Plot: What’s it about?
Although they knew the basics of their own origins, Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael weren’t sure of the specifics of the incident. As it turns out, the ooze that turned them from small pets into bodacious crime fighters is right under their noses, being manufactured and sold right in New York. This is bad news indeed, because that means Shredder also knows the truth about the ooze and by turn, he seeks to create some mutant warriors of his own. With these mutants, he could engage in more crimes than ever and of course, make it harder for the turtles to defeat him and end his schemes. A new friend is found in pizza delivery dude Keno (Ernie Reyes, Jr.), who vows to help the turtles in their quest to destroy the ooze, kick Shredder’s butt, and return peace to the streets of New York, well as peaceful as can be expected. But Shredder already has some of the ooze, which he uses to conjure up two vicious mutants, but will they prove to be enough to stop the turtles, or will Shredder have to take even more drastic actions?
This sequel broke from the tone of the original, dropping the dark approach in favor of chaos and slapstick, which didn’t please fans of the comic book. But even so, it was a hit in theaters and kids loved it, with all the high flying action, wacky dialogue, and slapstick antics, the latter two of which were minimal in the original, of course. I have to admit, I like the original better in terms of cinema, but this was a wild and fun movie to see back when it was released, I remember the audience was quite into the experience. Although it hasn’t held up in total since then, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II remains a fun movie and as such, I think fans will be pleased to be able to add it to their collections. The silly tone here sometimes gets a little redundant, but most of the jokes work and while the fight scenes have been lessened, there’s some nice popcorn action sequences, with liberal doses of humor dropped in. The new enemies are cool, the dialogue is humorous, and the early 1990s culture is fun to revisit, complete with Vanilla Ice on the soundtrack. With a solid presentation and a very low price, this one is easily recommended.
Video: How does it look?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included on this dual layered disc. I knew New Line would make this movie look terrific and they have, though some minor inherent flaws do surface. The print is in good condition, but has some small nicks here and there, though not enough to be worried about, not by any means. The image has aged well on the whole, with no real softness to mention, giving us a refined and sharp visual presence. The colors are as bold and rich as ever, while black levels have remained stark and impressive also. A few minor defects aside, this is a wonderful visual effort and New Line should be commended for their work here.
Audio: How does it sound?
A Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack has been included here, but aside from the background music, there isn’t much presence to discuss. Yes, the dialogue is clear and never hard to understand, while sound effects are crisp and well placed, but all these elements remain anchored in the front channels, which limits dynamic presence. A spark or two of surround use is evident, but not much and not enough to make for a memorable experience. Even so, it all sounds solid and as such, I can’t see complaining too much here. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
