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Directed by Steve Barron
Written by Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck
Starring Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Josh Pais, Corey Feldman

"All fathers care for their sons."

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles soared to extreme popularity in the late 80's and early 90's as a children's cartoon show, however their origins lie several years earlier in graphic, adult comic book graphic novels created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. The first of three movies, we won't mention the other two, skillfully combines elements of both the original comic books and the cartoon adaptation. It lightens the violence and seriousness of the comics, while adding the humor and colored headbands and pizza of the cartoon. Taking a plot almost directly from the books themselves, the movie tells a gripping and emotional story while remaining something of a guilty pleasure.

The movie stars Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo and Raphael as, what else, teenage, mutated turtles trained as ninjas by their also mutated, but not teenaged, father/sensei/mentor Splinter. Splinter is of course the rat. It is the four turtles' rescue of news reporter April O'Neil (Judith Hoag) that eventually leads to their family coming under attack by the vicious Foot Clan, lead by a man known as The Shredder. The dramatic portion of the story is mainly pushed by Raphael (Josh Pais) who gets more screentime than any of the other turtles. He brings April and Casey Jones (Elias Koteas) into the lives of the turtles, but he also unwittingly unleashes the Foot Clan and The Shredder's vengeance upon them.

This is a story all about family. It is the primary element that has made the Ninja Turtles such a lasting entity. In the film, we are shown three seperate families. The first being the turtles, whose father is stolen from them early in the film. The four brothers are forced to grow up very quickly as the movie progresses, eventually adopting wayward souls April and Casey into their family. And even though the bounds of brotherhood are stretched, particularly between "big brother" and leader Leonardo and angry, rebellious Raphael, they are never broken. As individuals, neither any of the turtles, nor Splinter, nor April, nor Casey are able to defeat the fearsome foes they face. However, once they all finally unite, The Shredder's evil is vanquished and the Foot Clan is defeated.

We also view the small family of the Penningtons, Charles, April's boss, and Danny, Charles' son. Charles care for his son, but despite his efforts, we suspect that he has been a less than effective father up until this point. Danny has already been stealing, even from April, and has recently joined the ranks of the Foot Clan as a pickpocketer and spy. After glimpsing the Turtles in April's apartment, Danny alerts The Shredder to their location. Ashamed of his actions, Danny begins living in the sewers until the Turtles discover him. After speaking with Splinter in secret in the Foot's headquarters, Danny's inner turmoil increases, eventually leading to his redemption by his attempt to rescue Splinter and his reconciliation with his father.

In stark opposition to these to families, that while both troubled, are loving and strong, is the Foot Clan. The Shredder, whose real name is Oroku Saki, brings in the disgruntled and wayward youth of New York City, brainwashing them into accepting his philosiphies. He declares his organization a family, and that "I am your father." His followers declare this same philosiphy, even as it all crumbles around them. Oroku Saki is no father.

This is a movie that I really wanted to rank higher, and probably should have, although it's status as a guilty pleasure, and the possibility of nostalgia clouding my reasoning forces me to put it lower than I would like. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, a great movie that still brings a smile to my face. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of those few childhood favorites that holds up just as well in adulthood.

Posted by astor at July 13, 2005 11:39 PM

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