Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy Arrow 4K Box Set Review

A shell-shocking saga of mutants, martial arts and New York mayhem, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy brought comic book grit, practical effects wizardry and pizza-fuelled fun to a generation of moviegoers, helping turn four sewer-dwelling brothers into global pop culture icons.

Launching in 1990 with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, director Steve Barron’s gritty, high-energy adaptation of the underground comic became a box office phenomenon, fusing martial arts action, streetwise humor and the groundbreaking animatronics of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The 1991 sequel The Secret of the Ooze is an irresistibly fun second slice: a deep-dive into the turtles’ origins where new mutant foes Tokka and Rahzar are thrown in the mix… double the stakes, double the pizza! Rounding out the trilogy, 1993’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III sends the heroes in a half shell back to feudal Japan in a time-travel adventure full of samurai showdowns, ancient legends and comic chaos.

Restored in glorious 4K and packed with extras, this radical set celebrates the legacy of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael in one of the most iconic franchises of the era, blending innovative effects, comic-book heart and early ’90s attitude.

Plot: Four teenage mutant ninja turtles emerge from the shadows to protect New York City from a gang of criminal ninjas.

Review: T.U.R.T.L.E. POWER!! I haven’t watched the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie since maybe the 90’s; I had the soundtrack album on vinyl when it came out and listened to it to death, but just haven’t seen it since then. I also have never even seen the second and third movies before, so this is just like watching it all for the first time.

Once I heard the trilogy was getting the 4K treatment I figured it was time to pick these movies up and finally review them.

Obviously these movies are aimed at a younger audience but there are some jokes aimed at adults too. I forgot how slick the first film is; although you know it’s clearly guys in outfits you do get swept up with TMNT and get lost in it all. It feels like the real world and has a somewhat gritty vibe to it.

The Turtles all feel like they are genuine teenagers and the voicework is perfect. Raphael was always my favourite FYI…

Splinter still looks great and was always one of the highlights with his words of wisdom; his speech around the fire could bring a tear to a glass eye especially if you’ve lost a parent. At just under 90 minutes TMNT is well paced giving us time to get to know the characters while rarely going more than a few minutes without a fight scene. The fights still look good with fluid movements despite the stunt guys trying to move in Turtle costumes.

The music score still holds up and my top theme is Shredders which is just ominous drums that work perfectly in creating a menacing atmosphere for the character. He is awesome in this even if he is a little underused.

I still think Judith Hoag is arguably the best live action iteration of April O’Neil we’ve had yet as she is strong yet likeable and has good chemistry with Elias Koteas who plays Casey Jones.  Keep your eyes open for Sam Rockwell in his first role as one of the young thugs. Toshishiro Obata almost steals the show as the main henchman, Tatsu.

I thought the picture quality was rather poor considering this is 4K; I’ve literally seen better looking DVDs. Is it my system or is it really not that great? Normally 4Ks have vibrant colours but nothing really popped off the screen here and there was a surprising amount of grain.

The rest of the special features are fantastic and what make this worth getting; Ernie Reyes Jr. and some of the other stunt people involved give some great insights into the making of the film. I liked seeing the UK version as that’s the one I remember growing up, so it’s awesome to see the film as it was meant to be seen.

Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is still arguably the best live action movie based on these characters as it just has that bit more grit and plenty of fight scenes; at times I do find the turtles loud and annoying because I am now middle aged and don’t like loud noises. Getting old sucks.

Special Features

3-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restorations of all three films by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of all three films
• Perfect bound collector’s booklet in the style of a Roy’s Pizza menu, featuring new writing on the films by Simon Ward, John Torrani and John Walsh
• Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Florey
• Double-sided foldout poster featuring original artwork from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the “Map of the Kappa Realm”, a stylised re-creation of the ancient scroll that appears in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
• Two additional double-sided foldout posters featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Florey
• Eight character trading cards
• Roy’s Pizza loyalty card
• Four character stickers

DISC 1 – TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

• 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by Arrow Films approved by director Steve Barron
• Two lossless stereo mixes (original theatrical mix and alternate “warrior” mix) plus newly remixed Dolby Atmos audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new commentary with director Steve Barron
• Brand new commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter
• Rising When We Fall, a newly filmed interview with director Steve Barron
• Turtle Talk, a newly filmed interview with actors Robbie Rist, Brian Tochi, Ernie Reyes Jr and Kenn Scott
• O’Neil on the Beat, a newly filmed interview with actor Judith Hoag
• Wet Behind the Shells, a newly filmed interview with producer Simon Fields
• Beneath the Shell, a newly filmed interview with puppet coordinator and second unit director Brian Henson, and Rob Tygner, puppeteer for both Splinter and Leonardo
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turf, a newly filmed featurette exploring the film’s locations in New York City and North Carolina
• Alternate UK version with unique footage prepared for censorship reasons, presented in 4K via seamless branching
• Alternate ending from VHS workprint
• Alternate Korean footage
• Theatrical trailers
• Image gallery

DISC 2 – TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE

• 4K restoration of the film from the 35mm interpositive by Arrow Films
• Original lossless stereo audio and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new commentary with director Michael Pressman moderated by filmmaker Gillian Wallace Horvat
• John Du Prez to the Rescue, a newly filmed interview with composer of the trilogy John Du Prez
• Hard Cores, a newly filmed interview with Kenny Wilson, mould shop supervisor at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
• The Secret of the Edit, a newly filmed interview with editor Steve Mirkovich
• Behind the Shells, an archive featurette from 1991
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

DISC 3 – TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III

• 4K restoration of the film from the 35mm interpositive by Arrow Films
• Original lossless stereo audio and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new commentary with director Stuart Gillard
• Daimyos & Demons, a newly filmed interview with actor Sab Shimono
• Rebel Rebel, a newly filmed interview with actor Vivian Wu
• Alternate UK opening
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze (1991)

Plot: The Turtles discover their origins while they endeavour to save New York City from the evil Shredder and his Foot Clan.

Review: As I mentioned above, this was the first time I’ve watched this one: I remember now why I never watched it as I thought Tokka (the mutant snapping turtle) and Rahzar (the mutant wolf) just looked really dumb even in a movie about mutant ninja turtles. Why couldn’t it be Rocksteady and Bebop? They are definitely the weakest aspect of the film and yet I didn’t hate it despite the flaws and cheesiness.

Ernie Reyes Jr. is awesome as Keno and he should have been a big martial arts movie star as he really had the moves in the fight scenes. Like the first movie there are plenty of them with some decent choreography too. I’m still not sure how Shredder survived falling off a roof into a garbage truck and being crushed, but apparently that’s just a flesh wound, so he is back in a bigger role this time. It’s nice to see Tatsu back too who was one of my favourite characters in the first film. Corey Feldman doesn’t return as Donatello and April O’Neil is now played by Paige Turco who is fine, but doesn’t have much to do. Wait, is that a young Michael Jai White? (checks IMDb) Holy crap, it is!

David Warner must have needed the paycheck and plays Professor Jordon Perry who is forced by Shredder to create the two mutants.

The Vanilla Ice sequence is maybe the most cringe inducing scene of all time, but dammit I can’t stop shouting “Go Ninja, Go!”

This is just under 90 minutes so it’s well paced and an easy watch; I think the picture quality on the 4K is a little better than the first film, but it’s hardly amazing.

The score has that super catchy, funky main theme and there is a great interview with composer John Du Prez on this disc who did the music for all 3 films.

Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze is very much a kid’s film with little that adults would enjoy, but it’s still harmless fun and Ernie Reyes Jr. is awesome.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)

Plot: Reporter April O’Neil (Paige Turco) purchases an ancient Japanese scepter that can cause those simultaneously holding it in different centuries to switch places in time. When she is transported to 16th-century Japan, her crime-fighting pals, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, pursue her. After landing in the past, the Turtles learn April has been captured by the villainous Lord Norinaga (Sab Shimono). To rescue her, they must team up with rebel leader Misu (Vivian Wu).

Review: The third and final movie in the trilogy was surprisingly entertaining with our four heroes transported back to feudal Japan to rescue April (Paige Turco who returns from the second film).

Like the first two, this is well paced with fight scenes on a regular basis, and it just has a more epic feel to it. Of the 3 films this looks the best in 4K and more of what I was expecting with brighter colours and less grain.

Stuart Wilson is on villain duties clearly channeling Edmund Blackadder in terms of line delivery and he’s as entertaining as ever. I’m also glad Corey Feldman was back voicing Donatello but am I the only one who thought he should have always voiced Michelangelo?

It’s nice to see Elias Koteas returning as Casey Jones as he was also conspicuously absent from the second movie (maybe he’d read the script).

There aren’t too many special features here but the interviews with Vivian Wu (who played Mitsu) and Sab Shimono (who played Lord Norinaga) are entertaining and insightful. I like how he talks about how this was his Toshiro Mifune role, which it certainly felt like. The movie also briefly references Shogun and there are some similarities… well, they are set in Japan… that’s about it.

Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III was far better than I expected and a vast improvement over the second movie. Like I said, these are really kids’ movies but as I grew up with the first movie this is a nice bit of nostalgia. This is fast paced with a grander scale and some decent fight scenes making it a fitting conclusion to the trilogy.

So, that’s the new Arrow 4K set and I have to say I’m not exactly blown away by it. It certainly has some interesting special features; I like seeing the UK cuts where references to nunchucks are removed. I remember some idiots at the BBFC had a thing against them so it’s good to see the full uncut versions here. If you have these movies already on DVD or Blu-ray then I’d maybe stick with them as the picture especially for the first film was very disappointing however, the features and snazzy packaging make this worth picking up if you don’t already own it. Maybe ask for it for Christmas…