Film Journal #216 - Steve Barron’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1990)
A lazy Sunday afternoon and morbid curiosity got the better of me as I decided to re-explore this childhood favorite of mine. It has all the Ninja Turtle trademarks I remember (martial arts, pizza, surf lingo) and all the flaws I readily expected. Mainly, plenty of groan-worthy dialogue, an out of place existential voice over by April O’Neal and some of the most blatant product placement in a non-Michael Bay film. But, primarily due to nostalgia, I still find the damn thing charming.
