Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) Retrospective Pt.3

by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey

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​Golden Harvest presents
A Limelight Production
in association with
Gary Propper

A Steve Barron film
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Starring
Judith Hoag
Elias Koteas

Based on characters created by
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

Music by
John Du Prez

Production Designer
Roy Forgre Smith
Executive In Charge Of Production
Thomas K. Gray
Executive Producer
Raymond Chow
Co Producer
Graham Cottle

Story by
Bobby Herbeck
Screen Play by
Todd W. Langlen and Bobby Herbeck

Produced by
Kim Dawson, Simon Fields, David Chan

Directed by
Steve Barron

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Apparently Donny did not give his consent to having his photograph taken.

​Dave
Yeah, they’re all, physically, different sizes, aren’t they?


Kev
Yep, different body types on them all.


Dave
Whereas in the new ones, I think they were all about the same size, weren’t they?

​
Kev
I didn’t pay close enough attention to how they looked, to be honest.


Dave
And they used some weird kind of CGI on their faces, or something.  I don't know what they did with it.


Kev
Yeh, I thought the CG was a bit, meh.  I like the delivery on that line there.  “It’s time to go back.”


Dave
Yeah.  Again, back to New York and that environment.


Kev
You’re right, we had that great kind-of rural, Hamptons feel to April’s family home, and now we're back to urban New York.


Dave
I suppose that’s just what happens when you hang around with Ninja Turtles.


Kev
Ha, ha!  I suppose so.  “You’re a claustrophobic.”  “Do you want a fist in the mouth?  I never even looked at another guy.”  That’s quite amusing, the way they play on Casey’s machismo and bravado as a way of covering his insecurities.  


Dave
Domino’s again.  Another big plug for Dominos.  The thing is, they don’t force the humour in these scenes, the acting just lets it happen naturally.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, brought to you by Dominos Pizza.

Kev
It’s quite well written like that, eh?  The humour is born out of the situation.  For the main part.


Dave
The second film was trying to force itself to be funny, whereas this one just had the humour in it, because it was part of the story.


Kev
You’re right, the characters reacting to their situation is where the humour comes from.  Danny’s a bit of a scumbag in it really, isn’t he?


Dave
He is actually, yeah.


Kev
He’s kind-of betrayed them a few times, at this point.


Dave
Yeah, he has.  Koteas definitely looks like a younger Robert DeNiro, doesn’t he?


Kev
Definitely.


Dave
I love the music here.


Kev
And the little bit there, with Danny pulling the bandana out of his back pocket and putting it on, that’s lit really well.  To be able to see him tying it as he’s going through that bit of shadow and…..

Spot.....

​
​Dave
…..also see that Casey’s on the other side, yeah.

.....the difference.

Kev
He’s obviously got to put the bandana on to show that he’s part of the gang again.


Dave
Yeah.  This bit here, with Casey taking the Foot guy's suit, is like in 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark,' where Indy takes the Nazi uniform off the soldier in order to blend in.


Kev
Ha, ha!  Right enough.


Dave
Is Danny just going back to see Splinter?


Kev
Yeh, but it’s the fact that he doesn’t tell them that he knows where Splinter is, or anything.


Dave
True.  I always liked that they went straight to the black backdrop again.

I heard a rumour that Oroku Saki was patient zero for the plague.

​Kev
Yeh, that fade to the black background is really good.


Dave
It’s quite effective, the telling of the backstory.  Even though it’s done in a very low budget way.


Kev
You’re right, man.  It’s a simple enough technique, but it’s well executed, isn’t it?


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
I always thought it was interesting that Splinter’s master, Hamato Yoshi worked in construction.  That’s an honest, blue collar, working-with-his-hands profession.


Dave
True.  This is quite dark here.


Kev
Yeah.  And they’ve not made an effort to focus Splinter’s ear up until this point, really.  It’s not until now that you realise that he is missing most of that ear.  And this is another great piece of late ‘80’s music here, with Ya Kid K.


Dave
Yeah.  This is that, 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' thing here, with Casey again.  That was a quick costume change.


Kev
Yep.  And they never focused on the symbol of The Foot's bandana up until this point either.  It's a nice little reveal.  Good storytelling.

Gotta get that brand synergy happening.

​Dave
No, they didn't.


Kev
This is what I'm talking about with Danny.  He messes-up here as well, getting caught with the drawing in his pocket.


Dave
Yeah.  There’s that kind-of edgy camera work there as well.


Kev
I suppose it’s like a lot of those direct-to-VHS martial arts films of the time as well, eh?


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
That sounded like that guy’s just done himself a mischief trying to get under that storm drain there.


Dave
That didn’t quite work, did it?


Kev
Ha, ha!  No.

"Just like Winnie the Pooh."

​Dave
The thing is, this is straight into the action, isn’t it?


Kev
Yep.


Dave
There’s no time wasting.


Kev
No.  And Koteas’s reactions are great, aren’t they?  


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
That one’s basically saying, “ Ah, a big, talking rat.  Nothing surprises me anymore.”  Koteas isn’t in the second one either, is he?

Elias Koteas's reaction to not being in 'Secrets of the Ooze.'

​Dave
No, he isn't.  This is a good bit of choreography here.


Kev
Yeh.  And here’s the thing of the four of them being back together.  With Raph being back, they’re back to being a quartet, they’re back at full strength, and they’re back on their home turf as well.  They're kicking ass.


Dave
It’s interesting the way they’ve filmed this, between Tatsu and Kasey, ‘cause you don’t get to see the full shot.


Kev
No, it’s just the reaction shots really, isn’t it?  And with them, they’re kind-of establishing that, as good as Kasey is, when he’s up against somebody as skilled as Tatsu, he needs the equaliser of his tools.


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
But, for as much as we’ve been saying that the choreography is kind-of gritty in places, it’s really slapstick in others, isn't it?


Dave
It’s a mixture, that’s what it is.


Kev
Yeh, it’s just strange that it caused the outrage and the uproar that it did at the time.


Dave
Yeah, for all it was, really.  It was just a few scenes.  Sam Rockwell again here.  I thought that was Corey Feldman in the background for a second there, but no.  It looks like him, but it’s not him.

This kid will go far. To the Moon and back, even.

Kev
It does.  It looks like him when he’s doing his Frog Brothers bit from 'The Lost Boys.'


Dave
Yeah, it’s just a guy that looks like him though.


Kev
I like the way that Casey Jones doesn’t monologue here, he just does that dismissive hand gesture, not entirely dissimilar to Tatsu earlier, as if to say, “Ah, to hell with you all then.”


Dave
Yeah, it’s like he’s saying, “I’m not here to lecture you.  Screw it!”


Kev
Yeh.  “Just let us go.  If you’re too stupid to realise that this isn’t a real family, then I’m not about to explain it to you.”  And this is the fight spilling out onto the streets at this point isn’t it?  Before we get to the finale.


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
I like these little bits of Donatello being quite cultured here, with his level of humour, “Too cliche.”  I like that he judges the rest of them on the quality of their jokes.


Dave
This is a good bit with the stuntman here, where Donatello throws The Foot guy, who hurts his hand.


Kev
Ha, ha!  Right enough.  That's WWE head-into-the ringpost, right there.  That “Wait for me” line was in all the trailers and the TV adverts for this film.


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
And this next line too, “God, I love being a Turtle!”  Which, again, is just perfect for kids to chant on the playground.

Apparently this guy loves being a Turtle. So he says anyway.

​Dave
There’s some good choreography here.


Kev
Yeh man, it’s great.  And it’s not just one-on-one.  There’s other stuff going on in the background as well, so there’s multiple pieces all happening at once.  It’s really well done, and really well staged too.  It reminds me a little bit of the way John Carpenter shoots the action scenes in 'Big Trouble In Little China,' in that there's always stuff happening in the background as well, and not just the foreground.


Dave
That was a good move.  A little Daredevil-esque, with the push-off-the-wall punch.


Kev
Yep.  The old Superman punch.

The hell with Roman Reigns! Raphael is head of the table.

​Dave
I’m actually quite surprised that so many people complained about the violence in this.  It’s not exactly a brutal film.


Kev
No, I know what you’re saying, there’s no blood or anything in it. 


Dave
Shredder’s voice has changed, hasn’t it?


Kev
Yeh, it has a bit.


Dave
It must be the actor, actually getting to say the lines.  Yeah, you can see his mouth moving. 


Kev
The choreography in this clash between the Turtles and Shredder is great as well.  It’s quick, and there’s not really a lot that happens, but the way he takes them out one at a time is really good.  And, of course, it ties back to Splinter’s teachings, of them being better when they’re working together as a team.  Splinter pulling the old ninja vanishing on Casey there.


Dave
Ha, ha!  Yeah.


Kev
And of course, the soundtrack kicking back in here, as all four of them rush him, is great as well.


Dave
Yeah.  This is some proper good choreography this.


Kev
Yeh, it’s great, man.  There’s this point here, where Shredder does that leg sweep with the staff, and changes position at the same time, that’s somebody that knows a martial art.  You never stay still after an attack, you constantly move.  Y’know what I mean? 


Dave
Oh yeah.  Who’s that running there?  Haha!  Somebody just running in front of the camera.


Kev
Some kid thinking, "I’m just trying to get into this shot."


Dave
Some random member of staff.  "God damn, I never got into that last scene, so I’m going to have to ruin this one."


Kev
Ha, ha!  Luckily they’re not working with Christian Bale here.  He’d tear them a new one.


Dave
Oh Jesus, yeah.  They’d need to redo that whole scene again.


Kev
There’s a bit of first blood for them there though, with that injury to Shredder’s arm.  Leo’s emotions get the better of him here, with him charging in after screaming “You lie!”  Actually, looking at them there, it’s probably Donatello who’s the biggest of them, in terms of the musculature of the suit.

Shredder get a boo-boo.

​Dave
He probably is, yeah.


Kev
Nice plot point there, with the nunchuku on the ladder.

See this, right here? This, right here, is important. So remember it. Okay?

Dave
Yep.


Kev
And here we get the reveal of the scarred face of Oroku Saki.  Now it’s Shredder's emotions that get the better of him, as he charges at Splinter.

I read on the internet that Roland Rat messed this guy up on TV AM in the '80s.

Dave
Yeah.


Kev
Good fall.  The fall looks good. 

"Falling. Falling. Falling. You played yourself."

Dave
And it’s not like he had a big space to land in.  He landed it pretty well.


Kev
Yeah.  Although, I was never sure about Casey Jones becoming a remorseless killer here.


Dave
Haha!  I know.


Kev
He’s shown no indication that he’s a murderer up until this point, but here, he’s like, “I’m just going to crush this guy to death in the compactor of this garbage truck.”


Dave
Yeah, I know, eh?


Kev
I suppose, you don't really get to see it.  You just see a little bit of Shredder’s helmet being crushed.  And here come the Hill Street Blues.

The council is cutting your bins being collected to only once every three weeks now.

​Dave
Yeah.  The ‘80’s fashion stuff is quite funny as well.  It’s following that urban, street, hip hop style.  Or whatever you want to call it.


Kev
It's almost Warriors-esque, eh?


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
I like this exchange between Danny and his dad.  And of course we get Danny’s redemption, giving April the money back that he stole from her earlier.  Jay Patterson’s acting here is great.


Dave
Yeah.  He’s playing a genuinely concerned dad.


Kev
And there’s the thing here, the growth of the boy into a man, with the “It’s just Dan now, okay?”  NIce underpinning of the emotion of the scene with the music by John Du Prez again.  It’s all good stuff.


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
It’s a bit different from his ‘One Foot In The Grave’ theme.


Dave
Yeah.  I like the way Charles does that little lean-in there, as he’s being a “tough negotiator.”

The O'Neil poker face.

​Kev
But with April O’Neil just strong-arming him.  “Lairdman Island.”  “East warehouse.”  Eastman and Laird.  Nice little way of referencing the creators.


Dave
Yeah.


Kev
And we go right into '9.95' for the credits.

Some kind of weird, voyeuristic peep show for six foot tall reptiles.

​Dave
Did that not hit the charts, that one?


Kev
I think it might have actually, yeh.  I think you’re right.  And then we’re right back into their “bit,” from the start of the movie, where they’re doing their adjectives.  The “Cowabunga” thing was massive, yet this is the only time it’s in the film, isn’t it?

High.....three?

​Dave
Yeah, and now Partners In Kryme.  And this was when credits were actually a decent size, and you could read them.  There’s the names of the four guys who played the Turtles on screen, right there.  I suppose there was less of a need for computer-based work in the credits, which is probably why the credits were so big on the screen.  There were just fewer names to squeeze on there. 

​
Kev
Yeh, you’re right, I suppose.  There was a lot less computerised post-production back in those days.  The Jim Henson Creature Workshop credit, right there.

​
Dave
Yeah, and Jay Patterson.


Kev
I see what you mean now, the four guys that played the Turtles have all got other small roles in there too.  Did the guy who played Shredder do anything else?


Dave
James Saito?  He’s done a sh(r)ed-load of TV work.  Corey Feldman gets his own mention.


Kev
Yeh, he gets the “and.”  He gets the big credit.  He must’ve been a big get for them at the time, ‘cause he had just come off the back of ‘The Lost Boys’ and stuff, as well as all those other films that he did with…..


Dave
.....Corey Haim, yeah.


Kev
Yeh, those guys were an ‘80’s, teenage, two man power trip.


Dave
They were, yeah.


Kev
What’s the name of that one that they did together, 'Driving Instructor,' or something?


Dave
‘License To Drive.’  I’ve never watched it.


Kev
I don't know if I've ever watched it either.  Of course, 'T.U.R.T.L.E. Power' was number one over here in the UK for like, four weeks or something, wasn’t it?  It was massive.


Dave
Yeah, back in the days when you bought a record.


Kev
Yeh.


Dave
Record sales were what did it.  No downloads or anything.


Kev
Nope, no downloads, no streaming, you had to actually go into a record shop.


Dave
Who was the fight choreographer?  I missed that.  Pat Johnson?  And there's Ernie Reyes Jnr.  He was in the second one as well.


Kev
Was he?


Dave
Yeah, he was the main kid in the second one.


Kev
Ah, right.  Was that him?  'T.U.R.T.L.E. Power' has got some fantastically shoe-horned references in it.


Dave
That was just hip-hop back then, wasn’t it?  It was more lyric and rap based.


Kev
Oh yeh, man.


Dave
Nowadays most hip-hop has a female vocalist singing the chorus, some guy raps a verse, then the woman sings the chorus again.


Kev
Or mumble rap.


Dave
Yeah, and that’s often why they have the female vocalist singing the chorus, to try to get it to connect on a more emotional level.


Kev
Yeh.  There’s a lot of reverb on the vocals of MC Golden Voice here.  He’s going for that Chuck D/Public Enemy vibe that was big at the time.


Dave
Yeah.  You actually found your copy of the soundtrack for this?


Kev
Yeh man.  I found my cassette tape copy of it.  


Dave
Jesus.


Kev
It was in a cupboard up at my Mum’s.  Yeh, just thinking back to 'T.U.R.T.L.E. Power' has made me remember just how massive, not only this film, but the Turtles, in general, were.  The whole thing.  Cartoons, toys, t-shirts, etc. etc.


Dave
This film exploded with Turtle Mania.  I think it’s still the best one that they’ve done.


Kev
Yeh, I think so as well.


Dave
And that’s not just because it’s from our childhood era, I genuinely think it is the best one.  The whole grittiness of the look, and the atmosphere of New York is brilliant.


Kev
Yeh, I watched the two newest ones again quite recently, and they left me pretty cold, to be honest.


Dave
They kind-of got boring after a while.  ‘9.95.’  Spunkadelic.  Ha, ha!


Kev
Yeh, that’s an interesting name for a band.  I reckon they didn’t realise how that would translate over on this side of the pond.  SBK Records!  Ah, right!  SBK Records was the label that Vanilla Ice was signed to back then.  That’ll be part of the reason why he ended-up in the second one.


Dave
Right.


Kev
He’s had that connection.  And there’s all the corporate sponsorship there.  Pepsi.  Dominos.  JVC.


Dave
​Well, that’s the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles then.


Kev
Yep.  That’s a wrap.

​The end.

(D) & (K)

"Click your heels and make it happen."