Movie Debate #68: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

[fox | 1,666]

For being that movie with giant muppets doing martial arts while cracking jokes, there is an underlying gritty quality to the pre-cleaned up NYC locations and general indie movie feel of the film that really helps ground the whole thing.  Just because it is for kids, doesn't mean they made it all squeaky clean, these turtles curse, they get angry, they get violent.  It helps the action feel real and not overly chesse or cartoony.

The turtles actually get their butts kicked a lot, their home gets trashed, and their father kidnapped and have to run off to the farm to lick their wounds.  The movie really takes its time and we get some good emotional and reflective character stuff. 

There is a nice message about gangs vs family, which wasn't needed but appreciated.  Film holds up really well, and might be a bit underrated in the comic book/super hero genre.

Edited May 3, 2021 by fox

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

As an 8 year old kid who saw it in the theatre the day it was released, I will say it was the best thing to happen to me at that time

In all seriousness, I know it got flack for being so dark for "a children's movie," but as a child I loved it regardless.  The choice to stick closer to the comics than the cartoon may have been controversial, but it definitely made the movie far more watchable in my adult years (I can barely watch the cartoon these days, it's so bad!).  Additionally, the choice to use animatronics instead of CG (which was still in it's infancy at the time) made it seem a bit primitive at the time, but definitely helped the visuals age a LOT better.  How many awesome movies are undone due to the visuals looking terrible by modern standards, even if they looked amazing at the time?  TMNT doesn't fall in that category because of this one fateful decision.

Honestly, it's a solid 8/10, even without the nostalgia goggles. 

[AstralSoul | 502]

It's amazing..still the best TMNT movie yet. Absolutely nostalgic for me too. I can't give it lower than a 9. 

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

It's probably about as good as it could be for a Turtles movie. Overall, it's just pretty good. 6/10.

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

34 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

It's probably about as good as it could be for a Turtles movie. Overall, it's just pretty good. 6/10.

That's how I feel about it as well considering it's a live action movie. I actually thought it was pretty good and still enjoy the occasional watch.

[a3quit4s | 4,096]

9. Loved it as a kid and I love it as an adult. 

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

22 minutes ago, Andy_Bogomil said:

That's how I feel about it as well considering it's a live action movie. I actually thought it was pretty good and still enjoy the occasional watch.

I still have my original VHS tape from when I was a kid. I probably watched it once a week 30 years ago. I've only watched it a few times on cable since then.

[RH | 4,903]

Never seen it.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

I mean, come on.

Is it the best movie of all time? Of course not. Is it my favorite movie of all time? Without question. Also the movie I've watched the most, I'm sure. 

Spoilers ahead, for this movie from 1990.

Somehow the movie has real heart. I think the dialogue helped. Yes there is cheesy 90's dialogue left and right but there are also actual tender moments, like Splinter saying "all fathers care for their sons", and the campfire scene. I think Jim Henson's workshop did a fantastic job on the suits and that adds to the charm of the movie. 

The score is incredible. Everyone remembers those songs. Also, the music when Shredder first appears is super intense and makes him seem like a real big deal villian.

Elias Koteas is and will forever be the best Casey Jones. His relationship with Raphael is integral to the film and really helps make the movie special. 

Judith Hoag does a great job as April. She shows real emotion, especially when her father's antique shop burns down, that combined with the music really gets me every time. 

The story of Leo & Raph feuding but ultimately bonding is great. Raphael's.... "acting" feels real to me! It's great.

Obviously I love this film. 10/10. 

[Californication | 1,477]

9 - It has a real plot that works. If you classify it as a video game movie, it's probably the best video game move ever made. If you classify it as a comic book movie, it set the bar for what comic book movies where capable of until the Chris Nolan Batman's or Watchmen.

Although I don't know who any of the actors are, the acting is excellent. The turtles and splinter were all very believable. The story had nice transitions the music matched the film. It's an all around good movie.

I have a picture wearing a TMNT Movie shirt, gonna have to fish it out.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Californication

[Ninja Warriors | 86]

My favorite movie of all time.

A great soundtrack/score that I still listen to to this day.

Am I the only one who gets emotional seeing the campfire scene with the turtles seeing splinter?

I did not always have the best relationship with my dad, and this is the only scene in a movie I can remember getting teary eyed.

10/10

[Strikezone1 | 154]

One of my top favorite movies of all time. I gave it a 10.

I (like many others) have nostalgia for it from when it first came out in the height of the TMNT era.

I re-watched it within the last year or 2 and was blown away by how well it has held up.

TMNT 2 & TMNT 3 are incredibly corny, but the first TMNT is excellent.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

3 hours ago, RH said:

Never seen it.

Just curious how that's possible considering our demographic.  Strict parents?  Fear of puppets?

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Just curious how that's possible considering our demographic.  Strict parents?  Fear of puppets?

Probably read this book

[RH | 4,903]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Just curious how that's possible considering our demographic.  Strict parents?  Fear of puppets?

 

19 minutes ago, CodysGameRoom said:

Probably read this book

Close.  On the Christian radio station (the dial in our car was stuck on it) there was a 5 minute bumper show they would play ever Tuesday and I remember that show being a "killer" of all things fun.  My brother and I loved so many franchises only to have them, eventually, taken away.  I went to a Christian college and it was amusing because I was the only kid through grade school that I knew that had that experience.  In college, it was the majority of my friends.

Anyway, TMNT was at the top of franchises my brother and I loved.  I remember we would be playing the NES at my grandmothers house in the afternoons, waiting for my Mom to get off work.  Prying kids away from the NES was a tough thing, but the second the TMNT theme came on, it was game over for both of us and we were glued to the tv set.  TMNT was important.

Well, that day came that TMNT was discussed on that radio show and TMNT was out.  I gave away my trading cards and I never watched the again.

I know this is a tragedy for most of you, and I'm sure you fell that it was a harsh move, but I actually got over it rather quickly.  Today as a rather conservative Christian and parent, I went back and I watched some of those old TMNT shows and I think my parents made the right call based off of our beliefs.  No shame on any of you for enjoying the comics, shows and the films.  They are fun and I won't deny that.  But the Eastern mystical/spiritual narrative is just stuff I try to personally keep out of my home and life, which is what my parents were doing too.

We actually had a recent purge in our home by my initiative (cough... which is why I got rid of all my  RPGs in one go about a month ago, cough) but this time I tried to let my kids be a part of the change.  I talked about why this was important, why it should have been important all along and we went and looked through stuff together and my kids were even allowed to questioned some of my decisions of stuff I felt was on "the line". 

When I was a kid, it felt like such a restrictive burden to give up all the fun stuff that literally all of my peers enjoyed and it was hard to understand why I had to be so different.  I was often told "we don't watch/do that" and that was the end of the discussion.  Now as a parent with the same religious standards as my parents, I'm trying to bring my kids into the understanding of why we draw certain lines that others may not, and I try explain why we see it differently, while also striving to not let them develop an attitude of pride or condescension towards others that don't see thing the wat we do.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

4 minutes ago, RH said:

We actually had a recent purge in our home by my initiative (cough... which is why I got rid of all my  RPGs in one go about a month ago, cough)

Isn't Xenogears your favorite game of all time?

[RH | 4,903]

1 minute ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Isn't Xenogears your favorite game of all time?

Sigh... yup. And Final Fantasy VII was a close second. 

Many RPGs are very heavy-handed with religious tone and commentary.  Another beloved game is Final Fantasy Tactics and it too has a pretty negative projection of a Christianity-like faith.  As a kid and into my adulthood, most of the enjoyment from RPGs was the actual gameplay and the story was viewed in a vacuum, in another universe I appreciated it as such.

Regardless of if I have Xenogears on my shelf, or not, most of these games I've not played in ages.  I doubt I'd get back to them and since I have an unending back log, many without "magic" or other religious overtones that I want to play, I'm not really hurting from the loss.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

Well, I don't mean to hijack my own thread, but I can't help but notice the parallels between what you've just said, and @Strange's childhood story about his mother taking his Pokemon.

Part of me is also curious if you will ever miss these things, or wish that you could have shared something that was so important to you with your children.

[The Count | 526]

I remember walking to the theater with my dad at my mother's behest. I loved it, of course, and my brothers and I damn near wore out the VHS. 9/10.

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

52 minutes ago, RH said:

  Another beloved game is Final Fantasy Tactics and it too has a pretty negative projection of a Christianity-like faith. 

I actually think the religion-elements of Xenogears and FF Tactics are fantastic cautionary tales about the dangers of zealotry, and provide good lessons on what it looks like when things are taken too far and done with bad motivations.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

Man, that boggles my mind. Obviously we live in America and have freedom of choice, but I can't understand restricting yourself from enjoying the simple things like cartoons or video games because religion says they are bad. 

[RH | 4,903]

36 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Well, I don't mean to hijack my own thread, but I can't help but notice the parallels between what you've just said, and @Strange's childhood story about his mother taking his Pokemon.

Part of me is also curious if you will ever miss these things, or wish that you could have shared something that was so important to you with your children.

Well, it's about context and what you consider important.  Truth is, I remember the main characters of TMNT, and that's about it. I do share a bunch of stuff from my childhood with my kids, and Disney+ this day and age makes it rather easy because there is still a lot of good Disney stuff.

Regardless, as a family we do play video games but not much.  90% of the fun for me in this hobby is hunting for specific items.  I enjoy gaming, but I don't do it as much as it might seem.  My kids spend a lot of time playing outside.  My son likes building stuff with toys made for that, and when he's bored he takes stuff apart.  He's not matured to the point where he's figured out how to put the stuff back together, but we're working on that.

My daughter is love to read.  She always has a stack of about 20 books from the library and she reads them multiple times until they are returned.  Our lives are a bit atypical than most, but we're happy and no one feels deprived.

13 minutes ago, CodysGameRoom said:

Man, that boggles my mind. Obviously we live in America and have freedom of choice, but I can't understand restricting yourself from enjoying the simple things like cartoons or video games because religion says they are bad. 

I don't mind talking religion and faith, but I always try to avoid coming off "preachy" but I also don't mind responding to questions.  In regards to your comments, there really are a lot of things to be enjoyed in life.  I haven't given up this stuff because I had to.  I did it because I wanted too.  Sure, there are conflicting desires but there are other, personal and spiritual reasons of why I let that stuff go.  I am free to keep all the RPGs and other items I want, but it does come with a consequence.  Speaking about those consequences can get off on the weeds but it's part of the faith walk that is hard to explain to someone who isn't religious.  I only say that because I recall from past discussions you're and atheist's.  Still, as someone who embraces and believes in a greater, spiritual component to life, sometimes you give up somethings (live specific video games, TVs or movies) to gain other, intangible benefits.  Letting go of a large portion of my gaming collection fell into that category, and I honestly don't regret it.

[TDIRunner | 2,733]

As a kid, I was super excited for this movie.  Despite the fact that it was nothing like was I expected, I still absolutely loved the movie.  At the time, I was really only familiar with the original cartoon and toy line, so the darker themes of the movie were surprising to me, but I loved it because it felt a "adult" to me.  My friends and I LOVED the fact that the turtles were swearing.  The crazy thing is that even watching it again as an adult, it wasn't that bad of a movie.  It's far from perfect, but I would still recommend it to anyone who was a TMNT fan.  

[Strange | 1,700]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Well, I don't mean to hijack my own thread, but I can't help but notice the parallels between what you've just said, and @Strange's childhood story about his mother taking his Pokemon.

Part of me is also curious if you will ever miss these things, or wish that you could have shared something that was so important to you with your children.

Sorry to hijack the thread further, and I don’t mean to sound condescending toward any religious folks, but this all sounds similar to how I used to be. When I was a religious teen I used to try (emphasis on try, didn’t always happen) to avoid games with magic systems/demons/etc. To this day I haven’t touched the Persona series though now I’d like to (time is the limiting factor these days).

I think I remember figuring out that I was raised in a similar or the same denomination of church. That denomination places very heavy emphasis on the spiritual realm and spiritual warfare. Like I said, I don’t want this to sound condescending or like I’m bashing so if anyone is actually curious about it, I can talk about it via PM.