Plot: What’s it about?
As students of the martial arts, the ninja turtles have always had some knowledge of the old Asian ways, but they’re about to get a crash course on culture. You see, a magical scepter somehow sends April (Paige Turco) out of the present and back into the distant past, all the way back to 17th Century Japan, to be specific. Of course, the guys won’t let April be stranded in another time period and perhaps be in danger, so they put their heads together, recover from the headbutt, then decide to go after her. This is good news for April, as the locals in the village consider her to be a witch and that could spell certain doom for the reporter. With old friend Casey Jones (Elias Koteas) holding down the fort in the present, the turtles get thrown through the tunnels of time and land in feudal Japan. After a rough start in the past, the turtles wind up losing the scepter, but they also manage to make some friends in the village. But when the time comes to go back to their own time, even with an evil invasion about to storm into the largely helpless village, will the turtles just decide to go home?
The third and final (as of this review) installment in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, this film takes elements from the first two pictures, then throws in some new twists. I do think the whole time travel angle smells of writer’s block, but it seems to work out well enough and provide the potential for some cool sequences. The movie isn’t always as over the top silly as the second film, but its also not as dark and serious as the original, finding a place close to the middle, but leaning more toward the comedic approach. The turtles seem to be very juvenile here, to an even more degree than in the prior picture, to be sure. They seemed youthful and fun in the second film, but here they often come off as lame and childish. A lot of folks complained about the lack of real fights scenes in the second movie, but this time around, the boys use their normal weapons and get into some well crafted battles. Even so, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III falls short of the first two movies in terms of overall entertainment value. But for fans of the series, it makes a decent diversion, especially since New Line has released it at a super low price.
Video: How does it look?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included on this dual layered disc. As this is the most recent film in the series, it looks the best of the lot, though not enough to warrant a higher score. The print is cleaner and the image is a shade sharper, but all things considered, still looks about as good as the previous film’s transfer. The colors seem to be very rich, but never overly so, while black levels are well balanced and dead on at all times. Another catalog release from New Line and of course, another terrific looking visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included on this dual layered disc. As this is the most recent film in the series, it looks the best of the lot, though not enough to warrant a higher score. The print is cleaner and the image is a shade sharper, but all things considered, still looks about as good as the previous film’s transfer. The colors seem to be very rich, but never overly so, while black levels are well balanced and dead on at all times. Another catalog release from New Line and of course, another terrific looking visual presentation.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
