Initial Release (1990)
Coming at the height of the cartoon’s popularity, the first big screen jaunt for the heroes in a half shell was actually an independent film. Headed by Steve Barron, soon to be of Coneheads and the Billie Jean music video fame, the production took place mostly in North Carolina in 1989. With the suits supplied by none other than live action special effects master Jim Henson himself, the film seen a relatively painless birthing process, with 
distribution only signed half-way through from relatively new company at the time New-Line Cinema, who had become known for a roster of obscurities and B-movies. This was because all the major companies at the time were put off a franchise motion picture (unlike now!) because of the flop that was Masters of the Universe a few years previously. Needless to say, they seriously missed the boat on this one, as the movie was a huge success and was the highest grossing independent film of the time.
Funnily enough, critically it did about average, with the silly fun and dark violence being frowned upon by most critics. This is interesting given that, today, with the new adaptation just about to land, critics are still frowning at the idea, though now its tied to one Michael Bay’s attachment. The more things change, eh?
My Full Experience (1992 – 2014)
To put it into perspective how much I enjoy the mean, green fighting machines, in my wee heyday I owned a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bin. It had the opening theme drawn across it. Needless to say, they were, and remain pillars of joy in my life, and this film, and its sequels, are very much a part of that.
My earliest memory seeing the Turtles in a film is part of RTE One’s (Irish standard channel) Big Big Movie, which continues to air every Saturday at 6:30 PM. Its a slot dedicated to a family film, and made up much of the great family-friendly features that comprised my youth and shaped my early critical thinking of films. It was actually the second film in the series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze, that introduced me to the live-action ninjas, and I was enamoured from the off. The action, the humor, the fact that they were tangible and sounded and moved exactly how I always imagined. It was a watershed moment for me, and I sought out the other two films with glee. What I found was a trilogy that, at a young age at least, encapsulated everything I loved about the characters in the first place, and made it real life. It would be years later that I’d find the comics 
and realize that darkness that always felt a little odd from this first installment, was actually the grass-roots for the mutant testudines, and that there was still much to discover.
Watching it now, the first thing to be noticed is how dark it is. Much of the film takes place at night, for obvious reasons, but the tone has a very shadowy and mysterious edge to it – suitable for the ninja experts held therein. The story is a well-thread one for anyone familiar with the franchise; turtles become the fearsome fighting team, Foot Clan comes around acting like they own the place, they kidnap the beloved sensei Splinter, turtles and Foot Clan have a fight, and Shredder is the evil genius behind it all. This story is one that is told both in the comics and in the cartoon series, and the film, while being sold as a cartoon adaptation, actually has more in common with the comics in term of its story-telling.
The first time we really see any of the turtles is Raphael saving April O’Neil from the Foot Clan, and even then it’s a fast heated fight so we barely see him. Shredder is handled almost like Darth Vader, very domineering, dark and mysterious – a stark contrast to his lightly satirical character in the cartoon. Once the turtles are together on-screen, it’s in April’s apartment, and Leo and Raphael have an argument before Raph goes to the roof only to get his ass kicked by members of the Foot Clan. The ensuing fight between Turtles and Foot Clan is only salvaged by one Casey Jones, who intervenes to save the ailing shelled heroes. Again, a stark contrast to the cartoon’s treatment of these characters, which is often superhero-like. Its not even half-way, and we’ve them only lose a fight and need to be saved by a human. Okay, a pretty cool human, but a human nonetheless.
What develops after this is standard ninja/kung fu/karate film fare. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, its a training montage. While April and Casey fall in love. In an isolated cabin in the wilderness. After Raphael wakes up from his coma from being beaten up by the Foot Clan. This one has the Turtles, though, so its instantly better than most of the other training montages. I’ve done the science and punched the numbers on this.
Of course, the climax is what we all watched for in the first place – a huge sprawling fight between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Foot Clan. Looking at it now, the violence is pretty extraordinary. Lots of weapons being used and guys getting completely battered in the name of vigilante justice and order. The Turtles dominate with the lean, green approach to kicking ass, and the final fight with the evil Shredder culminates with Splinter stepping up to the plate, after having been let go by the Turtles from his captivity. Splinter and Shredder reveal their dark, murky past of order and betrayal before they have their fight… Which ends with Shredder in a compactor. Think about that for a second. A film released at the height of a children’s cartoon ends with the villain meeting his end in a garbage compactor. Grim.
But all’s well that ends well!
On the eve of seeing the latest TMNT adaptation, this holds up as a very solid blue-print of how to do an adaptation and take all available foundations into consideration. The four shell-shocked ninjas all look and sound the part for their cartoon compatriots, each sporting their own colored headbands instead of the uniform red of the comics, but the story is very much one steeped in the darkness of their beginning and it doesn’t suffer for it. Here’s hoping the new one is half as good!
