You know what’s surprisingly not terrible? The live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. And why am I reviewing this movie? Well, it may come as a surprise, but this was actually a Golden Harvest production. Yup, the same company that produced a lot of Jackie Chan’s most popular films also produced a movie based on an obscure American cartoon. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a Hong Kong co-production and it’s technically the first Golden Harvest movie I ever saw. I watched this movie a bunch of times as a kid on VHS. After discovering that a Cantonese version exists, I thought that watching it in Cantonese would be a great way to finally rewatch this film and see how well it holds up.
A dangerous crime syndicate called the Foot Clan wreaks havoc in New York City and it’s up to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to bring them to justice. Things take a turn for the worse when their master, Splinter, is kidnapped by the clan, but they get help from a new reporter named April O’Neil and a vigilante named Casey Jones to rescue Splinter and put an end to the Foot Clan.
A dangerous crime syndicate called the Foot Clan wreaks havoc in New York City and it’s up to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to bring them to justice. Things take a turn for the worse when their master, Splinter, is kidnapped by the clan, but they get help from a new reporter named April O’Neil and a vigilante named Casey Jones to rescue Splinter and put an end to the Foot Clan.
When I first heard that there was a Cantonese version of this movie, I thought that was insane. But watching four turtles speaking Cantonese was perhaps the most normal thing about this movie. The idea of four turtles learning ninjutsu and living in the sewers of New York unnoticed for several years is quite odd. What’s even more surprising is that the idea actually kinda works. While watching this movie, I never really thought that I was watching something too out of the ordinary. And not many other people thought this was very weird too apparently. This movie grossed about 10 times its budget and was one of the 10 highest grossing films of 1990, probably because TMNT was already a popular franchise in America. But is this really a good movie?
As expected, this movie has its fair share of flaws. The story is sometimes basic and most of the comedy is incredibly cheesy. Since this is an early 90’s movie, it’s easy to expect some leftover dated 80’s outfits and music. Even some of the character development is kinda ridiculous, especially for a few of the human characters. But still, if you’re watching this movie, then you’re probably a TMNT fan (or you’re just curious) and the title characters are admittedly likeable and entertaining. They’re all fun characters and the costumes/animatronics don’t look that bad either.
As expected, this movie has its fair share of flaws. The story is sometimes basic and most of the comedy is incredibly cheesy. Since this is an early 90’s movie, it’s easy to expect some leftover dated 80’s outfits and music. Even some of the character development is kinda ridiculous, especially for a few of the human characters. But still, if you’re watching this movie, then you’re probably a TMNT fan (or you’re just curious) and the title characters are admittedly likeable and entertaining. They’re all fun characters and the costumes/animatronics don’t look that bad either.
The action was choreographed by Pat Johnson and also Yuen Clan member, Brandy Yuen. The Yuen Clan certainly knows how to make a good fight scene and this movie is no exception. The fight scenes are actually pretty impressive considering that the actors had to work in the presumably heavy costumes. They must’ve been hard to work with and it’s surprising when they do certain kicks and flips with them on. Even without the costumes, I think the fights still look really good, even by today's standards. Thankfully, the editing and camerawork are both clear in this movie.
The comedy on the other hand doesn’t impress, but I did chuckle here and there. And though the story is pretty average, it isn’t that bad and a bit effort is sometimes noticed. Some of the characters are developed fairly well. Even though nothing’s particularly excellent about this movie, it’s not a pain to watch. Even if you sigh during the dialogue scenes, you still have the action and sometimes the puppetry to admire.
The comedy on the other hand doesn’t impress, but I did chuckle here and there. And though the story is pretty average, it isn’t that bad and a bit effort is sometimes noticed. Some of the characters are developed fairly well. Even though nothing’s particularly excellent about this movie, it’s not a pain to watch. Even if you sigh during the dialogue scenes, you still have the action and sometimes the puppetry to admire.
TMNT very easily could’ve been a lame 90-minute-long commercial (and to be fair, it kinda is), but it’s surprising how much effort was put into this movie at times. Yeah, it’s dated and stupid, but this movie is still much better than it could’ve and should’ve been. And with a title like Turtle Mutant Ninja Turtles, that’s really saying something.
*There's also a Cantonese version of the theme song, Turtle Power, sung by a band called Grasshopper. And it's catchy as hell.
Images from YesAsia, DVD Beaver, and BluRay.com
*There's also a Cantonese version of the theme song, Turtle Power, sung by a band called Grasshopper. And it's catchy as hell.
Images from YesAsia, DVD Beaver, and BluRay.com