The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a name that has been very synonymous with pop culture for the past 30 years. What started out as a comic book series spawned several different cartoon adaptations, action figures, video games motion picture films, clothes and all sorts of merchandise. The Ninja Turtles franchise has gone through various stages of mainstream popularity. The original boom occurred during my time as a young child in the late eighties and early nineties. I remember watching the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on television every weekend and playing with all the various action figures. I sure made it a point for my parents to take me to see all three motion picture films when they came out in succession in the early 90's. If we should compare the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Beatles, it was 'Ninja Turtle Mania'!!!! This was an era which arguably died out in 1993 around the time of the third film. Even as my childhood evolved into adolescence, the memory of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still lingered. My fascination with these mythical creatures as a youngster instilled images that would stay with me forever. From then on, whenever I saw a turtle, ate pizza, performed martial arts, or the time when I visited New York City, the images from the Ninja Turtles would reappear in my psyche (Check the story of the Ninja Turtles if you are not familiar with what I am talking about).
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be reintroduced to the pop culture world in the 2000s as a new cartoon in 2003, brand new action figures and an animated film (2007) came out. In many ways, this created a second boom of the Ninja Turtles popularity. However, due to my close association with the first boom of the Ninja Turtles, I couldn't really accept the new look and image of the Turtles. Another cartoon series debuted in 2012 and a reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came out in 2014 starring Megan Fox. A sequel to this reboot premieres next week in theaters. I can say that I never saw the reboot of the series and I seriously doubt that I will go see the sequel. Combined with the bad reviews of these reboots, I still long for those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I knew as a child.
I recently re watched the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film which came out in 1990. At the time, I was six years old. I was used to the original cartoon at the time so I expected the film to copy the same formula. However, I recall the film not living up to my expectations and I didn't like it at the time. Watching the film as an adult, however, I have a totally different perspective on it. I can see how much more serious the movie was and why so many themes in it probably went over my six-year-old brain.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started out as a comic book before it was a cartoon. The background story on the Ninja Turtles is different in the comic books than it is in the cartoons. That was one of the main things that puzzled me as a child. In addition, the comic book stories about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a darker tone than the original cartoon series. This certainly reflects in both the look and feel of the original film There were some elements of comedy that were applied to each of the Ninja Turtles and their interactions with people which was very much influenced by the cartoon series. However, there was more of a seriousness to the Ninja Turtles that I can appreciate now as an adult, more so than when I viewed it as a young child. I wanted to take the time to analyze both the seriousness of the Ninja Turtles and this Motion Picture as a whole!!
The Story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
For those that are unaware of the story, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's origins trace back to Japan. Hamato Yoshi is a shadow warrior in Japan practicing the art of ninjutsi. He has a pet rat named Splinter whom mimics his martial arts movements while in his cage. Yoshi is rival members of the same clan with a man named Oruku Saki. Both men compete for the affections of a woman named Tang Shen. Yoshi is convinced by Shen to flee to New York City in order to avoid fighting Oruku Saki to the death for her hand in marriage. They both flee to New York City and Saki vowed revenge and spends years searching for them. He eventually finds them at their New York apartment and murders both. Enraged at witnessing the death of his owners, Splinter the rat lunges from his cage at Oruka Saki and scratches his face. Saki then takes a huge slice out of Splinter's ear with his sword. Poor Splinter is then left homeless wandering the sewers of New York City. Eventually, he comes across a broken canister containing four baby turtles and a broken container of a green nuclear substance. Both he and the Turtles become engrossed in the substance. Splinter realizes that both he and the Turtles begin to grow in both size and intellect. He names then after Four Renaissance artists: Leonoardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael. Splinter takes on the role of being the Turtles mentor, teaching the art of ninjitsu that his master Humuto Yoshi had taught him. In addition, being aware of the crime in New York City, Splinter encourages the Turtles to come out at night very discreetly to fight off criminals. Of course, Splinter teaches them the 'Secret Art of Invisibility' in which they are not seen even when fighting off the criminals. Splinter knows that the world above the sewer could never be theirs, except for pizza which happens to be the Ninja Turtles favorite food. It is said that after the murder of Yoshi and Shen, Saki is not seen or heard from again. However Saki has taken on the persona of "Shredder" an armored FAgin-esque crime figure. He manipulates and recruits teens and young adults and teaches them ninjitsu, thereby turning them into a group of skilled thieves and assassins known as the 'Foot Clan'. News reporter April O' Neil discovers the very motives of the foot clan and reports on their crimes. Shredder orders the 'Foot Clan' to silence her. When the 'Foot Clan' attempt to confront O' Neil, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles intervene and save her, therefore befriending her. Shredder learns of these Turtle creatures that are interrupting his plans. It is unbeknownst to him and the Turtles of the connection he has to Splinter. However, there is something that about the way the foot clan members describe the Turtle's fighting that seems familiar, something from the past.
(Note: the Story of the Ninja Turtles in the comic books and the Movies differs than that in the original cartoon)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtels (1990)
I won't do a scene by scene analysis of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film as that is not the purpose of this article. I will relate the seriousness of the characters with certain parts of the film. As with the cartoon series, each Ninja Turtle has their own unique personality. Leonardo is the leader of the pack, while Raphael is a loner and a rebel. Donatello is supposed to be scientifically and technically inclined, while Michaelangelo is a care-free party animal. Despite their differences, the Turtles all stick together as a pact and are all loyal to their Master Splinter. At the beginning of the film, Splinter speaks with the Turtles and encourages them to use their teachings wisely as one day he will no longer physically be with them. While they don't appear to take it seriously at the time, it is proven later that his words have indeed sunk into the Turtle's conscience. There's a scene later where Donatello and Michaelangelo are sitting underneath a sewer drain waiting for a delivery boy to deliver their pizza. Donatello asks Michalangelo if he ever thought about Splinter's speech about the Turtle's one day not having him. Michaelangelo seems to brush him off but you can tell by his animatronic eyes (which seem very human) that it is something that concerns him deep down inside. After realizing that Splinter is the leader of the Ninja Turtles, the foot clan kidnaps him while they are away. This makes the Ninja Turtles go into a rage as the unknowing of the whereabouts of their master and guide is too overwhelming to their senses. The Ninja Turtles go stay with April O'Neil and are eventually attacked by the Foot Clan. April's apartment complex goes up in flames forcing her and the Turtles to retreat to an old farmhouse in upstate New York where she grew up. The longing for the whereabouts of Master Splinter is evident, especially when Raphael is seen above the farmhouse yelling out Splinter's name. Leonardo, the leader of the pack, meditates in the wilderness and eventually connects with the soul of Splinter verifying that Splinter is alive. He beckons the other Turtles to meditate with him and connect with the soul of Splinter. They eventually do reach Splinter through their meditative practice and for a movie about fictional Turtles, I can say this is a very touching moment.
The Relationship between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
The relationship that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have amongst themselves is unique. While their loyalty is to Master Splinter, they know they must rely on one another during times of trouble, especially when they use their ninja expertise to fight crime. Donatello's scientific mind is complimented by Michaelangelo's playfulness and, therefore, the two tend to stick together. Being the leader of the pack, Leonardo must influence the other three Turtles to tag along with his plans. Raphael, being the rebel, doesn't always comply. This is extremely evident when the two argue at April O' Neil's house and Raphael runs away. During the argument, Leonardo even tells Raphael that they don't need him and that he can just go away. Raphael is attacked by the Foot Clan and falls into April's home, being knocked into a coma. The Turtles rescue him while fighting off the Foot. When the Turtles retreat to the farmhouse with April, Leonardo holds a vigil with Raphael as he recovers. In many ways, Leonardo feels bad that he told Raphael they didn't need him. Another touching scene is when Leonardo is shown holding the vigil with Raphael while he recovers in a bathtub. April comes in and splashes water on Raphael reassuring Leonardo that he will be ok. The lighting and the music adds a bit of seriousness to it that is hard to explain unless you've seen it. It touches with my senses as a 32-year-old man. Eventually, Raphael comes to and Leonardo embraces him with love and apologizes for belittling him during their argument. The Turtles are together once again, but they do not become whole until they reunite with Splinter at the end.
Relationship between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and April:
After getting over the bewilderment of the Ninja Turtles very existence, April O' Neil finds a kinship with them. April O' Neil is reporting on the Foot Clan's crimes across the city. However, the chief of police denies the legitimacy of her reports. The chief even puts pressure on the news director to silence O' Neil's reports. Eventually, he fires her. However, she is rehired at the end of the film. April's kinship with the Turtles is evident in her love of their personalities. However, it can also be seen in her similar goal of taking down the criminal actions of her city that are being placed under the radar by the local police. Eventually, both achieve their goals as the Foot Clan is exposed to the chief of police after they are defeated by the Turtles.
While the Turtles are at the farmhouse with April and Casey, April takes on doing sketches of her current life experiences. She does sketches of Donatello, whom has found a friendship with Casey Jones. She also does a sketch of Leonardo holding vigil with Raphael. The Turtles had touched April's spirit and mirrored her life experiences.
Relationship between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Casey Jones:
Another human character that comes into contact with the Turtles is Casey Jones. A former professional hockey player turned vigilante, Casey is quite a formidable presence. Like the Turtles, he shares the same mindset when it comes to fighting crime and teaching thieves a lesson while sporting a hockey mask (not Jason) and stick. His first interaction was with Raphael. After Raphael confronts two thieves, Casey Jones tries to take over. This leads to a brief confrontation between him and Raphael. Casey Jones calls Raphael a 'Freak' which, of course, enrages Raphael. A couple of days later, Casey Jones notices Raphael on top of a building, just moments after his argument with Leonardo. The Foot Clan then attack him and Casey intervenes to save the being he had selfishly called a freak. As aforementioned, Raphael falls into April's apartment, being knocked into a coma. Casey Jones joins the Turtles in fighting the Foot before April's apartment goes into flames. He then joins them in going to the farmhouse and develops a relationship with April.
Relationship between Casey Jones and April O' Neil:
After Casey Jones joins up with the Turtles to go to the Farmhouse, an odd relationship occurs between himself and April O'Neil. At first, it seems as though there is much hostility between the two. When they first arrive at the farmhouse, Casey breaks the news to April that she was fired. Evidently, when Casey was fighting the foot at April's apartment, her answering machine went off with a message from the news director stating that she was fired. Astonished at the insensitivity that Casey uses in breaking the news at her, April becomes furious at Casey. Eventually, though, they begin becoming very flirtatious with one another. Despite their social differences, they realize they have just survived a traumatic event and that both have a bond with the Turtles. Of course, as with every happy ending in a movie, the two do end up kissing at the end.
The 'FAmily' Aspect of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
Other than the relationships between the actual characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, there is a theme that can be seen throughout the duration of the film and that is of 'Family'. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Master Splinter definitely consider themselves family. At the beginning of the film, it can be seen that April's boss, Charles, is having problems with his son, Danny. Due to this conflict, Danny runs away and tries to join the 'Foot'. While at the Foot's headquarters, Danny comes into contact with Splinter who is being held hostage. Danny receives much solace in Splinter's words. Danny tells Splinter that his father could care less about him. Master Splinter responded with a statement that really connected with my inner being, "I doubt that is true, All Father's care for their Sons!!" Danny reunites with his father at the conclusion of the film and the two share their love!!!
Shredder, Oruku Saki, tries to influence the members of the Foot Clan that this is their family because the outside world rejects them. Shredder even states, "This is your Family, I am Your Father!!!" (Star Wars references never die) Casey Jones goes undercover as a member of the Foot to see what is up. Danny confides to him that they are going to kill Splinter. After defeating the leader of the Foot Clan, the remaining members tell Casey that they are 'family' and that they have a loyalty to the Shredder. Splinter tells them that that is all a lie and that the Shredder only uses them. Casey Jones asks the boys quizzically, "You call this Family??"
Life with Honor:
After Splinter is rescued by Danny and Casey Jones, he retreats to the rooftop where the Turtles, having just defeated the 'Foot Clan', are battling Shredder. Splinter realizes that Shredder is none other than Oruku Saki. Witnessing the Turtles in danger, Splinter reveals himself to Shredder and tells him they had met at the home of his Master Hamato Yoshi. Shredder, Oruku Saki, takes off his mask revealing the scar that Splinter had it inflicted on him as a small rat. He charges Splinter and the rat then counters with a flipping over the edge of the building. While Shredder is holding on for his life, Splinter states "Death comes to us all Oruku Saki but for something much worse." As Shredder is about to stab Splinter with a spare knife, Splinter releases him leaving him falling several stories to land in a dump truck. As Splinter lets him fall, he ends his statement with two words "Without honor". Indeed, Oruku SAki had lived without honor as he had murdered two innocent people and manipulated local youth into partaking into criminal activity. Splinter had taught the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to both fight and live with honor. It's the age old case of good vs. evil and in the end goodness prevails!!!
Look of the Film
Like the comic book series, the film is very dark in both some of its themes and its look. The scences in the city are primarily during the Night time. In addition, there is a darkening of the film color too that is evident. As far as the movie's themes, some of them went over my head as a child. One that I view now that surprises me is the fact that Raphael is knocked into a coma. That's a pretty strong element for a children's movie. In addition, the fight scenes look real with a lot of contact.
The retreat that the Ninja Turtles take to the Farmhouse with April and Casey is a refreshing part of the film. While the dark aspect certainly adds an interesting element to the film, the lightness of the farm and the outdoors is a much needed break. In addition, the themes become more wholesome and loving such as when Leonardo holds the vigil with Raphael and when all of the Turltes interconnect with Splinter via their minds. Much like life, the Darkness and the Light coexist.
Cultural Impact of the Film
When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was released in theaters in March of 1990, it was a huge success at the box office. In fact, the film became the second highest grossing independent film of all time, and became the ninth highest grossing film of 1990.
Even though the film was a box office success, the film bombed with the critics. Some felt that none of the ninja turtles had any personality which I find to be ludicrous. Others felt that it was too violent for children. Viewing the film as an adult, I can see where the film has some pretty violent action sequences. I'm surprised I don't recall it scaring me as a six-year-old movie watcher. While some of the scenes may be subtly violent, I can appreciate the realism in it as an adult. As far as I'm concerned, it adds to the character of both the film and the Ninja Turtles themselves. After all, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are ninjas so they're fights against the villains should exemplify the fierceness of their offense. Since the film's release in 1990, it has gained a little bit more credibility. Compared to its two sequels in the early 90's, the Animated Film, and the 2014 reboot, it seems the film has a much more lasting respect among the more 'respected' element of American cinema. However, I personally feel it still does not receive the recognition it richly deserves. Some pages give it 6 out of 10 stars. I feel it deserves 9. If a film such as this can connect with me the way it does at 32 years of age, it definitely warrants more respect. The sympathy I feel towards the Ninja Turtles when they lose sight of their Master sticks deep within. I connect with them when they come together as one at the farmhouse. I can also say I got goosebumps when Master Splinter appeared spiritually during the campfire scene. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) certainly deserves more respect as it has aged well both in appearance and story. Maybe with the sequel to the reboot of the Ninja Turtles, film critics will finally return to where it all began!!!
The Future of Ninja Turtles Film and the Franchise as a Whole
Due to the fact that I have never seen the 2014 reboot nor do I plan to see the sequel, it is certainly difficult for me to make an analysis of these films. I certainly don't always take the film reviews to heart. However, viewing the very look of the Ninja Turtles in the previews and the actors chosen to play the main characters turned me off to viewing the reboot two years ago. The current previews for the sequel to the reboot certainly are doing the same thing. I think in many ways viewing the reboots would ruin my memories of the original film and the cartoons for that matter. This may be selfish of me to think this way but I think a lot of people are feeling the same way, not just about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but also about other favorites that are being rebooted such as Ghostbusters as well as a host of many other classic franchises. Hollywood seems to be running out ideas. Famous franchises are receiving reboot after reboot. Original films have been remade, sometimes several times. Cartoon, video game, sitcoms have been made into films over the span of several years. It's almost to the point that nothing is original. As far as the future of the Ninja Turtle franchise, if this trend continues then they're may not be any more originality left to it either. I feel that if one can replicate the effect that both the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon and film, I feel the magic that I felt as a child and feel as an adult could return!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment