Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III - 5/10
Okay to be fair I do like this movie, but I’m also aware that it isn’t very good. The plot is more fantastical than the previous two outings, where in the Turtles and April find themselves trading places with some samurai in 16th century Japan. Because April managed to buy a time sceptre at a market stall. As you do.
The funny thing is for all its faults, this movie was able to correct some missteps from Secret of the Ooze; the main one being the turtles use of their weapons. And while the suits in this one are cheap and very obviously rubber, they were more comfortable for the actors and made them better able to move and fight. The Splinter puppet though is a massive step down.
The other issue is the plot; the turtles find themselves involved in a conflict between a local daimyo and some rebels in his fief but one of the main players in this, rebellious ‘Prince’ Kenshin swapped with April and is thus just hanging out with Splinter and Casey Jones. The reason or cause of the rebellion is never really explained meaningfully.
Upshot is the casting with B-movie character actors Sab Shimino and Stuart Wilson as Daimyo Norinaga (see what they did there?) and Captain Walker. Both men acting as if they’re in a much less silly movie since the intrigue with them is about the sale of muskets and canons to crush this rebellion. There’s also an interesting story flourish with Elias Koteas playing both Casey and his own ancestor Whit, one of Walker’s men. Also while the film was wise to keep the scenes to a minimum, Casey and Splinter essentially babysitting five samurai is hilarious.
Also of note to me is the film (unintentionally I imagine) showcasing a serious growth in Leo’s skills as a swordsman. In the first movie he does okay against Shredder but Shredder manages to play with his emotions and use it against him. In this film Leo duels and defeats Lord Norinaga - clearly a man with a lifetime of training and practical experience in warfare - by not falling for a similar trick.
So even though the 1990 live action movie is legitimately the only film of the three that’s good as both a Turtles movie and a piece of cinema, both this and Secret of the Ooze are still fun outings, though I’d still rate Ooze higher. Baller soundtrack though.
Okay to be fair I do like this movie, but I’m also aware that it isn’t very good. The plot is more fantastical than the previous two outings, where in the Turtles and April find themselves trading places with some samurai in 16th century Japan. Because April managed to buy a time sceptre at a market stall. As you do.
The funny thing is for all its faults, this movie was able to correct some missteps from Secret of the Ooze; the main one being the turtles use of their weapons. And while the suits in this one are cheap and very obviously rubber, they were more comfortable for the actors and made them better able to move and fight. The Splinter puppet though is a massive step down.
The other issue is the plot; the turtles find themselves involved in a conflict between a local daimyo and some rebels in his fief but one of the main players in this, rebellious ‘Prince’ Kenshin swapped with April and is thus just hanging out with Splinter and Casey Jones. The reason or cause of the rebellion is never really explained meaningfully.
Upshot is the casting with B-movie character actors Sab Shimino and Stuart Wilson as Daimyo Norinaga (see what they did there?) and Captain Walker. Both men acting as if they’re in a much less silly movie since the intrigue with them is about the sale of muskets and canons to crush this rebellion. There’s also an interesting story flourish with Elias Koteas playing both Casey and his own ancestor Whit, one of Walker’s men. Also while the film was wise to keep the scenes to a minimum, Casey and Splinter essentially babysitting five samurai is hilarious.
Also of note to me is the film (unintentionally I imagine) showcasing a serious growth in Leo’s skills as a swordsman. In the first movie he does okay against Shredder but Shredder manages to play with his emotions and use it against him. In this film Leo duels and defeats Lord Norinaga - clearly a man with a lifetime of training and practical experience in warfare - by not falling for a similar trick.
So even though the 1990 live action movie is legitimately the only film of the three that’s good as both a Turtles movie and a piece of cinema, both this and Secret of the Ooze are still fun outings, though I’d still rate Ooze higher. Baller soundtrack though.
