Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

While Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) debuted in 1984 with a sleeper hit independent comic book series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it didn’t truly become a global phenomenon until it was adapted into an animated series in 1987. With Turtle Mania going strong, the next logical step would be to adapt it into a live-action film (as was the style at the time), also named Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT I), in 1990. As a kid, I was vaguely aware of this film growing up, but I never watched it until the Turtle bug bit me much later. Although my first viewing was around the release of the 2014 film, I felt like giving it another shot after attending a pre-release for the Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles expansion. Even without having any personal nostalgia for it, and it isn’t perfect, it’s easy to see why this film is so beloved and is easily the best of the original film trilogy.

Across New York City, a mysterious string of seemingly random thefts has occurred in which the thieves leave no trace. When news reporter April O’Neil (Judith Hoag) is targeted for her investigation, Leonardo (performed by David Forman, voiced by Brian Tochi), Raphael (performed and voiced by Josh Pais), Donatello (performed by Leif Tildan, voiced by Corey Feldman) and Michelangelo (performed by Michelan Sisti, voiced by Robbie Rist), the titular Turtles, come to her rescue while remaining unseen, but their anonymity is put into jeopardy when April picks up a sai that Raphael accidentally leaves behind. As April continues to investigate, signs point to the perpetrators being the Foot Clan, an ancient order of ninjas led by Shredder (performed by James Saito, voiced by David McCharen).

The Turtles, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo and Donatello, return to their
master Splinter (performed and voiced by Kevin Clash) after their nighttime excursion.

Even without any prior knowledge of TMNT, TMNT I works pretty well on its own, as each character serves a purpose to the story and the multiple seemingly disparate storylines come together to form a cohesive whole with a good payoff at the end. In the modern cinematic landscape of action films featuring widespread, often city-leveling or possible world-ending destruction, looking back on this film’s final battle with Shredder, confined entirely to a rooftop, feels oddly refreshing in its focus and intimacy. As a TMNT film, it’s a decent, albeit darker representation of the series (the Turtles even say "damn" a number of times) with a deliberately slower pace that doesn’t feel too glacial. Although all four Turtles have a part to play, Raphael noticeably gets the most character development, making him the focus character, though Leonardo still has his own smaller arc. Notably, the Turtles have less distinct personalities here compared to later TMNT media, which doesn’t do Donatello or Michelangelo any favors in standing out from Leonardo or Raphael.

If nothing else, the practical effects hold up insanely well, thanks to the efforts of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. In particular, the animatronics’ mouth movements sync up perfectly with the dialogue, plus a rat-sized Splinter in a flashback feels very life-like, even while performing ninjutsu in a cage. Despite the darker tone, the film still leans into the inherent silliness of its premise, but the actors collectively take it seriously enough to sell that everything is actually happening. A difficult balance to strike, but it manages to succeed. TMNT I also features some product placement, but, outside a shot of a Foot recruit eating a Burger King Whopper, their placement manages to feel natural.

Ironically, despite their long-standing relationship with Pizza Hut, this film depicts
the Turtles as fans of Domino's.

Even outside of it being a TMNT film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) has managed to stand the test of time due to its practical effects and interesting take on the basic premise, even if not every Turtle gets equal time to shine. For newcomers, this film can serve as a decent introduction to the world of TMNT, though its darker tone may not be for everyone.