between the army and rebels.

The time travel element in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III’ is a valiant but failed attempt to keep the franchise interesting. But the new setting doesn’t last long. Admittedly the decor which features samurai warriors, geishas and shoguns looks nice. Beautiful landscapes, colorful forests and authentic Asian castles provide a beautiful picture. But you cannot make a film with only sets. The new stage also requires the necessary introductions. For example, the director must introduce the atmosphere of old Japan, the population and new main characters without losing attention to the Turtles. And that was too much to ask for Stuart Gillard.

All characters remain of cardboard. For example, the samurai leader (Sab Shimono) is an angry man, who is actually not that bad deep down. The English Walker (Wilson) is a bad trader. Walker’s servants and Shimono’s samurai are stupid, the rebels are all brave and all the kids in this film are cute and sweet. The word ‘cliche’ is a mild one for all the flat caricatures that pass you by. Consider that you spend more than half the time watching these stereotypes during this production and you can imagine how annoying this film becomes in the long run.

The lack of an appealing villain in this print kills ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III’. The first two parts in ‘The Shredder’ had a fun and interesting ‘bad guy’, part three never comes to life due to the lack of an appealing villain. It’s all about the interaction between the Turtles themselves. This time too you will be treated to witty one-liners and slapstick humor from the turtles. New in this production are the many references to films, such as ‘The Three Stooges’ and ‘Dirty Harry’ (1971). But it is not enough to make the print rise from the B-movie set to which this film clearly belongs.

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III’ lacks a soul: an identity of its own. The print isn’t particularly bad, but it’s not good or fun either. The acting is very flat, the action scenes very tame and the humor very poor. As a viewer, you can’t help but realize that you’ve seen everything in this film before. But executed much better. Now the production is slowly lapping on its way to a dull finale.

Afterwards, the question arises for whom the film was actually made. Kids might still have some fun with the antics of the Turtle Quartet, but that too remains to be seen. The print lacks momentum and often lapses into long-winded passages. In addition, the Turtles don’t look as good as in the first two films. The suits are different and that results in a cheap look. The turtles look fake and the poorly modulated lip sync also diminishes the credibility.

Adults and teenagers have absolutely nothing to do with this production. As mentioned, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III’ is full of clichés. Annoying subplots in which Michelangelo falls in love with Vivian Wu and Raphael befriends an exaggerated, tried-and-tested Hollywood recipe, extremely cute boy provokes irritation. The original character of the Turtles as envisioned by their spiritual fathers Eastman and Laird has been completely jettisoned. The movie version of the ninja turtles is just a shadow of the original.

Now the second feature film about the Turtles had already been stripped of the sharp edges, but there was a skilfully told story and nice atmosphere. The third part misses that. Apart from the strong sets and the nice music by Du Prez, this film doesn’t have much to offer you. Even the most die-hard Turtles fans will be disappointed. Their heroes can be seen in a feature film that has been the death blow to the popularity of the quartet of cartoon characters. Unfortunate.