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[AJUMP23]

I really think this is one of my all time favorite movie experiences. I went to a theater in Arkansas with my friends and my brother. We watched this movie and the whole theater was into it. Laughing celebrating and just having a good time. I think there are only 2 experiences that come close to what this movie was as kids, ROTJ and Infinity War. The movie also has a killer soundtrack. TURTLE POWER the song was so much fun. I am pretty sure I could quote it word for word.

One thing that really made this movie stand out was that it followed the Eastman and Laird Story line well. First 10 issues I believe. Everything from the Origin to the retreat to the farm to the rooftop battle with Shredder. It was a movie we all loved. I also think this film still holds up today. My kids have watched it and enjoyed it. The Turtle Puppetry was great, the suits were amazing for the time. If there is a negative it is changing the look of April to some extent. Another major change from the Comic is that it was Leo that was almost killed and not Raph.

The live-action TMNT film was made on a budget of $13.5 million and grossed $202 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing independent film at the time.

Overall good memories, and still a fan of the Turtles.

 

[Trunx81]

Raphael x April

German dub totally ruined the film by integrating “boing” sounds when a hit landed. Still childhood memories.

And one of the best Rap songs ever created.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Ok I loved the sound track too but one song, turtle power, says that Raphael is the leader?

No he isn’t!

 

[AJUMP23]

Ok I loved the sound track too but one song, turtle power, says that Raphael is the leader?

No he isn’t!

He is the leader of the group, transformed from the norm, by the nuclear goop.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Rewatched this with my kids, they loved it. They were surprised at how dark it was though.

 

[Trogdor1123]

He is the leader of the group, transformed from the norm, by the nuclear goop.

 

[jshackles]

I loved this movie. I was a huge TMNT fan back then, so I was counting down the days until it arrived at the local movie theater. Went with my dad to go see it. It's a great memory.

Watched it with my kids not too long ago, and despite the outfits looking a bit goofy (now that we live in a world where CGI is the norm) the movie holds up extremely well.

Also, Judith Hoag was so hot in this. Shame she got replaced by Paige Turco for the sequels.

 

[The Skull]

Needs a 4k release. While the sequels weren't as good, the OG trilogy holds up well.

 

[TheAtomicPile]

They need to hurry up with the 4k transfer already.

Supposedly it is on the way according to Ernie Reyes Jr.

TMNT 1990 coming to 4k Blu Ray 2025 TBA - The Technodrome Forums

 

[AJUMP23]

Rewatched this with my kids, they loved it. They were surprised at how dark it was though.

I remember they ran news reports about the 18 minute fight sequence and was that healthy for kids. I can't find any of them. But the media was still doing sensationalist stuff back then.

 

[winjer]

This movie was so awesome back in the day. And it still holds up today.
The direction is top notch, the script is very good, action scenes are great, Jim Henson's puppeteering is almost perfect, and the the lighting, blocking and staging is very good.

 

[The ninja farmer]

I remember they ran news reports about the 18 minute fight sequence and was that healthy for kids. I can't find any of them. But the media was still doing sensationalist stuff back then.

I vaguely remember this had censorship issues over in the UK. Probably a scene with nunchucks, which was frowned upon at the time by the British film board

Oh that they didn’t like the word ninja !!! They kept trying to change it to hero

Cool movie back in the day, but was more my brothers time

 

[poppabk]

I vaguely remember this had censorship issues over in the UK. Probably a scene with nunchucks, which was frowned upon at the time by the British film board

Oh that they didn’t like the word ninja !!! They kept trying to change it to hero

Cool movie back in the day, but was more my brothers time

I watched the US version on a dodgy illegal VHS copy.
The nunchuck ban in the UK was the weirdest shit ever. The UK Enter the Dragon was ruined because of it.

 

[AJUMP23]

I watched the US version on a dodgy illegal VHS copy.
The nunchuck ban in the UK was the weirdest shit ever. The UK Enter the Dragon was ruined because of it.

And now they are banning Ninja swords.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

I went to the premiere with my dad. Back then, visual effects werent as good as to making anything possible so that was a movie that I thought I'd never watch.

It's depressing that movies I watched in the cinema now are "classics" lol.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Needs a 4k release. While the sequels weren't as good, the OG trilogy holds up well.

They don't outside of the first one. That third one is especially terrible.

 

[AJUMP23]

They don't outside of the first one. That third one is especially terrible.

The First one is the only one that treats the kids in the audience with respect. The second one becomes a cartoon, and the third one is just slapstick.

 

[CastorSoze]

TURTLE Power was the first single I bought. Splinter's Tale Parts 1 and 2 on the B-Side. (God Gave Rock & Roll to You from Bogus Journey was the second)
Was just rewatching the video for TURTLE Power now and they show the final scene with Shredder on the roof and going off the roof.

In Ireland we seemed to get the UK cuts so not only was the Nunchuck showing-off scene cut but also at the end Shredder goes straight off. Splinter doesn't catch him and we don't get the knife scene.

 

[DKehoe]

 

[Chuck Berry]

Casey vs Raph still rules

 

[thefool]

I rewatched this a few months ago and make no mistake, this is one of the best comic book movies ever. It's a great film, has a small coming of age storyline woven into it, very well made, very well shot, just a fantastic piece of cinema that could never be made these days.

 

[AJUMP23]

Added the greatest rap of all time.

 

[IDKFA]

I really think this is one of my all time favorite movie experiences. I went to a theater in Arkansas with my friends and my brother. We watched this movie and the whole theater was into it. Laughing celebrating and just having a good time. I think there are only 2 experiences that come close to what this movie was as kids, ROTJ and Infinity War. The movie also has a killer soundtrack. TURTLE POWER the song was so much fun. I am pretty sure I could quote it word for word.

One thing that really made this movie stand out was that it followed the Eastman and Laird Story line well. First 10 issues I believe. Everything from the Origin to the retreat to the farm to the rooftop battle with Shredder. It was a movie we all loved. I also think this film still holds up today. My kids have watched it and enjoyed it. The Turtle Puppetry was great, the suits were amazing for the time. If there is a negative it is changing the look of April to some extent. Another major change from the Comic is that it was Leo that was almost killed and not Raph.

The live-action TMNT film was made on a budget of $13.5 million and grossed $202 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing independent film at the time.

Overall good memories, and still a fan of the Turtles.

I'm pretty sure this was my first cinema experience.

Great film.

What amazes me is that it still looks decent. The suits looks so much better than the CGI trash Michael Bay gave us.

 

[CastorSoze]

During the summer if I'm out in the evening I still have the conversation in my head of "Nice night" "Mm-hmm. Pizza dude's got 30 seconds"

 

[Mitsurux]

I remember being a little confused by what I perceived as story errors (Raph as the leader, Splinter origin story).... but i did not know about the original comics and that technically the Cartoon was where the story changes were made. But regardless of that the movie was great, lots of good quotes too.
Got the sound track on cassette, and me and the kids on our street would blast Turtle power out of the Boom box we carried with us every where (The Neighbors had to be so annoyed with us...lol)

 

[Trunx81]

Some interesting facts about the production

 

[Chuck Berry]

Added the greatest rap of all time.

Had the soundtrack on cassette

Technotronic/Hi Tek 3's "Spin that Wheel" doesn't get enough attention. Such the quinessential 1990 house sound.



Hammer's song was dope too

 

[Soltype]

Movie was way better than it had to be. They could have phoned the movie in and still made money, but they didn't.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

The last fight scene between the turtles and Shredder is great and Raphael getting almost beaten to death is BRUTAL. It's not something you'd see in a kids' movie today

 

[Wheeljack539]

Ok I loved the sound track too but one song, turtle power, says that Raphael is the leader?

No he isn’t!

Yeah, that part of the song always irritated me too.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Yeah, that part of the song always irritated me too.

 

[AJUMP23]

They are most famously known for their debut single, "Turtle Power!", which was written for and featured in the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1990, and became an international hit, reaching number 13 in the US and number one for four weeks in the UK. The song was infamous for erroneously calling Raphael the "leader of the group." Usher in an interview stated the group had no previous knowledge of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and based the lyrics for the song from a synopsis given by the producers, and with Raphael as the main character in the first film, they expected he was the leader. By the time they learned he wasn't, the song was already finished and filming nearly complete.

 

[Trogdor1123]

I had no idea. Interesting information though.

The producers had no idea I guess

 

[Ovech-King]

Cant wait for the 4k

 

[MrCunningham]

Fuck me. I was 9 years old when this movie hit theatres. I literally saw it twice in one day on its 'global' day one debut. Once at a matinee earlier in the day, then later that evening a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to see it and they would pay for the ticket, so I said 'yes'.

 

[mansoor1980]

 

[MrCunningham]

There is a pretty notorious deleted scene where Donatello reveals to April that he is also part xenomorph.

 

[N0S]

 

[digoutyoursoul]

I loved the version of Shredder in this film, he’s not in it much but when he is, as a kid I found him intimidating plus the helmet/mask design is awesome .

 

[Lord Panda]

This scene always hits hard:



My wife and I still quote the movie all the time:

Eg.

"Am I behind on my Sony payments again?"

"Yeah, a little too Raph" (best gag from TMNT2

"A fellow chucker, eh?"

"You gotta know what a crumpet is, before you can understand cricket"

 

[AJUMP23]

This dropped as well.

 

[Mitsurux]

This dropped as well.

That was great... but was it just me or did the narrators voice sound different?

 

[GateofD]

practical effects and suits still hold up today, and the script and overall movie is really stellar

 

[GateofD]

This scene always hits hard:



My wife and I still quote the movie all the time:

Eg.

"Am I behind on my Sony payments again?"

"Yeah, a little too Raph" (best gag from TMNT2

"A fellow chucker, eh?"

"You gotta know what a crumpet is, before you can understand cricket"

my favorite one