The First Ninja Turtles Movie!!

There's certain movies that seem to automatically get bad criticism because of their titles and subject. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of them. Now, many people like the Ninja Turtles, but most seem to think it's childish and not worth their time. This is so not true, and the first movie, obviously titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, makes this evident.

The movie tells the story of four mutant turtles trained by their rat master Splinter. Splinter learned the art of ninjistu from his owner back in Japan. When Splinter came to America he found the four turtles in a sewer. The turtles were mutated by some ooze and Splinter was too. He eventually taught them to be ninjas so he could take revenge on the man who killed his master, Oroko Saki, or, The Shredder.

Okay, I'll admit, even as I wrote that it sounded farfetched(but so unique), but the film takes this story and brings it down(under?) to Earth and makes it very believable. All the characters are written well, their stories are rich and interesting, and their development during the film is one of its strongest points. It's obvious there's tension among the brothers, they live in an enclosed sewer and they are usually aching to fight. This is played out well within the film. April and Casey are also well written.

There's so much good to say about this film, and even though it has its flaws they are FAR overshadowed. The cinematography is gritty and just amazing. The sets are flawlessly crafted, it really feels like a cramped makeshift home down in the sewer, and New York City feels like an American city, not some glossy representation of one. The scenes on April's farm are so well shot...it's breathtaking to me. It's great to just take in all the detail.

One source of criticism seems to be the dialogue, and frankly, you either like it or you don't. I fall into the former group, these turtles feel like four teenage brothers and even though some of it's cheesy, the dialogue never gets cringe-worthy, so it's all good. The acting is also great, the four turtles voices are quirky and fun, and the human actors deliver raw and just plain realistic performances. April's reaction to the turtles is especially realistic, she has to portray so many emotions at once, and she pulls it off perfectly.

The puppetry is top-notch, it's obvious Jim Henson was the master at this stuff, the detail on the turtles and the way there mouths move make it so much better. Just look at the muscles on their legs...perfect. The fighting choreography is great, it's obvious that there's limitations in using turtles in suits to portray ninjas, but the filmmakers got past that and made the action effective and interesting.

I love the score/soundtrack. It is really interesting, and the MC Hammer stuff is actually good. There's some subtle stuff that carries enough emotion to move us when it needs to. The pacing and editing is perfect, the movie goes by at an even and exciting speed. The direction is also really worth noting, and it's obvious the makers of this film really went far to please the fans. It combines the best of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the gritty realism that made the comics great, and the fun dialogue and humor that made the 80s show fun.

8.5/10