Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) 4K UHD Review

For a movie aimed at kids, featuring four men in animatronic turtle suits doing karate, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is unusually mature and intelligent. More than just the effects and stunts – spectacular as both are – there’s a genuine thread of emotion in this script, all tied to a genuine societal problem of kids having nowhere to go.

Take vigilante Casey Jones (Elias Koteas), an emasculated, homophobic former hockey player who finds his calling amid sewer-dwelling misfits. That’s not a kid’s movie staple. The political pressure on reporter April O’Neil (Judith Hoag) to tone down her reporting is far more mature than others kids movies of the era too. Even the Turtles themselves struggle with the possibility of growing up alone, not an easy topic.

Every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie after this gave chase

Certainly, with the title characters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was aimed at those late ‘80s/early ‘90s kids groomed on the cartoon adaptation. What resulted was something nearer the comic, an exploration of rage, violence, and outlandishness. It looks like anything but a Saturday morning animated show, the sweating sewers and carved shadows exemplary in their design.

The script is underappreciated too, which while giving two of the Turtles (Michelangelo and Donatello) little to do on their own, they still exhibit their traits. It’s simple things that fit into a 90-minute runtime, like Donatello knowing Trivial Pursuit answers or Michelangelo sleeping with a stuffed bear. Leader Leonardo suffers a crisis in confidence, softly hoping for answers from April when sensei Splinter goes missing. And Raphael rarely shows anything but anger; he’s mad at movies, he’s mad at his brothers, and incensed when facing his opponents.

Violence is everywhere in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s brutal even. The turtles show bruising and swelling. April is attacked twice, and without the safety of an edit. The villainous sidekick Tatsu (Toshishiro Obata) kills someone in a rage, although this was edited to appease censors. James Saito plays lead villain Shredder, who in a movie where people are genuinely cut by blades, appears with an unnerving presence.

At the heart of this movie are Jim Henson Company’s suits, jaw-dropping in their effectiveness. Every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie after this gave chase. Not because the suits are perfect (there are numerous mistakes to point out), but because their carefully crafted looks and performances let these characters be who and what they are. In action, their mobility is unparalleled for the bulk in those suits. It treats them as authentic and real. The surrounding story beats capture a New York as Hollywood often did, but with a grime that suits the grim tone. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the only movie adaptation to pull this off.

A massive improvement over Warner’s own Blu-ray, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is not easy source material, and the encoders deserve credit for managing a tough, varying, and thick grain structure with zero problems. This ensures the impressive resolution gains are apparent, and the texture can thrive – and it does. Imagery shows pristine sharpness, and if anyone ever needs to check the tiniest rubber textures on the Turtle suits, this is the method to do so.

Hefty in shadow unlike the sequels, black levels have fantastic density. Depth is achieved and held consistently. Dolby Vision adds its own punch, although it’s not intense. Peaks have some kick, at least better than before on Blu-ray.

April’s yellow coat pops from the shadows in one of the earliest scenes, a sign for what this presentation brings to the color. When in light, the Turtle bandannas have plenty of pop. Neon lights around New York have outstanding intensity. During the antique store fight, the bruises and scrapes on the turtles are readily apparent, a detail typically lost or unseen, resurrected thanks to the color and resolution.

New York sounds alive in a new Atmos track. City and sewer ambiance fills the soundstage whenever in either environment. This goes for the stereos, surrounds, and heights. Car horns and screeching tires pop up where possible and accurately so. The score is just as spacious and wide as the action, which features clanging swords, punches, and more properly placed. This sounds natural as if it were originally designed this way.

There isn’t much in the low-end, about the only sign this has any age to it. Dialog and sound effects barely exhibit any dated qualities, the slightest flatness aside.

Note Arrow also includes stereo mixes – the original theatrical and “warrior” mix from the Hong Kong release.

Two new commentaries lead things off. The first brings in director Steve Barron, the second has podcast host Dave Baxter. An interview with Barron follows. Other new interviews include Judith Hoag, producer Simon Fields, second unit director Brian Henson, and puppeteer Rob Tygner. Another interview segment brings the Turtle actors (suit or voice work) together, Robbie Rist, Brian Tochi, Ernie Reyes Jr., and Kenn Scott. A featurette visits shooting locations, with alternate Korean footage, an alternate ending (A VHS rip), trailers, and an image gallery make for a nice bonus set – but it’s not done. Arrow also includes the UK cut (with added footage due to censorship) in full 4K.

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided to us for review. This has not affected the editorial process. For information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our subscription-exclusive set of 63 full resolution uncompressed 4K screen shots grabbed directly from the UHD: