“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” have been here in pop culture since 1984, created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, making comics, lunchboxes, shirts, and even their very own animated TV show that started the pathway of the movies to come.
The first ever “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” movie was released in 1990, directed by Steve Barron and released by the studio name Golden Harvest. The movie shows how the four brothers, Leonardo (Brian Tochi), Donatello (Corey Feldman), Michelangelo (Robbie Rist) and Raphael (Josh Pais) meet April O’Neil (Judith Hoag) by all of them getting tied in with Shredder’s evil scheme to train teenagers into his soldiers to take over New York. Along the way, they meet Casey Jones (Elias Koteas), the love interest for April. This movie is perfect for this franchise with humor, music, and action. My rating of the movie is a 9 out of 10.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2,” the second of this trilogy, tells more about the turtle’s past with how they became mutants by a green ooze they met with when they were young. They also meet a new human friend who happens to be a pizza delivery guy, Keno (Ernie Rays Jr.). Meanwhile, Shredder plans another way to take revenge on the turtles by creating mutants from the same ooze that the turtles had. Making Tokka, a mutant snapping turtle, and Razhar, a wolf mutant. The movie is solid and enjoyable with not enough action but more jokes and uses more gadgets than weapons instead. My rating for this is 9.5 out of 10.
The last out of the 90s trilogy is “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3.” The movie is about how April was stuck in sixteenth-century Japan. How she did it was she bought an ancient Japanese artifact that switched her and a boy named Kenshin, who is the son of Lord Norinaga, the villain of the story. All of this means that the mutants have to travel back in time to rescue April by going back in time as well. Meanwhile, Casey is now back to help Splinter take care of the people from the past who are stuck in their time. The movie is okay, to say the least, but it’s not my cup of tea. I give this movie a 4 out of 10.
“TMNT” (2007) is about the four turtles defeating the Shredder in the past, which is not in the movie. They grew up as adults along with April O’Neil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Casey Jones (Chris Evans). The six of them have to defeat a foe named Max Winters (Patrick Stewart), who wants immortality along with his brotherhood. This means they have to capture 13 monsters while also threatening to break the brotherhood between the turtles. My rating for the movie is a 7 out of 10. The animation aged a bit better than some others, and most of the score is done well, along with the acting.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2014) was the first “TMNT” movie Nickelodeon released after the previous studio passed it down to Nickelodeon. The film is directed by Micheal Bay, the director who directed the 2000’s “Transformers,” featuring Megan Fox. This movie is more of a reboot origin story with similarities between this one and the 1990s version. The turtles meet April because she wants a good story and has to prevent the Shredder from ruling New York. But this movie uses more CGI than puppets and more action, which some people may enjoy, especially people who like Bay’s work. But, this just feels dull and lifeless most times. My rating for the movie is 5 out of 10.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” (2016) is a sequel to Michel Bay’s “TMNT.” This movie shows more of the references to the 1980s show, making the four turtles have a feeling of being human. Meanwhile, Shredder, after he ended up in jail for his actions in the last movie, breaks out with Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Sheamus). All three have to grab items to make the Kraang destroy the world, but the turtles and April O’Neil have a plan. Casey Jones decides to join as well since he is a police officer and wants to arrest Bebop. This movie is a little better than the first one with new villains like the Kraang, but still not better than the others. My rating for this is a 6 out of 10.
“Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: The Movie,” is a Netflix animated adaptation of “TMNT.” It follows the recent Nickelodeon show with the same name. The movie is about the future, only the turtles and Casey Jones Jr. survive. Future Leo has an idea and sends Casey into the past to stop Kraang from destroying the world and humankind with the past selves of the turtle crew. The movie is spectacular with amazing visuals, but the thing is, you have to watch the show to know the background of the characters. I give this movie an 8 out of 10.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” is the recent 3D animated movie about the green teens with them being 15. The story begins with how Splinter and the turtle grew up isolated in the world, but once they gave the world a chance they ridiculed them. The brothers grow up alone, but once they find out about a villain who has an evil plan, they meet a girl named April. The five of them plan to stop the vigilante but find out about a shocking event. The movie has amazing visuals as well as great voice acting. I give this movie a perfect 10 out of 10.
