Movie Plot – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990): Four Turtles trained like ninjas have to protect New York City against a new threat.

Director: Steve Barron
Writers: Todd W. Langen, Bobby Herbeck, Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird
Cast: Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Josh Pais, Brian Tochi, Corey Feldman, Robbie Rist, Kevin Clash, James Saito

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) is still a fun time!

I’m glad I created my Fantasy Movie Watchlist, where I watch a fantasy movie every week according to that list. It makes me see movies I’ve never seen before, like the Predator, but also made me rewatch movies I love. And it has been a long time since I’ve watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990.)

This film is a thousand times better than the new movies by Michael Bay. The old version hit the nail by being a fun watchable movie. At first, I was doubtful if I was still going to like the film as it’s an old movie. But no, it still holds up!

Obviously, there’s a lot of cheesy stuff in the film, and I’m not even talking about the pizzas. However that’s how it supposed to be with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

The Turtles

I’m totally in love with the turtles’ design. They all look great, and how they’re supposed to be. Not like the ones of the Michael Bay movie where they all looked gritty and darker. No, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were supposed to feel joyful, and they absolutely nailed that part. The plot may be somewhat darker, but that’s fine as long the filmmakers can find a good mixture between fun and darkness.

Also, they sweat! I know that’s some random statement, but it feels more real that way. You can definitely see that the film tries to make the turtles real. Well, except when they were all young, that was terrible.

I keep forgetting who is who, even if I know the names: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo. They’ve always looked similar to me. Leonardo is my favorite one of them all, although I had to look up if the blue one was really Leonardo. You also have Raphael who is kind of the “darkest” of them all, and not implying that he’s a bad guy. He’s just darker than the rest. The other two were always the ones with the jokes to me.

The other characters

Splinter always reminded me of Master Yoda from Star Wars. He’s the father figure of the four turtles and trained them like Ninjas. Not only is he skilled but also wise and gives guidance to the turtles. He talks in a mysterious way, and that’s why I compare him to Yoda.

April O’Neil is played by Judith Hoag, who did a terrific job. She’s known to be a news reporter and for helping out the turtles. Unfortunately, she gets replaced in the sequels.

Elias Koteas played Casey Jones in this film. The idea of this character is really silly. It’s basically a guy in hockey pants with a hockey stick fighting crime. On the other hand, this is a movie with fighting turtles, so why not? He’s fun to watch and is a wise street vigilante who becomes a worthy ally.

The Shredder looks impressive and menacing in this film, not like a stupid robot. His outfit was top-notch. I’m glad he was the first villain of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Conclusion

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) is old but gold! I dare you to watch it, and I promise you, you won’t hate it. That’s impossible! What a fun movie, even to this day.

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