Top 10 Moments In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bounced from print to the small screen, and, finally, to the big screen with a 1990 movie. Here are the top 10 moments.
The term Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could sound bizarre and doltish. However, the word phenomenon could sum up what Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became. What began as a cartoonish joke between creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, captured a generation in the 1980s.
The titular turtles manifested on comic book pages, surged on television screens, and prospered through toy-lines. 1990 brought upon their most challenging avenue... a feature-length film. New Line Cinema picked up the reins to a film that could have played off as a ninety-minute toy commercial. What followed was an ambitiously thematic film that kissed the rings of their source materials. Here are the top 10 moments in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990).
10 Crime Infested Setting
New York City. It puffed through its graffiti-scarred brick buildings, theft congested neighborhoods, and seeped sewer dwellings. The film's setting was itself a character. New York City gushed with grime, crime, and slime. This was home and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adored it.
Despite their outlandish appearances, the turtles were the answer to the question of New York City's survival through this transgressive turmoil. The film showcased that the turtles lived in the real world. This environment was not a fictitious town, state, or planet that audiences could not relate to. Urban America was the audience's backyard.
9 1990s Time Capsule
The 1990s have become a vintage era that reverberates enormous nostalgia to a generation. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could be utilized as a 1990s time capsule. The film was drenched with grunge color palettes, heavy metal riffs, skateboards, and arcade machines. The dawning of a new era candidly manifested within the film's overall aesthetic and production design. This new adventitious grunge vibe grounded the film into reality for audiences in the 1990s.
The Foot Clan's hideout was a prime example of this era's encapsulation. Danny Pennington, a lost youth, found solace with the Foot Clan that provided him freedom any 1990s teenager longed for. All this included a skate park, punk hairstyles, and video games.
8 The Reveal
The vehicle of live-action was always the foremost medium. It could be chalked up to human relatability of the visual avenue of film. Nonetheless, when a live-action adaptation of the popular animated series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was announced it sent fans into a fervid frenzy of anticipation. Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Splinter were going to be fleshed-out and personified.
Director Steve Barron knew of this anticipation, employed it into the filmmaking, and took time revealing the turtles' initial appearance. The turtles were first heard during the murky mugging of April O'Neil. This was followed by minor glimpses of Raphael's eyes. The turtles' shadows draped upon sewer tunnels until they burst into the frame and reality.
7 Jim Henson's Swan Song
The aforementioned reveal could not have been possible without the talents of one, Jim Henson. The mastermind behind The Muppet Show and Sesame Street adopted the task of the turtles' design and creation. The turtles along with their master Splinter were constructed at Jim Henson's Creature Shop for nearly twenty weeks of pre-production.
Numerous performers and puppeteers implemented the stellar work Henson provided with bringing the turtles to life. Kevin Clash, best known for his work as Elmo on Sesame Street, puppeteered Splinter for Henson. On May 16th, 1990, Jim Henson passed away from pneumonia making Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles his final credit.
6 Turtles Are Themselves
Within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, each turtle had their bandana, weapon, and personality. The film was no different and took that to heart. One of the film's mainstays was the familial dynamic amongst Splinter and the turtles. Splinter was showcased as a father that instilled wisdom into his sons. The turtles, along with their contrasting personalities, gave way to friction and brotherly bickering.
This all truly felt like a real constructed family. The aesthetic draw to this was that it was exhibited by four mutated turtles and their sensei rat of a father.
5 Casey Jones
Casey Jones could arguably be considered the fifth turtle. (Apologies to producer Mark Freedman.) Casey Jones, portrayed by Elias Koteas, was a hound of justice. He was the bridge between crime and punishment laced in a hockey mask. This vigilante displayed a "do it yourself" attitude in regards to criminals.
Tired of the pestilent crimes in New York City, Jones spoke softly and carried a baseball bat, hockey stick, and even a cricket bat. Although his means of equity rubbed the turtles the wrong way, he molded a bond with them and Splinter. If lawbreakers did not know the ninja turtles, they knew Casey Jones.
4 Shredder And The Foot
The forever antagonist to the turtles was Shredder, played by David McCharen. Shredder's wounds ran deeper into the past than Splinter and the turtles first hinted at. The Shredder's intimidating presence and booming voice fearfully resonated. That resonance struck a chord with the lost youth that enlisted into Shredder's foot clan.
"The outside world rejects you. This is your family. I am your father," Shredder declared to his recruits. He claimed patriarchy over the misguided teenagers he utilized for his prospering crime syndicate. This forceful and foreboding fatherhood was merely one of the thematic examples brought to light in the film.
3 Amalgamation
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) frankly could be considered the best interpretation of the characters of all time. A major basis for that impression was the respect the film gave to its source materials. The dark and edgy tone of the original comic book was present in the film's grunge setting of New York City. The colorful comedy of the animated series was established in the film by the characteristics of the turtles and their supporting cast.
The meshing of both mediums became a powerhouse of an amalgamation. The turtles worked in this fashion and could continually do so.
2 "I Am Here, My Son."
One of the purest scenes within the film had nothing to do with ninjutsu, turtle puns, or pizza. It was a somber scene dimly lit by candlelight that included Raphael and Splinter. What proceeded was a deep minded lecture from father to son...in this case from rat to turtle.
Nonetheless, Splinter provided fatherly advice to Raphael regarding his anger and solitude. He professed that he must not forget his brothers or his father. Splinter's mortality was brought to the conversation's forefront. A father cannot outlive his sons. His sons cannot outlive his wisdom. "I am here, my son," whispered Splinter while palming Raphael's head.
1 Theme Of Fatherhood
"All fathers care for their sons," Splinter professed. A discussion could be made that the film's theme was fatherhood. Enormous amounts of plot points and character development revolved around sons and fathers. Splinter raised the turtles as if they were his own. Shredder adopted misplaced teenagers into the Foot Clan to serve as members of his twisted family. Charles Pennington struggled with his son Danny's rebellious attitude and criminal activity that ultimately subsided into harmony between them.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) had a heavy sense of theme and story that allowed it to resonate to this day.