117 reviews
Originally when I saw this movie, it had only just come out in theaters and I was just a kid. At the time, I thought the movie was a steaming pile of crap, no where near in comparison tot he first two. Hell, I overlooked the inclusion of Vanilla Ice for YEARS, insisting that even if he was in the second movie, it was still better than the third. However, now that I am older and a touch wiser, I've gone back and watched all three movies (I've been on a serious TMNT-a-Thon ever since I heard a new movie was in the making). While I admit the third is indeed the worst of the three, it is far from the travesty I originally thought (and thought for years). Aside from the silly story and the poor quality turtle costumes, the dialog is given several moments to shine with some surprisingly funny jokes and one-liners and minor giggles. I'm not saying every TMNT fan should go out and buy this. I don't even own it myself. However, I think you should get a few friends together, grab some snacks, some source of caffeine, order a pizza, and rent TMNT III for a night of absurdity and laughs. That's what my friends and I did <3
- ironhorse_iv
- May 25, 2014
- Permalink
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle III (nowadays given the subtitle Turtles in Time, which is taken from the second TMNT arcade game) is not a memorable movie. Made in a time when the franchise was low on steam (and before the debut of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, a show that would dethrone the Turtles as the top kids' show at the time), TMNT III sees the Turtles going back to Feudal Japan after a scepter April gets Splinter causes her to switch places with Kenshin, a prince who is helping a village in a war against his evil father, Lord Norinaga. A conflict the Turtles actually get caught in as the villagers, led by Mitsu, as they must stop Norinaga and get back to present day New York.
Yeah, this is not a good film, as if I had to choose this or the Michael Bay Turtles as my poison, this would be my choice. New Line and Golden Harvest hire a new company instead of Jim Henson's Creature Workshop to do the Turtle suits, and while they do look like the Turtles, they are a lot different (but not as different as those ogres in turtle shell Michael Bay passes as the turtles). Also, the movie is geared to be more on the goofy side with some action, as the Turtles would spew one -liners (like Mikey imitating Elvis in Blue Hawaii with a lampshade). However, one major improvement over the last film is that the Turtles are now allowed to use their weapons again (after being banned from using them after parents complained about the first film being too violent), and they brought back Elias Koteas in the role of Casey Jones (after the character was replaced by Keno in the second film, another change done because of parental complaints), although he is in the role of babysitter and not involved in the fighting. Also, Splinter, Raph, and Donnie get new voice actors, and they are not good (Splinter got it worst, as he sounds like a horrible attempt at a stereotypical Asian senior).
However, the series does have some good moments (like Raph bonding with Yoshi, a kid Leonardo saves using CPR, and teaching to control his temper) and some good music. While the movie has been known to be bad, nowadays, it is not considered the worst TMNT film (that dishonor goes to TMNT 2014 and TMNT: Out Of The Shadows), but it is an okay film in my book.
Yeah, this is not a good film, as if I had to choose this or the Michael Bay Turtles as my poison, this would be my choice. New Line and Golden Harvest hire a new company instead of Jim Henson's Creature Workshop to do the Turtle suits, and while they do look like the Turtles, they are a lot different (but not as different as those ogres in turtle shell Michael Bay passes as the turtles). Also, the movie is geared to be more on the goofy side with some action, as the Turtles would spew one -liners (like Mikey imitating Elvis in Blue Hawaii with a lampshade). However, one major improvement over the last film is that the Turtles are now allowed to use their weapons again (after being banned from using them after parents complained about the first film being too violent), and they brought back Elias Koteas in the role of Casey Jones (after the character was replaced by Keno in the second film, another change done because of parental complaints), although he is in the role of babysitter and not involved in the fighting. Also, Splinter, Raph, and Donnie get new voice actors, and they are not good (Splinter got it worst, as he sounds like a horrible attempt at a stereotypical Asian senior).
However, the series does have some good moments (like Raph bonding with Yoshi, a kid Leonardo saves using CPR, and teaching to control his temper) and some good music. While the movie has been known to be bad, nowadays, it is not considered the worst TMNT film (that dishonor goes to TMNT 2014 and TMNT: Out Of The Shadows), but it is an okay film in my book.
- jeremycrimsonfox
- Jan 10, 2022
- Permalink
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in my opinion it is a underrated solid good sequel to the original flick. Everyone hates this film and going for the second film. This one get's the crap for it and the second one gets the praised. This film was actually the first film in the trilogy that I have watched. As child I wanted so badly to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the original movie it was my biggest childhood wish, I heard that Splinter throw Shredder off the roof, I didn't know in which movie that was, so my mom bought me Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III on VHS in 1993, when this movie come out. The VHS sadly had a terrible picture quality and awful sound but even with all that I still liked the film not seeing the first two films. But after watching the first two films, they both become my favorite films, but I hated this one because there was no Shredder, Rocksteady, Bebop, Foot clan or Krang in this movie, that was than. I was really surprised by this film. They don't use jokes in here, they try too, but they aren't cartoonish like are in the second one. They actually use weapons and swords, nunchakus, not their fists they are Ninja Turtles so they are using weapons which I love that. The only thing that hurt the film are the costumes they aren't Jim Henson's Creature Shop, they are more cheap costumes that were provided by Effects Company the animatronics, that is a minor flaw.
Plot: The four turtles travel back in time to the days of the legendary and deadly samurai in ancient Japan, where they train to perfect the art of becoming one. The turtles also assist a small village in an uprising.
It is my childhood film. I love that the story is original, no one brings back the characters who died back again. Elias Koteas reprise his role back as Casey Jones and he also plays another character Whit a double spy by Walker's army. There is less humor in this film and it is more serious. Turtles are using there weapons. Leonardo is a bad ass. Fighting Japanese Samurai was awesome. I love that Turtles are back in the time in ancient old Japan, where the air was more cleaner, than it is today. I love Stuart Wilson as the villain Walker. A year later he was another villain in Lethal Weapon 3.
Seriously I don't see the hate for this film I love it a lot! I love that Elias Koteas plays two double roles, one as Casey Jones and the second one as Whit. Again a lot of people are complaining because Casey Jones doesn't do anything in the film, just sit around, really? Seriously? Haven't you watched the movie? Whit (Elias Koteas) kills Waalker on the end of the film, when he fires a fire ball on Walker, while he try's to escape. Leonardo defeats Lord Norinaga (Sab Shimono) in a sword fight, even tough the scene was hilarious I still have enjoy it. I love the music score and song Tarzan Boy by Baltimora and of course Rockin' Over The Beat by Technotronic. Paige Turco did outstanding performance as April O'Neil much better than she did in The secret of the Ooze. I grew up with this movie as a child a lot, I have even had Michelangelo and Walker's toy's, I Think I even had a Raphael figure I am not sure.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is a 1993 American action comedy film based on the comic book characters the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is the second sequel to the 1990 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.
Overall: I love this movie it get's 6 by me, I love Ninja Turtles in here, I love how Michelangelo saves a child from a flammable house and Leonardo saves him from dying, by giving him a mouth to mouth and he saves him. So why would I hate this film? when the effects are good and the acting is solid. Turtles saved and they prevented the war, they help people out. I think this film for me personally is better than second one and the reboot. I love this film to death and it is my second favorite film of the three.
Plot: The four turtles travel back in time to the days of the legendary and deadly samurai in ancient Japan, where they train to perfect the art of becoming one. The turtles also assist a small village in an uprising.
It is my childhood film. I love that the story is original, no one brings back the characters who died back again. Elias Koteas reprise his role back as Casey Jones and he also plays another character Whit a double spy by Walker's army. There is less humor in this film and it is more serious. Turtles are using there weapons. Leonardo is a bad ass. Fighting Japanese Samurai was awesome. I love that Turtles are back in the time in ancient old Japan, where the air was more cleaner, than it is today. I love Stuart Wilson as the villain Walker. A year later he was another villain in Lethal Weapon 3.
Seriously I don't see the hate for this film I love it a lot! I love that Elias Koteas plays two double roles, one as Casey Jones and the second one as Whit. Again a lot of people are complaining because Casey Jones doesn't do anything in the film, just sit around, really? Seriously? Haven't you watched the movie? Whit (Elias Koteas) kills Waalker on the end of the film, when he fires a fire ball on Walker, while he try's to escape. Leonardo defeats Lord Norinaga (Sab Shimono) in a sword fight, even tough the scene was hilarious I still have enjoy it. I love the music score and song Tarzan Boy by Baltimora and of course Rockin' Over The Beat by Technotronic. Paige Turco did outstanding performance as April O'Neil much better than she did in The secret of the Ooze. I grew up with this movie as a child a lot, I have even had Michelangelo and Walker's toy's, I Think I even had a Raphael figure I am not sure.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is a 1993 American action comedy film based on the comic book characters the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is the second sequel to the 1990 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.
Overall: I love this movie it get's 6 by me, I love Ninja Turtles in here, I love how Michelangelo saves a child from a flammable house and Leonardo saves him from dying, by giving him a mouth to mouth and he saves him. So why would I hate this film? when the effects are good and the acting is solid. Turtles saved and they prevented the war, they help people out. I think this film for me personally is better than second one and the reboot. I love this film to death and it is my second favorite film of the three.
- ivo-cobra8
- Feb 25, 2016
- Permalink
The only thing I feel this movie lacked was Jim Hensons Studio's help. It shows by the cheapness of the Turtles (and especially Splinters) New look. Which actually looks great, but it's not the same material used in the first two. Splinter actually looks fine, but his outer appearance lacks the spirit of the original Splinter. People at Jim Henson Studios must put effort and life into anything they create because most puppeteers create their actual puppets -such was the case with Splinter in the first two. But this was taken out of the third movie...and thus the only thing to back it up would've been another return of Shredder and a good plot.
Sadly any return of Shredder would probably be a bad plot. :( As he did die in the comic book... And since the second story pushed away from the Comic's original storyline....(TGRI was really TCRI...and was run by aliens from outer-space) There was no way a plot that furthered the story would be any good...
unless....they chose the script they chose for this movie. The whole side story in Feudal Japan is it's own movie and this works excellently for the film. The Turtles show up to save April, who has been transported to Feudal Japan by a magic scepter. And of course adventure and comedy is bound to ensue.
Another thing I digged was the character development...which is sometimes sped up sometimes on Michaelangelo, Raphael, Whit, April and Casey's relationship, and Kenshin. However April (by herself), Lord Norinaga, Mitzu, Walker, and Donetello's character development works... (Don's character changes throughout the entire trilogy....first smart mouth, then joker who is a whiz with computers (or starting to be.) then finally Turtle Nerd..."I can't possibly exist without one single microchip?")
Which brings me to one another issue..... Corey Feldman's return was awesome! The second Donatello always annoyed me. I think it was mostly because Corey Feldman made Don his own character and not just the smart guy, but rather a smart guy with a smart-ass mouth. :D Corey's Return is highlighted in the credits and with good reason. He does an excellent job of following up on the second Don's attempt to be a Computer Wiz..
The rest of the cast is great, with the exception of Splinter's new voice actor. He tries... but he is no Kevin Clash. I must comment on Robbie Rist and Brian Touchi. They are Michaelangelo and Leonardo..they surpassed the cartoon voice overs from the cartoon series in the first movie...and they continued with their roles until the end and never faltered. Tim Kelleher is excellent as Rapheal, tho' it would've been nice to have the original voicer of Raph from the first or the second...he makes the role his own and that's actually good! Paige Turco return is surprising as she doesn't look herself in this movie at all. (I thought it was a third April) and this could be seen as good or bad for the film. (She looks like she's acting more like Judith Hoag) and this could be because of Elias Koteas, who is the only actor to return from the original movie. (Actor..the others did voices) 'Course I may be wrong. But his presence helps connect this film with the previous two. We get to see how Casey has changed (or hasn't) in this film since we didn't get to in the first. His appearance as Casey is short but good. He also gets a chance to play a secondary character named Whit who may be Casey's great great great great grandfather.
All and all... a good Turtle Movie on it's own.
Sadly any return of Shredder would probably be a bad plot. :( As he did die in the comic book... And since the second story pushed away from the Comic's original storyline....(TGRI was really TCRI...and was run by aliens from outer-space) There was no way a plot that furthered the story would be any good...
unless....they chose the script they chose for this movie. The whole side story in Feudal Japan is it's own movie and this works excellently for the film. The Turtles show up to save April, who has been transported to Feudal Japan by a magic scepter. And of course adventure and comedy is bound to ensue.
Another thing I digged was the character development...which is sometimes sped up sometimes on Michaelangelo, Raphael, Whit, April and Casey's relationship, and Kenshin. However April (by herself), Lord Norinaga, Mitzu, Walker, and Donetello's character development works... (Don's character changes throughout the entire trilogy....first smart mouth, then joker who is a whiz with computers (or starting to be.) then finally Turtle Nerd..."I can't possibly exist without one single microchip?")
Which brings me to one another issue..... Corey Feldman's return was awesome! The second Donatello always annoyed me. I think it was mostly because Corey Feldman made Don his own character and not just the smart guy, but rather a smart guy with a smart-ass mouth. :D Corey's Return is highlighted in the credits and with good reason. He does an excellent job of following up on the second Don's attempt to be a Computer Wiz..
The rest of the cast is great, with the exception of Splinter's new voice actor. He tries... but he is no Kevin Clash. I must comment on Robbie Rist and Brian Touchi. They are Michaelangelo and Leonardo..they surpassed the cartoon voice overs from the cartoon series in the first movie...and they continued with their roles until the end and never faltered. Tim Kelleher is excellent as Rapheal, tho' it would've been nice to have the original voicer of Raph from the first or the second...he makes the role his own and that's actually good! Paige Turco return is surprising as she doesn't look herself in this movie at all. (I thought it was a third April) and this could be seen as good or bad for the film. (She looks like she's acting more like Judith Hoag) and this could be because of Elias Koteas, who is the only actor to return from the original movie. (Actor..the others did voices) 'Course I may be wrong. But his presence helps connect this film with the previous two. We get to see how Casey has changed (or hasn't) in this film since we didn't get to in the first. His appearance as Casey is short but good. He also gets a chance to play a secondary character named Whit who may be Casey's great great great great grandfather.
All and all... a good Turtle Movie on it's own.
- PseudoDonn7
- Jun 5, 2003
- Permalink
- grandonsqr
- Mar 19, 2007
- Permalink
Like a lot of prepubescent children in 1989 or 1990, my imagination was captured by this new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fad. I remember sitting down and watching an interview with the creators, a pair of comic book authors who chose to go the independent route and gamble on their own ability to succeed. They were lucky enough to win against the odds, at least for a time, but in this interview, they also mentioned something about believing the phenomenon would go on forever. Well, the Turtles are still selling on comic book stands, and you can still see some of their adventures on DVD, but as to whether it survived the 1990s is a matter of opinion.
The first feature film, complete with man-sized turtles played by actors in suits, was a low-budget triumph. Indeed, the dominance of Golden Harvest studios in Hong Kong martial arts cinema can easily be traced back to their winning of the rights to do the original film. With a little help from the Jim Henson workshop and some well-cast B-actors in key support roles, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film was a major success that utterly dumbfounded the studio system. What is even more surprising is how the film did not go in the easy "we're primarily marketing to children, so we can be patronising" route that most children's entertainment follows.
That last point is where the first sequel, and this one in particular, went wrong. By the time 1993 rolled around, the Turtles fad had more or less utterly died, replaced by a far longer-lasting fascination with The Simpsons. As a direct result, the budget allocated by Golden Harvest to the third Turtles film was a mere fraction of that allotted to the first film. This is most obvious in the turtles themselves. Sure, they are still portrayed by men in suits, and those suits are still maintained by the Henson workshop, but the overall tone of the turtles' skin and the motion of their mouths indicates that Golden Harvest told the Henson workshop that they just wanted something passable. Given that the first film was dedicated to Jim because it was one of the last things he worked on before he died, this is quite the sad come-down.
Another major problem is in the tone of the story. While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will never be confused with the likes of RoboCop, the first film went back to the roots of the original comic book and depicted a world that was, for all intents, rather dark. There was a bare hint that being a 5'6" turtle with consciousness was not all it was cracked up to be, unlike the utopia implied by the afternoon cartoon series. There was acrimony, grief, rage, and a million other things that children's entertainment seems to believe we cannot really handle now or ever. That was what turned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into Golden Harvest's big breakaway hit.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, also known as Turtles In Time, picks up with the turtles milling around their sewer hideout with Splinter (who now looks like a shag carpet with eyes). When April shows up with a bunch of items she found at a garage sale, she happens upon an ancient artifact that transports her back in time to feudal Japan. The turtles, in their usual confused weird-species adolescent fervour, take it upon themselves to go back and rescue her, because we all know how an adolescent turtle would go all bug-eyed at the thought of rescuing a woman who looks anything like Paige Turco.
Elias Koteas, the real star of the original film, gets to jump back in here, but the character he is best known for spends most of his time eating pizza, watching over a bunch of Japanese soldiers who changed places in time with the turtles (don't ask), and sharing conversation with the shag carpet that Splinter turned into. For the rest of the time, he plays one of the English scoundrels who are trading with the Japanese monarchs. Yeah, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Nor does it particularly excite the viewer. In fact, much like the previous film, the fight sequences are so toned-down and PG-fied that the adults in the audience will fall asleep. Or worse yet, just use this film as a kind of artificial babysitter, which I somehow doubt was what Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird had in mind for their original creations. I don't doubt that they were trying to reach the widest possible audience, but as this film proves, the more you try to please everyone, the more you wind up pleasing no one.
I gave Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III a one out of ten. There are moments when it gets bad enough to be funny. The problem is that there are just not enough such moments to justify this film for all but the most hardcore fans of the turtles. And since the most serious fans would all be at least twenty years old by now, well, let us just say this film has its work cut out for it pleasing even that audience.
The first feature film, complete with man-sized turtles played by actors in suits, was a low-budget triumph. Indeed, the dominance of Golden Harvest studios in Hong Kong martial arts cinema can easily be traced back to their winning of the rights to do the original film. With a little help from the Jim Henson workshop and some well-cast B-actors in key support roles, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film was a major success that utterly dumbfounded the studio system. What is even more surprising is how the film did not go in the easy "we're primarily marketing to children, so we can be patronising" route that most children's entertainment follows.
That last point is where the first sequel, and this one in particular, went wrong. By the time 1993 rolled around, the Turtles fad had more or less utterly died, replaced by a far longer-lasting fascination with The Simpsons. As a direct result, the budget allocated by Golden Harvest to the third Turtles film was a mere fraction of that allotted to the first film. This is most obvious in the turtles themselves. Sure, they are still portrayed by men in suits, and those suits are still maintained by the Henson workshop, but the overall tone of the turtles' skin and the motion of their mouths indicates that Golden Harvest told the Henson workshop that they just wanted something passable. Given that the first film was dedicated to Jim because it was one of the last things he worked on before he died, this is quite the sad come-down.
Another major problem is in the tone of the story. While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will never be confused with the likes of RoboCop, the first film went back to the roots of the original comic book and depicted a world that was, for all intents, rather dark. There was a bare hint that being a 5'6" turtle with consciousness was not all it was cracked up to be, unlike the utopia implied by the afternoon cartoon series. There was acrimony, grief, rage, and a million other things that children's entertainment seems to believe we cannot really handle now or ever. That was what turned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into Golden Harvest's big breakaway hit.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, also known as Turtles In Time, picks up with the turtles milling around their sewer hideout with Splinter (who now looks like a shag carpet with eyes). When April shows up with a bunch of items she found at a garage sale, she happens upon an ancient artifact that transports her back in time to feudal Japan. The turtles, in their usual confused weird-species adolescent fervour, take it upon themselves to go back and rescue her, because we all know how an adolescent turtle would go all bug-eyed at the thought of rescuing a woman who looks anything like Paige Turco.
Elias Koteas, the real star of the original film, gets to jump back in here, but the character he is best known for spends most of his time eating pizza, watching over a bunch of Japanese soldiers who changed places in time with the turtles (don't ask), and sharing conversation with the shag carpet that Splinter turned into. For the rest of the time, he plays one of the English scoundrels who are trading with the Japanese monarchs. Yeah, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Nor does it particularly excite the viewer. In fact, much like the previous film, the fight sequences are so toned-down and PG-fied that the adults in the audience will fall asleep. Or worse yet, just use this film as a kind of artificial babysitter, which I somehow doubt was what Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird had in mind for their original creations. I don't doubt that they were trying to reach the widest possible audience, but as this film proves, the more you try to please everyone, the more you wind up pleasing no one.
I gave Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III a one out of ten. There are moments when it gets bad enough to be funny. The problem is that there are just not enough such moments to justify this film for all but the most hardcore fans of the turtles. And since the most serious fans would all be at least twenty years old by now, well, let us just say this film has its work cut out for it pleasing even that audience.
- mentalcritic
- Feb 27, 2005
- Permalink
Here the turtles find themselves transported back in time to ancient Japan. It's "Die Hard" for ninjas. I really like this type of film, as it reminds me of French movies where it's more about the characters and their environment. This is a story about a place most people might not be able to conceive. You can predict the whole movie and ending easily. Worse, these characters were walking cardboards. From an artistic standpoint, there were some plot elements and character developments I didn't think were totally needed. They do however drive the story, which seemed to be their purpose, so I can accept them, so it's 7/10 for me.
- manitobaman81
- Aug 22, 2014
- Permalink
I'm only a fan of this movie for the nostalgia. As a kid, I was obsessed with 1993 ninja turtle Saturday morning cartoon. I distinctly remember getting this movie as a reward for getting good grades in every subject on my report card that term. I must've watched this movie at least a dozen times that summer.
sorry for the tangent. corey feldman does the voice of a lifesize puppet. how can that possibly be a good sign? the heroes of the movie are irritating in every scene. the consistently bad puns will make you want to slam your head against a wall. the portrayal of the fictional early 90's new york that exists in this movie is about as funny as rick moranis's career. avoid avoid avoid.
sorry for the tangent. corey feldman does the voice of a lifesize puppet. how can that possibly be a good sign? the heroes of the movie are irritating in every scene. the consistently bad puns will make you want to slam your head against a wall. the portrayal of the fictional early 90's new york that exists in this movie is about as funny as rick moranis's career. avoid avoid avoid.
The third time isn't the charm with this one.
By the time that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III came along, turtle mania was waning a bit. The idea behind the movie sounds fun, but it just isn't as fun as the first two films.
Elias Koteas is back as Casey Jones, and Corey Feldman is voicing Donatello again. These are two positive notes.
I loved TMNT, but I never bought the VHS of this back in the day. I rented it when it was first released, but never really cared for it enough to want to own it.
I'm sure younger TMNT fans might still get a kick out of it, but many people who loved the first two just never had the love for the third film. There's just something missing.
By the time that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III came along, turtle mania was waning a bit. The idea behind the movie sounds fun, but it just isn't as fun as the first two films.
Elias Koteas is back as Casey Jones, and Corey Feldman is voicing Donatello again. These are two positive notes.
I loved TMNT, but I never bought the VHS of this back in the day. I rented it when it was first released, but never really cared for it enough to want to own it.
I'm sure younger TMNT fans might still get a kick out of it, but many people who loved the first two just never had the love for the third film. There's just something missing.
- DarylJGittings
- Aug 6, 2023
- Permalink
The story of the turtles gets even more far-fetched in this inferior installment, with the turtles going back in time to 1603 Japan. The Jim Henson's Creature Shop obviously didn't provide for the turtles, which is a major blow to the overall production. There are a couple of pros that save the film from being a total disaster, including: the return of Casey Jones (Koteas), who's reprisal may make some fans feel that the second installment had a void with his omission; some fun parallels between 1603 Japan and the turtles' life in 1993 New York; wonderful set production for the Japan scenes; and well-developed new characters. While the omission of any references to the Foot Clan may heavily separate this film from the others in the series, it executes an entertaining and solid story. It's also nice to see the turtles and Splinter are still living in the abandoned underground train station from the second film, as well as Turco NOT suffering a recast of April O'Neal like Hoag did; which shows some attempt at continuity despite its major differences from the first two. However, the flaws are too great for its pros to overcome mediocre status. Right from the get-go the movie seems like a lost cause, with the opening credits being accompanied by a ridiculously, terribly unnecessary, spontaneous turtle-dance. Also, couldn't they have found a way to throw Chief Stern (Serra) in for some extra comedic-relief and continuity?
** (out of four)
** (out of four)
- Geeky Randy
- May 24, 2010
- Permalink
This Turtles film is good but the truth is it is My least favorite of the three.Its funny and has action but in My opinion it just doesn't have the same stuff the other two films.If you like the Turtles give it a chance!
- Movie Nuttball
- Mar 13, 2003
- Permalink
Our beloved Turtles go back in time to visit Ancient Japan where they must, of course, save ... something. Honestly, the story gets lost amid the cacophony of comedic exploitive attempts, but frankly, I was happy that those idiotic genetically-enhanced snapper turtle and wolf pup weren't back.
This attempt was more fun than the second, which I found entirely puerile, and while this one wasn't aiming at any awards or accolades, it was far superior to the last, but not as good as the original.
Unfortunately, I have to report that the turtles are still 4 feet thick, and are still campy crack-offs.
It rates a 6.9/10 from...
the Fiend :.
This attempt was more fun than the second, which I found entirely puerile, and while this one wasn't aiming at any awards or accolades, it was far superior to the last, but not as good as the original.
Unfortunately, I have to report that the turtles are still 4 feet thick, and are still campy crack-offs.
It rates a 6.9/10 from...
the Fiend :.
- FiendishDramaturgy
- Mar 6, 2007
- Permalink
- Greenlee_Smythe
- Jan 2, 2020
- Permalink
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
A magic sceptor transports an ancient warrior from 1603 Japan to present day New York.The heroic foursome in turn learn they must travel back to the warrior's timeframe to battle Lord Norinaga (Sho Shinoba) and his right-hand man Walker (Stuart Wilson) who are enslaving the people.
The only film in the series to be completely absent of Shredder,the desperation begins to seep through at a very early stage.An obviously different,helium voiced actor plays Splinter,whilst we see Raphael adopt a less aggressive nature as events in the film progress.For this,and a fairly engaging script,the film is not a total failure.However,the lack of an engaging story proves to be quite a hindrance.The Turtles were certainly massive in the late 80s and early 90s and in retrospect,you could say good on them for wrangling all they could out of feature film adaptations for the franchise.Lets just say,they were certainly wise to leave it at this.**
A magic sceptor transports an ancient warrior from 1603 Japan to present day New York.The heroic foursome in turn learn they must travel back to the warrior's timeframe to battle Lord Norinaga (Sho Shinoba) and his right-hand man Walker (Stuart Wilson) who are enslaving the people.
The only film in the series to be completely absent of Shredder,the desperation begins to seep through at a very early stage.An obviously different,helium voiced actor plays Splinter,whilst we see Raphael adopt a less aggressive nature as events in the film progress.For this,and a fairly engaging script,the film is not a total failure.However,the lack of an engaging story proves to be quite a hindrance.The Turtles were certainly massive in the late 80s and early 90s and in retrospect,you could say good on them for wrangling all they could out of feature film adaptations for the franchise.Lets just say,they were certainly wise to leave it at this.**
- wellthatswhatithinkanyway
- Sep 30, 2004
- Permalink
Oh dear, if you're diabetic then I would seriously advise against watching this film. It' so sugary it'll rot the brain right out of your head.
Why on earth Eastman and Laird allowed this to be made is beyond me. It's soooooooo far removed from their black and white comic book. Okay, I know the cartoon series was too but the first movie did have a hard edge to it. I mean, take a look at the cover-the Turtles are smiling and happy. Then look a cover of one of the original comic books. They're almost always gritting their teeth and frowning. THAT'S how it should be. Not like this.
Even the animatronics look fake. The first 2 had a rather believable Splinter but now he's juddering and stiff and obviously operated by a couple of technicians loitering a few feet off camera. His voice is also totally different and he seems a touch more upbeat and lively. HARDLY the way Splinter is supposed to be.
The plot itself defies logic and there are massive holes all over the place. With such a dramatic change in locale from New York to Fuedal Japan you'd think the movie would take advantage of that and go nuts with imagination.
But sadly not. It just...goes nowhere. I mean, what is the deal with the character of Whit. Why does he look like the great, great, great grandfather of Casey Jones.
In fact, the return of Casey is the only reason I am not giving this a 1-star rating. It's a pretty wretched movie but Elias Koteas can make it a tiny bit less unbearable.
Hopefully the new cartoon show and the possibility of another (harder) movie will cancel this one out. It's nothing but dated, mindless fodder for under-fives. At the risk of repeating myself; this is NOT how the Turtles should be.
Extras are almost non-existent but the animated menus are cool. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture is in pretty good shape but the Dolby 5.1 track isn't up to much I'm afraid. The film was originally recorded in Dolby SR so this is obviously a remastering job. It's just adequate is all I'm saying.
Why on earth Eastman and Laird allowed this to be made is beyond me. It's soooooooo far removed from their black and white comic book. Okay, I know the cartoon series was too but the first movie did have a hard edge to it. I mean, take a look at the cover-the Turtles are smiling and happy. Then look a cover of one of the original comic books. They're almost always gritting their teeth and frowning. THAT'S how it should be. Not like this.
Even the animatronics look fake. The first 2 had a rather believable Splinter but now he's juddering and stiff and obviously operated by a couple of technicians loitering a few feet off camera. His voice is also totally different and he seems a touch more upbeat and lively. HARDLY the way Splinter is supposed to be.
The plot itself defies logic and there are massive holes all over the place. With such a dramatic change in locale from New York to Fuedal Japan you'd think the movie would take advantage of that and go nuts with imagination.
But sadly not. It just...goes nowhere. I mean, what is the deal with the character of Whit. Why does he look like the great, great, great grandfather of Casey Jones.
In fact, the return of Casey is the only reason I am not giving this a 1-star rating. It's a pretty wretched movie but Elias Koteas can make it a tiny bit less unbearable.
Hopefully the new cartoon show and the possibility of another (harder) movie will cancel this one out. It's nothing but dated, mindless fodder for under-fives. At the risk of repeating myself; this is NOT how the Turtles should be.
Extras are almost non-existent but the animated menus are cool. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture is in pretty good shape but the Dolby 5.1 track isn't up to much I'm afraid. The film was originally recorded in Dolby SR so this is obviously a remastering job. It's just adequate is all I'm saying.
- CuriosityKilledShawn
- May 19, 2004
- Permalink
When I saw this in the theaters when I was 9 in 1993 (you do the math) and honestly, as a kid, I thought it was OK. But then I saw it again recently (a few years ago), and it made Batman and Robin seem uplifting by comparison. This film is crappy when compared to the first (which was a masterpiece) and the second (which was OK) combined. Maybe kids will like it, but me, I found that just sitting alone with my own thoughts are more creative than watching this sad, pathetic excuse for a TMNT movie. By the way, don't the turtles seem more plastic now than ever before? C-
- Quinoa1984
- Sep 23, 2000
- Permalink
- vanstonejason
- Jan 22, 2021
- Permalink
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) is a movie that I recently rewatched on Netflix. The storyline follows the Ninja Turtles friend, April, discovering an artifact that gets her sucked back into the 17th century Japan. The Turtles follow her into history hoping to rescue her and bring her back to current times.
This movie is directed by Stuart Gillard (Charmed) and stars Elias Koteas (The Prophecy), Paige Turco (Invincible), Sab Shimono (The Shadow), Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys), John Aylward (Armageddon) and Vivian Wu (The Last Emperor).
The storyline for this is atrocious but in line with the "Turtles in Time" video game that was big at the time. The choice of Corey Feldman as a turtle voice was awesome and always made me smile. The costumes and dialogue between turtles were perfect and really captured the imagination. The fight choreography and depiction of the era was more fun than good but was definitely entertaining. The horseback riding scenes will always be hilarious and the dance choreography while cheesy was also a lot of fun.
Overall, this is the worst of the trilogy but still worth a watch. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing once.
This movie is directed by Stuart Gillard (Charmed) and stars Elias Koteas (The Prophecy), Paige Turco (Invincible), Sab Shimono (The Shadow), Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys), John Aylward (Armageddon) and Vivian Wu (The Last Emperor).
The storyline for this is atrocious but in line with the "Turtles in Time" video game that was big at the time. The choice of Corey Feldman as a turtle voice was awesome and always made me smile. The costumes and dialogue between turtles were perfect and really captured the imagination. The fight choreography and depiction of the era was more fun than good but was definitely entertaining. The horseback riding scenes will always be hilarious and the dance choreography while cheesy was also a lot of fun.
Overall, this is the worst of the trilogy but still worth a watch. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing once.
- kevin_robbins
- Dec 26, 2022
- Permalink
- AngryMovieNerd
- Jul 27, 2007
- Permalink
Hey, they were gonna use this gimmick sooner or later. This is different from the two before it, and whether or not that's a positive is based on how you felt about them. I will not argue that the first one was the most well-done and well-rounded, but I did like this at least as much, and quite possibly more, than those. Personality returns to the characters, to an extent. They even get stuff to do, growth, changes, and new and at least potentially interesting conflicts are introduced. This managed to engage me, and surprised me with a couple of the occurrences, in spite of holding numerous clichés. The humor gets a tad less aggressively childish(to the point where it even includes a joke or two inappropriate for younger viewers, but they may very well be too vague for them to pick up on), and they stop trying so hard, making for several genuinely funny bits, also due in part to using clever material. The references weren't bad, either. The plot is reasonable, and develops nicely. The pacing isn't completely even. Direction varies, but there are well-done moments in this. The effects, puppets and creatures are still great, for the time, in spite of not being the same as those of the others. The martial arts are magnificent and plentiful, with fights that you're unsure how will end, and no longer constantly(which is not to say it goes all the way away) packed with silly gags to try to get laughs out of the audience(who put it in these peoples' heads that young audiences cannot appreciate coolness?). The time travel is well-done and relatively respectful(this actually holds some consequence, something sorely missed, at least to me, in the second one). There is really nothing objectionable in this, other than what little I have mentioned. The DVD has wide-screen as well as full-screen versions of this, a Pick That Flick mini-game, and a theatrical trailer. I recommend this to fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, maybe in particular those who want it less obviously and obnoxiously a "family film", without at all excluding kids from watching. 6/10
- TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews
- Apr 13, 2009
- Permalink
The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy has seen it share of high and lows the first two were awesome and remains two of my favorite movies.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 is by far the worse movie in the series the worst Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and one of the worst movies ever made I can't believe I even gave this movie the time of day
Now I want to go on record saying I am a huge fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but even being a fan wouldn't help this movie because it is just so bad.
There is nothing to make this movie even worth your time now the first two did have some flaws but they are still classic
This one there is hardly anything redeemable about it it just goes to show why the third movie in a series always gets the short stick.
The acting in this movie is put simply: AWFUL! The actors in the Turtle suits barely even try even poke fun at the movie even at it "Jokes" which goes to show the movie really was doomed from the start.
The jokes in this movie is barely even able to get you to laugh and the story is just awful you can't even take into account what the plot is and at this point I fell to see the point in watching a movie that wasn't even good from the moment you turn it on.
The villains are stupid and have never been introduce in the show or comics for Turtles. And Thankfully they never appear again the movie is just a waste of time and shouldn't be allow to be sold in stores this is a disgrace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and it wouldn't be worth a rental.
I give Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 An 1 out of 10
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 is by far the worse movie in the series the worst Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and one of the worst movies ever made I can't believe I even gave this movie the time of day
Now I want to go on record saying I am a huge fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but even being a fan wouldn't help this movie because it is just so bad.
There is nothing to make this movie even worth your time now the first two did have some flaws but they are still classic
This one there is hardly anything redeemable about it it just goes to show why the third movie in a series always gets the short stick.
The acting in this movie is put simply: AWFUL! The actors in the Turtle suits barely even try even poke fun at the movie even at it "Jokes" which goes to show the movie really was doomed from the start.
The jokes in this movie is barely even able to get you to laugh and the story is just awful you can't even take into account what the plot is and at this point I fell to see the point in watching a movie that wasn't even good from the moment you turn it on.
The villains are stupid and have never been introduce in the show or comics for Turtles. And Thankfully they never appear again the movie is just a waste of time and shouldn't be allow to be sold in stores this is a disgrace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and it wouldn't be worth a rental.
I give Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 An 1 out of 10
Despite the negative critical reception of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE, the film was still a financial success and another TMNT film was announced, but this would be the last film to be released by New Line Cinema.
The film was titled TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III or TMNT III or TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III: TURTLES IN TIME.
The plot revolves around the "Sacred Sands of Time", a mystical scepter which transports the Turtles back in time to feudal Japan, where they become embroiled in a conflict between a daimyo and a group of rebellious villagers.
The plot of this movie just drives me crazy a little bit, but the story is a little bit incoherent in a few areas, but it can also get really amazing and this movie should have gotten more praise and acclaim that the first film did and I really don't know why people hate this movie.
The turtles look stupid as hell in this film and the visuals are impressive, and part of the reason why I think the turtles look as bad as they do is because and they are just fantastic and simply amazing.
The music is composed by John Du Prez and it is spectacular. The visuals and designs of this film is just amazing and really cool and spectacular.
The acting is okay and that, along with the music is what keeps me from hating this movie in the worst way I can possibly can. Corey Feldman and the original TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES cast returns to do their voices of their respective turtles and it sounds amazing.
Paige Turco plays the role of April O'Neill and she does a great job once again. Elias Koteas plays the role of Casey Jones once again and he does a great job once again and he is just incredible this time, especially after being absent from the second film.
After this film, another film was in development for a release in 1997 titled "TMNT: The Next Mutation", the film would introduced new turtles, but this project was cancelled after trying to get it made.
So, in 2007, both Warner Bros. Pictures and The Weinstein Company teamed up to bring us the 100% computed generated imagery version of the four heroes, simply titled TMNT.
The film was titled TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III or TMNT III or TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III: TURTLES IN TIME.
The plot revolves around the "Sacred Sands of Time", a mystical scepter which transports the Turtles back in time to feudal Japan, where they become embroiled in a conflict between a daimyo and a group of rebellious villagers.
The plot of this movie just drives me crazy a little bit, but the story is a little bit incoherent in a few areas, but it can also get really amazing and this movie should have gotten more praise and acclaim that the first film did and I really don't know why people hate this movie.
The turtles look stupid as hell in this film and the visuals are impressive, and part of the reason why I think the turtles look as bad as they do is because and they are just fantastic and simply amazing.
The music is composed by John Du Prez and it is spectacular. The visuals and designs of this film is just amazing and really cool and spectacular.
The acting is okay and that, along with the music is what keeps me from hating this movie in the worst way I can possibly can. Corey Feldman and the original TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES cast returns to do their voices of their respective turtles and it sounds amazing.
Paige Turco plays the role of April O'Neill and she does a great job once again. Elias Koteas plays the role of Casey Jones once again and he does a great job once again and he is just incredible this time, especially after being absent from the second film.
After this film, another film was in development for a release in 1997 titled "TMNT: The Next Mutation", the film would introduced new turtles, but this project was cancelled after trying to get it made.
So, in 2007, both Warner Bros. Pictures and The Weinstein Company teamed up to bring us the 100% computed generated imagery version of the four heroes, simply titled TMNT.
- joshuadrake-39480
- May 11, 2015
- Permalink
While the turtles are still their funny selves, some of the fight scenes are not very well put together. Raphael takes on an entirely different approach to his character. Overall the whole going back in time is sorta bogus. Yet the switching places causes some funny things to happen with the people who end up in the future.
What the hell were they thinking?
The first one was a surprisingly entertaining movie, even to this day. It's dark and still humorous just like the turtles comics were. Being a 90s kid I loved the Turtles as did every child in the free world at that time. A great movie with a great ending that could have been the last but because of the success of it they rushed out a sequel.
Now as a kid watching the Sequel Secret of the Ooze I always thought it was the better of the two. more action, more goofiness and more villains. As an adult now it is still a decent sequel but isn't as good as the first. Has some nice fights and SUPER SHREDDER that is just awesome.
Now still as a Kid assuming the 3rd movie would start with Super Shredder breaking out of that dock disaster, I was disappointed. What they gave us is a over the top horribly written, mess of a movie that should have never been made.
Nothing about this movie stands out or even is slightly memorable or even funny. When your a kid and still hate this TURTLES movie you know it must be brutally bad, which unfortunately it is that and worse. I tried re-watching this movie as an adult and by the end I really wanted that wasted time back. The movie is bad; the animatronics are bad the jokes are bad and the ending is one of the worst in film history.
They could have easily brought back Shredder or Maybe Krang or Baxter Stockman. They had an abundance of evil villains they could have used to make this movie more appealing but they chose a crappy character named Walker. This movie is the reason they never made another Turtles movie until 2007 a whole 14 years later. Don't waste your time or money on this travesty of a movie.
2/10
The first one was a surprisingly entertaining movie, even to this day. It's dark and still humorous just like the turtles comics were. Being a 90s kid I loved the Turtles as did every child in the free world at that time. A great movie with a great ending that could have been the last but because of the success of it they rushed out a sequel.
Now as a kid watching the Sequel Secret of the Ooze I always thought it was the better of the two. more action, more goofiness and more villains. As an adult now it is still a decent sequel but isn't as good as the first. Has some nice fights and SUPER SHREDDER that is just awesome.
Now still as a Kid assuming the 3rd movie would start with Super Shredder breaking out of that dock disaster, I was disappointed. What they gave us is a over the top horribly written, mess of a movie that should have never been made.
Nothing about this movie stands out or even is slightly memorable or even funny. When your a kid and still hate this TURTLES movie you know it must be brutally bad, which unfortunately it is that and worse. I tried re-watching this movie as an adult and by the end I really wanted that wasted time back. The movie is bad; the animatronics are bad the jokes are bad and the ending is one of the worst in film history.
They could have easily brought back Shredder or Maybe Krang or Baxter Stockman. They had an abundance of evil villains they could have used to make this movie more appealing but they chose a crappy character named Walker. This movie is the reason they never made another Turtles movie until 2007 a whole 14 years later. Don't waste your time or money on this travesty of a movie.
2/10