Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [VHS]
starring Hoag, Koteas
Tmnt-Classic
You can chalk it up to good timing and a heavy dose of video-game
synergy, but this 1990 hit remains the box-office champ of independent
films, with a total gross of $135 million. Of course the Turtles began as a
phenomenally successful Nintendo video game, so it was a given that the
movie would be a hit with its target audience of rabid young video addicts.
This is what comic books fans call the origin story, in which we learn how a
foursome of small turtles were mutated by a green radioactive goo and
turned into human-sized turtle crime fighters. Their large rodent mentor,
Splinter, teaches them to master the martial arts. Theyre also gifted pop
musicians, by the way (think of them as amphibious Spice Guys), so they
can rock the house while theyre cracking a crime wave with the help of
their cute friend and television reporter April ONeil (Judith Hoag). The
script is terrible, of course, but countless millions of children dont seem to
care, as long as the Turtles keep ordering pizza and dispensing their
wisecracking brand of justice. --Jeff Shannon
Personal Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [VHS] starring
Hoag, Koteas
I'll admit that I was at first only a reluctant fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles cartoons back in the late 80's and early 90's, if for no other reason
than I was pretty much forced to watch it by the simple fact that my brother
and sister both watched it while they babysat me. But as time got on I did
grow to genuinely enjoy the series. I mean, who can watch the show and
not laugh at the bumbling antics of Shredder and his goons as they try to
gain the advantage against the turtles? So when I heard that a TMNT
movie was in the works (it came out as I recall in the summer of my tenth
year back in 1990), I was at least willing to give it a whirl.
It should be noted that in quite a few important ways the movie is as
unlike to the cartoon as night from day. The actors aren't even the same,
for one thing. Not that this detracted from my enjoyment of the film or its
two sequels, it didn't. But certain elements of the characters' past, Splinter
and Shredder's in particular, were altered, more I think to be more true to

the comics than anything. Splinter goes from being the mutated form of a
Ninja warrior named Hamato Yoshi to being the pet of said Ninja. Raphael,
who in the cartoon was always the wsecracker of the group, becomes a
much more solitary, angry character often given to acts of rashness that
nearly cost him his life. This behavior almost creates a rift in the turtles at
one point, but they reunite in an effort to save their beloved master from
Shredder. There's another character much changed from his cartoon
persona. Gone is the often petulant, whiny villain, to be replaced by a
sinister and ruthless criminal mastermind with an ominous voice. In short
he changes from someone to be laughed at to a man to avoid at any cost.
All in all I was very impressed with the movies. I only wish I still had my
VHS copies, but then again I so rarely watch those anymore that it seemed
more advisable to get them on DVD, which I intend to do next month if
finances permit. So if you haven't already seen them, pop on over to your
local video rental and pick up the three TMNT films. I personally liked the
first one best, but Secret of the Ooz was close behind. The third one took a
bit of getting used to but I eventually did conclude that I liked it just as
much as the others.
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