The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy is a very formative experience for many people in their late 30s and beyond.
This was one of the first time we had seen a beloved cartoon become a live action extravaganza.
With the original film now hitting its 35th anniversary, Arrow Video have delivered a kick-ass collection celebrating all three films a deluge of special features.
The rescan of all three films is excellent, with the first film looking extra crisp in 4K.
The films are like many series, a case of diminishing returns, but it’s fair comment to say things really only went fully off the rails in the third film which took the turtles back in time.
TMNT is actually quite a gritty film, which while whacky also revels in the scuzziness of a pre-makeover New York City. We of course know that like many films of its time, it was largely filmed there but this isn’t the point.
Because of the practicality of the effects, TMNT largely holds up, and the choreography and fight sequences within the first two films are actually very impressive, especially considering the restrictions of the suits.
The Secret of the Ooze leans more into its comic book roots and is far more child friendly, but suffers from a serious lack of edge and a final act that breaks more than the fourth wall.
What makes this a must-buy for TMNT fans young and old is the excellent new special features, which include interviews with directors, editors but also members of the special FX team which helped to bring this from the small screen and comic book to becoming a live-action sensation.
This is a perfect early Christmas present for any TMNT fan.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy is now available on Blu-Ray and 4K from Arrow Video.
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