Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Triple Feature"

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by Coligion

I concur with your views. I'm still big on the original, but Secret of Ooze and Turtles 3 just fall way short in comparison. To it's credit, Ooze at least feels like decent sequel. The characters and tone of the movie ties in fairly well to the first, it just falters with the all-too-campy humor and lighthearted violence.

Having said the above, I still need to get my hands on this triple feature

The biggest problem with II is that they steered it more specifically toward the under-10's. In other words, they drove it more toward the direction of the then-current cartoon, and away from the gritty tone of the Mirage comics. Where the first film succeeds - and it succeeds most of the time - it's due in large part to an adherence to the spirit (and even the events) of the comics. Secret of the Ooze is much brighter and cleaner, and more...I won't say "kid friendly," because I think the first film is kid friendly, too...Secret of the Ooze is more adult-unfriendly. haha Kids and grown-ups alike can enjoy the first film. The sequels are strictly for kids. The only adults who can even stomach them are the ones who loved them as a kid.

I loved Secret of the Ooze as a kid, too...but as an adult, it makes me cringe. haha But even if I can't watch it anymore, it does at least feel more like a genuine sequel than III. Even Elias Koteas couldn't save that pile.

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

How so? I noticed the freckles and such, but otherwise, what's the big problem? At least they used their weapons again in the third, which I was disappointed about in the second film.

The fact that their facial expressions are more limited and less lifelike than those of the Henson suits was obvious to me even at 13...so if you're not seeing that, I'm not sure what to tell you here. haha But yeah...they don't even blink in a way that looks natural...it all looks very remote controlled, and I can never buy the illusion that these are living characters, rather than guys in silly costumes. Also not sure why the masks appear to be knotted with water balloons, but there's that. They also lack the little details that made the Henson suits work...like the ragged knee and elbow pads and wristbands. I bought that these guys got into a lot of scrapes, and their "wardrobe," limited though it was, looked deliberately "lived in." Not so in Turtles III...the pads and bands all look pristine, like freshly molded parts of a shiny new costume. So add that on top of the freckles and the decisions to homogenize them all into one shade of green, rather than allowing the each of the suits to have "personality" of their own.

Bottom line...the new suits were cheaper, and it showed.

Well, its not like he moves around that often in the film, so I doubt it matters too much.

Because he CAN'T move around much. haha And every time he does move...and I'm about talking everything from his clop-clop mouth movement to his herky-jerky head motions...it all looks hideously mechanical. The Turtle suits are sub-par, but that Splinter is grotesque.

Meaning?

Meaning that it's lit like a TV show, rather than a feature film...that the Turtles' lair is ridiculously bright thanks to flat, artless lighting. It looks like a TV or DTV movie. Only the first two movies look decent. And only the first movie isn't an utter embarrassment in terms of tone and writing.

Sorry, but as an adult, the sequels are just unwatchable, in my book. I tried to like them. Hell, after buying this BD set, I was pretty much desperate to find some good in them, since I'd paid good money for them. But to no avail...I simply find them to be wretched kiddie-flicks, made as feature-length, live-action versions of the '80s cartoon, and eschewing the flavor of the original comics that made the first film work.