Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tags: murder, cult, violence, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic, humor, revenge

Plot synopsis:
The camera pans over an aerial view of New York City as news reporter April ONeil (Judith Hoag) covers a story about a string of mysterious, and seemingly organized, thefts occurring across the city. We see various scenes of members of the gang, known as the Foot Clan, stealthily stealing various items from people right under their noses. As April walks across a vacant lot at the end of the day, she stumbles on a group of thieves stealing merchandise from a van. They pin her to the ground and attempt to steal from her when, suddenly, the single light in the lot goes out and, by the time a nearby police unit arrives, the thugs have been tied up. April finds a sai lying on the ground and puts it in her purse as a mysterious pair of eyes watches her from under the lid of a manhole. The figure curses under his breath before disappearing underground.Deep in the sewers, a unique silhouette introduces the main titles before four humanoid turtles wearing colored eye-bands appear, cheering in celebration. They return to their home where their master, a large rat named Splinter (voiced by Kevin Clash), asks if they were seen and recites to them the importance of their continued training as ninjas (while one of them orders out for pizza). His attempts to meditate are interrupted when one of the turtles turns on the radio and they all start partying, except for one. The turtle with the red eye-band, Raphael (voiced and acted by Josh Pais), already irritated by the loss of his sai, announces that he's going out to a movie, wearing a trench coat and hat as a disguise. In the meantime, two of the turtles, Donatello (in purple, voiced by Corey Feldman and acted by Leif Tilden) and Michelangelo (in orange, voiced by Robbie Rist and acted by Michelan Sisti), wait for the delivery man (Michelan Sisti) and skimp out on paying full price for a 2-minute-late pizza.While out, Raphael manages to trip up a couple of thugs trying to steal from an old woman. As they run into a nearby park, Raphael follows them and meets a vigilante who introduces himself as Casey Jones (Elias Koteas), wearing a hockey mask and armed with baseball and cricket bats. Casey and Raphael get into an argument over the proper way to deal with the thugs and fight each other instead, ending with Raphael in a garbage can and fuming over being called a freak. Casey escapes and Raphael returns to the sewers where his temper is calmed with kind words from Splinter.The next day, April pays a visit to the chief of police after a report where she is criticized by Chief Sterns (Raymond Serra) for putting her nose into his business regarding the supposed organized crime wave. She walks to the subway to go home and is confronted by a team of thieves dressed in concealing ninja garb. The leader (Leif Tilden) slaps her across the face and tells her to keep her mouth shut about the Foot. When she tries to fight back they knock her out but are attacked by Raphael in disguise. The Foot leader comes to in time to see Raphael carrying the unconscious April down the subway tunnel and follows them. Raphael takes April to the turtle's hideout, to everyone's disapproval. The Foot leader peeks in through the doorway, sees the turtles, and retreats. When April wakes up, she screams at the sight of the turtles and of Splinter who proceeds to explain who they are and why they're here.Apparently, fifteen years prior, Splinter had been living in the sewers after being separated from his master, Hamato Yoshi, when he discovered four baby turtles that were moving around in some kind of toxic waste. He herded them to his home where they quickly grew larger, eventually walking on two feet and talking. Splinter noticed changes in himself as well, 'particularly in intellect', and began training the turtles in what he knew of the martial art of ninjutsu. He gave them names, reflecting on famous Renaissance artists: Raphael (in red), Leonardo (in blue, voiced by Brian Tochi and acted by David Forman), Donatello, and Michelangelo. Each turtle also has his weapon of choice: Raphael wields two sai, Leonardo practices swordsmanship with twin ninjato, and Donatello favors the bo while Michelangelo prefers two nunchaku.The turtles escort April home and spend some time with her, at the expense of some frozen pizza. When they return home, they find their lair broken into and Splinter missing. With nowhere else to go, they return sullen to April and spend the night in her apartment.Danny Pennington (Michael Turney), a teenage thief seen earlier in the film, is released from jail the next morning to his father, Charles (Jay Patterson), as part of a deal with Chief Sterns. Since Charles is head of Channel 3 news, Sterns releases Danny on the condition that April cease her harsh coverage on the Foot. Charles stops by April's apartment that morning and advises her to stop running her story before it gets her into further trouble. April, however, is more concerned about Charles discovering the turtles hiding around the apartment. Danny spots one briefly through a reflection before he and his father are ushered out. While driving home, Charles confronts Danny about stealing and when he stops in traffic Danny gets out of the car and runs away. He goes to an abandoned warehouse near the harbor which the Foot has claimed as its base of operation. Teenagers from across the city unload stolen items or play games under the watchful eye of Tatsu (Toshishiro Obata, voiced by Michael McConnohie) who is second in command. A gong signals a mass meeting and everyone gathers in a large arena where their leader, Master Shredder (James Saito, voiced by David McCharen), a man clad in menacing ninja armor, addresses them as his outcast children. He tells them of a new threat to their order as Splinter, tied up against a wall in the back, listens. Upon mentioning the word 'turtles', Danny speaks up.At April's apartment, the turtles watch the news as April updates on recent thefts and sends out a personal thanks to Raphael for rescuing her. However, Raphael and Leonardo soon get into a heated argument over what to do with Splinter gone and Raphael leaves the apartment. He goes to the roof where he's ambushed by an army of Foot Clan ninjas. He is thrown, unconscious, back into April's apartment just after she gets home and the turtles are forced to fight. They all wind up in the antique shop below and are soon outnumberd as Tatsu arrives with reinforcements. However, Casey Jones suddenly appears, having spotted Raphael from the rooftops earlier, and helps the turtles escape through a secret doorway as the building catches fire. They escape in April's van and the ninjas retreat as the shop and apartment burn to the ground. Danny watches from afar.They decide to hide out at a farm that belonged to April's family and everyone pitches in to make the place more livable. Raphael remains unconscious and Leonardo provides an endless vigil. April recounts what happens in a diary and draws sketches of the turtles while trying to resist the charm that Casey puts on her. Once Raphael comes to, the turtles reconcile and resume their training. Despite their absence from the city, Shredder is bent on finding them, telling Tatsu that their method of fighting reminds him of the past. While meditating, Leonardo manages to make contact with Splinter and convinces the others to join him in a seance that night. They all share a vision of Splinter who tells them how proud he is and that they have mastered training of the mind; becoming true ninjas, before disappearing. The turtles decide to return to New York to find and rescue him.At the Foot Clan warehouse, Danny discovers Splinter who detects Danny's confusion and angst and speaks to him. He offers Danny guidance and advice during their short conversations, telling him once that 'all fathers care for their sons', despite Danny's anger towards his father.The turtles return to their lair and find Danny hiding out in a closet. He tells April he ran away from his father but will go back to him if he could just spend the night. Everyone agrees to let him stay and April shows and gives him one of the drawings she did of the turtles. During the middle of the night, Danny abruptly leaves, but not before drawing the attention of Casey, who follows him. They go to the Foot Clan hideout where Danny, confused, seeks out Splinter while Casey knocks out a Foot ninja and steals his outfit.Danny goes to Splinter who tells him of his time living in Japan with his master Yoshi. Splinter imitated his master's practices of ninjutsu, in which Yoshi competed with a man named Oroku Saki. Both men also competed for the love of a woman named Yang Chin, but Chin loved only Yoshi and, instead of seeing him fight for her hand, convinced him to flee with her to America. However, Saki followed them and quickly dispensed them both in a rage. Splinter escaped from his cage and leapt at Saki's face, scarring it. Saki swung at Splinter, slicing part of his ear, before disappearing. Danny asks what became of Saki to which Splinter replies that no one truly knows, but Danny wears his emblem on his head band. Shredder discovers the two, asking where Danny's been before removing the drawing from his back pocket. He angrily walks away to gather his forces and tells Tatsu to kill 'the rat'. Hearing this, Danny rushes back where he runs into Casey and explains that they have to rescue Splinter. They manage to get him out of his chains but are stopped by Tatsu and a team of ninjas.Meanwhile, the Foot sets out to ambush the turtles in their hideout but are surprised by a sneak attack. The turtles fiercely fight back and bring the conflict to the streets above where they eventually wind up on a rooftop. As they fight, Casey engages Tatsu in one on one combat and manages to overpower him. Before leaving, he questions the gang members on their idea of this so-called family that they're a part of.After dispatching a few remaining ninjas, the turtles are surprised by the sudden appearance of Shredder who engages the turtles in combat, but they prove to be no match for him. When the turtles ask about Splinter, Shredder mocks them and implies that Splinter is dead. Furious, Leonardo rushes him only to be pinned. The other turtles are forced to throw down their weapons. Before another blow can be struck, Spinter appears on the roof and speaks out to Shredder, addressing him as Oroku Saki. Shredder charges Splinter with a yari but is flipped over the roof by Splinter's quick movements, using one of Michelangelo's discarded nunchaku. Using the coil of the nunchaku, Splinter holds Shredder by his yari precariously over the edge of the roof. When Shredder throws a knife at him, Splinter releases his grip, causing Shredder to fall into the compactor of a garbage truck. Casey casually flips a switch and the hydraulic door closes, crushing Shredder's mask.The turtles reunite with Splinter as police arrive on the scene and question the remaining Foot members who reveal where all the stolen goods are kept. April prepares to run a final update on the story when news crews arrive and gives Casey a celebratory kiss. The turtles cheer and exchange slang exclamations before Splinter says that his favorite has always been 'cowabunga'. The turltes unanimously agree and cheer as Splinter laughs, saying he 'made a funny', and the film ends.

Review: The best Ninja Turtles Action movie of all time my number 1 personal favorite.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) is actually a cult classic Epic Action film and one of the best movies.
The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) is the only film for me that I absolutely love to death!
I grew up with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I had an album of the animated series from 1987, I was collecting action figure from the third film that failed.
Whether film buffs would ever admit it or not, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is a classic film, arguably way before its time.
Although for the die-hard fans of the comic book this movie did lack the apparent actual violence it did instead have great dramatic scenes blended in with witty comedic lines.With a dark tone and gritty cinematography filmed with fantastic sets and locations around New York this 90s movie is far from something to be pigeonholed 'just for kids' or a 'family movie'.The aforementioned 'surfer dialogue' criticised in other reviews can be put down to personal taste, as the majority of fans do find this lingo both entertaining and quote-worthy.
The angst of Raphael to the cheekiness of Michelangelo there is nothing not to like about the characters in this movie.The musical score is great and ranges from intense to comical - very fitting for a movie that is exactly that in its mood, without becoming corny unlike its follow-up films.
This live-action version of the Teenaged Turtles reaches back into its comic book origins and sacrifices the kiddie stuff in favor of a darker, more brooding film.
Many reading my comments may laugh because, lets face it, the idea of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is hilarious, but the movie spoke to a specific generation at a specific time and as a period piece it can still be appreciated.
As for the comedic cheek of Casey Jones or the light-hearted double wisecracks of Michaelangelo and Donatello, I'd love to see the reason behind this movie having "no character study" as some people might say.The action scenes are set up within the constraints of a normal fun movie with great camera angles just dying to be put on an advert or poster.The turtle effects by the Jim Henson creature shop don't disappoint even though Splinter looks like he walked straight off the set of 'Labyrinth'.
That's good considering it also faced heavy competition from another comic book adaptation that year, "Dick Tracy," which was directed by Warren Beatty and was quite groundbreaking, on its own terms of course.Though the film is more in touch with the toned-down animated series of the same title, its roots are squarely in the original comics created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.
I hope not for two reasons: 1) If the Turtles were to be remade, it would most likely be based off of the current running "TMNT" cartoon series, which is crap and 2) The original 1990 film is fine the way it is and does not need to be touched by the greasy hands of today's Hollywood."Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie" is the best adaptation of the comics so far, and I loved it.
I know the idea of a group of 4 turtles who are trained in the art of ninjitsu, and who hang around in the sewers and eat pizza is well....cheesy, but the atmosphere in this movie is dark and serious and is great fun for people of any age.
From the casting, to the fight scenes, to the music, there is nothing that I would have done any differently.There is just enough comedy, each turtle is given their own unique, identifiable, and believable personality, and the story is fast paced and gripping.Jim Henson's people did a stunning job on the Turtles themselves, and the Shredder looks even better than he did in the Cartoons.Speaking of the cartoon, almost all of the campy stuff has been eradicated from the film.
The film really pays homage to the original comics by introducing Casey Jones, dealing with Raphael's anger, and resisting the urge to insert lame characters like Krang made famous by the cartoon.The whole movie is shot in a very brooding and gritty manor.
This is exactly how I would expect all of them to act.Another nice little touch was the way they worked in the tortoise and the hare cartoon for Donny and Mikey to watch.Don't listen to people who tell you that this movie is not really kid friendly.
It's mainly an origin story, and leads up to the Turtles saving the city (4 people saving New York was another fad for the eighties.) The best part of this movie are its hybrid qualities, it combines the dark storytelling of the comic but somehow the cartoon wit of Mikey got in there.
The colours are so dark and work so well with the story.The character development of Raphael and the adaptive journey the turtles go through without their master really pushed this film to a limit I have yet to see from a movie that was previously based on a comic book.
"Ninja kick the damn rabbit!!" This movie brought people that didn't watch the cartoons or read the comics to learn the story of our turtle friends.
It combines the dark quality and complex storytelling of the original comics with the all the fun and light-hearted nature of the classic cartoon show.All the turtles (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael) are great, portrayed mostly accurately.
April, Casey Jones, Tatsu, and a few other characters deliver great, if not somewhat over-the-top, performances.This film's version of the Shredder is one of the best, if not THE best, and is one of my favorite cinematic villains of all time.
To back this up, he is a skilled and brutal fighter, making him a formidable foe for the turtles.The action scenes are some of the best in a martial arts movie and the music is both fun and catchy, which helps complement how great all this ninja fighting is (I could listen to it all day).
It's nice that the filmmakers weren't afraid to get a little dark with certain moments of the action.Overall, this is the best movie ever the star everyone's favorite pizza-loving, ninja-fighting, mutant reptilian quartet.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - One of the better early comic book films.
The movie stays very close to some of the story lines given in the early black and white comics drawn by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.Yes, there is cursing and swearing, however this movie tried to bring a more real-world feel to the characters, and, obviously, many teenagers do cuss.The story tells the tale of four mutated, humanoid turtles who, when exposed to an irradiated substance years earlier in the sewer, grew to adolescence and trained with a ninja rat named Splinter, who was also exposed to the substance as well.The movie focuses on a crime wave which has hit the city of New York, leaving reports of only a few glimpses of young boys or teenagers at the scene.
But he's a bad ass as he takes crap from no one and just loves to kick some ass no matter the odds thought this is also his weakness as he sometimes bites more than he can chew but I really like that he's a wisecracker as he's got some of the best lines like saying the infamous "DAMN!" that just blew my mind since most films I was allowed to see had no profanity, let alone the fact this was from a Turtle character which is awesome as it stays true to the graphic comic series which had bits of profanity.
My sister Shaliyah loves things that boys watch, so I wanted to review Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because I have already done the original Power Rangers movie review, so I am going to do not only the original, but the 2007 and 2014 films as well.TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is a 1990 American live-action film and the first film adaptation of the TMNT franchise.
It was directed by Steve Barron and was released on March 30, 1990.This film presents the origin story of Splinter and the Turtles, the initial meeting between them, April O'Neill and Casey Jones, and their first confrontation with The Shredder and his Foot Clan.The film kept very close to the dark and violent feel of the original comics while also staying true to the 1987 TV series of the same name.The movie was very light hearted and dark at the same time and I first got my first watch in 2008 and I absolutely enjoyed this feature film.
It was directed by Steve Barron and was released on March 30, 1990.This film presents the origin story of Splinter and the Turtles, the initial meeting between them, April O'Neill and Casey Jones, and their first confrontation with The Shredder and his Foot Clan.The film kept very close to the dark and violent feel of the original comics while also staying true to the 1987 TV series of the same name.The movie was very light hearted and dark at the same time and I first got my first watch in 2008 and I absolutely enjoyed this feature film.
Elias Koteas played Casey Jones and he was an amazing job, but I had to say, he was awesome in some of the action sequences.The voice actors are Brian Tochi, who plays Leonardo, Corey Feldman as Donatello, Robbie Rist as Michelangelo and Josh Pais as Raphael and they do really good jobs voicing the titular turtles and they are all fantastic and spectacular.Kevin Clash as Splinter did an incredible job playing the role and the other two David McCharen and Michael McConnohie as Shredder & Tatsu were really good and I could have not thought of better actors to play these parts.The turtles look so good and I give credit to the late Jim Henson and his creature shop for staying true to the source material and making sure that they had the color bandanas.A lot of movie companies did not wanted to release this film in theaters including Paramount, Warner Bros.
Elias Koteas played Casey Jones and he was an amazing job, but I had to say, he was awesome in some of the action sequences.The voice actors are Brian Tochi, who plays Leonardo, Corey Feldman as Donatello, Robbie Rist as Michelangelo and Josh Pais as Raphael and they do really good jobs voicing the titular turtles and they are all fantastic and spectacular.Kevin Clash as Splinter did an incredible job playing the role and the other two David McCharen and Michael McConnohie as Shredder & Tatsu were really good and I could have not thought of better actors to play these parts.The turtles look so good and I give credit to the late Jim Henson and his creature shop for staying true to the source material and making sure that they had the color bandanas.A lot of movie companies did not wanted to release this film in theaters including Paramount, Warner Bros.
Pictures, Columbia TriStar and 20th Century Fox, but this was financed by Golden Harvest and distributed by New Line Cinema.This film did not have the highest budget in the world and it was $13.5 million dollars and this film proves that you do not need a bigger budget to make that cool and great film that you wanted to make.The film was criticized for it's level of violence and it was not at all violent as the critics and parents said to be and this also had problems with "Batman Returns", the second film in the original BATMAN film series and I think this movie is awesome as hell.The violence and the action sequences were just as incredible and spectacular and my favorite action sequence is when it gets to the middle of the film.The music by John Du Prez is just spectacular and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme is a classical film and it is just an amazing feature film and became a hit with fans, but was met with mixed reactions from critics.Overall, I love this first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and it is just one film that I don't think can be taken for granted.10/10..
Pictures, Columbia TriStar and 20th Century Fox, but this was financed by Golden Harvest and distributed by New Line Cinema.This film did not have the highest budget in the world and it was $13.5 million dollars and this film proves that you do not need a bigger budget to make that cool and great film that you wanted to make.The film was criticized for it's level of violence and it was not at all violent as the critics and parents said to be and this also had problems with "Batman Returns", the second film in the original BATMAN film series and I think this movie is awesome as hell.The violence and the action sequences were just as incredible and spectacular and my favorite action sequence is when it gets to the middle of the film.The music by John Du Prez is just spectacular and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme is a classical film and it is just an amazing feature film and became a hit with fans, but was met with mixed reactions from critics.Overall, I love this first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and it is just one film that I don't think can be taken for granted.10/10..
The film tells the origin story of Splinter and the Turtles, their initial encounters with April O'Neil (Judith Hoag) and Casey Jones (Elias Koteas), and their first confrontation with The Shredder and his Foot Clan.
Directed by Steve Barron and released by New Line Cinema, the film showcases the innovative puppetry techniques of Jim Henson's Creature Shop.The film kept very close to the dark feel of the original comics, and is a direct adaptation of the comicbook storyline involving the defeat of Shredder, with several elements also taken from the 1987 TV series that was airing at the time, such as April being a news reporter, and the turtles having different-colored masks, as opposed to the uniform red masks of the comic.Roger Ebert gave it 2½ stars out of 4, saying, "this movie is nowhere near as bad as it might have been, and probably is the best possible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie.
While I could've lived without most any of the Human characters in this movie, it's the loving relationship(s) between Splinter and his "sons" that gives THIS version of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES its timeless resonance.
If you haven't watched the original live-action 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' film in a while, get ready for a surprise.
This was a great example of great writing, and I love the subtle touch of having Mikey copy Raph's grunt, just like a younger brother would do.Action movies of today can learn from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Well I'm sure you have seen this spectacular film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and yes it is one of the world best movies.
Well, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is is a great movie, someone should think of making another one, but the same Actors in it, not Different ones.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of my all time favorite movies still, after all these years.
The 4 BRILLIANT turtles fight crime in a very dark & dangerous & wet new york city & this makes the movie much more interesting & not just a kids film!!!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 action comedy film directed by Steve Barron and starring Judith Hoag and Elias Koteas.
I have seen this movie 14+times and every time it makes me smile.It is funny and cool.OK sometimes it is corny.But it is good acting and you can see the director try to give us something new,fun, original and very lovable.The animatronics looks super real and fantastic.It looks 100% more real than today's fake CGI moves.It is something you can touch.That is way it looks so real and cool.You love the teenage Turtles the first time you see them.The world in the movie feels real and I loved it as a kid and still do!It is a fun classic..
There were the first 3, there was a computer animated movie that came out in 2007, and one that came out last year with Megan Fox as April O' Neil, and the sequel for the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is in the works.
I have a 4-year old nephew that is like obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even watches the 1987 cartoon.
I used to watch that show when I was a kid, and it seems like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have stood the test of time, forever remembered and known even by kids today.
Get over the fact that you're watching a movie with men in foam turtle suits and enjoy the wisecracks and martial arts action of a classic family film from the start of the 90's.
Sometime back in the late 80's, someone decided to make a movie based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the first and the best of the trilogy then the other 4 the new TMNT was great but the first remains the best the story was great action was great for people in turtle costumes doing stunts and cant get over how much of an awesome movie it is it brought the turtles from the comics and TV shows and brought them to life for all the young fans it was great.
A great movie for all the Ninja Turtle fans, young and old..
I would to see a new TMNT film with the violence that was meant to be seen, but I can't see a Ninja Turtles movie with an R-Rating.
The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book was rather dark and brooding.