Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Michael Pressman

Writers (WGA):

Kevin Eastman (characters) and
Peter Laird (characters) ...

Release Date:

22 March 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Cowabunga, it's the new turtle movie.

Plot:

The Turtles and the Shredder battle once again, this time for the last cannister of the ooze that created the Turtles, which Shredder wants to create an army of new mutants.

Plot Keywords:

Turtle | Shredder | Mutant | Ninja | Rapper

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Paige Turco	...	April O'Neil
David Warner	...	Professor Jordan Perry
Mark Caso	...	Leonardo / News Room Staff
Michelan Sisti	...	Michaelangelo / Soho Man
Leif Tilden	...	Donatello / Foot #3
Kenn Scott	...	Raphael (as Kenn Troum)
Kevin Clash	...	Splinter (voice)
Ernie Reyes Jr.	...	Keno
François Chau	...	Shredder
Toshirô Obata	...	Tatsu (as Toshihiro Obata)
Raymond Serra	...	Chief Sterns
Mark Ginther	...	Rahzar
Kurt Bryant	...	Tokka
Kevin Nash	...	Super Shredder
Joseph Amodei	...	Parlor Owner

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA | Hong Kong

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12/9 | Germany:12 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | Italy:T | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:PG | Norway:10

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Golden Harvest Company

Trivia:

Mark Caso, the performer inside the Leonardo costume, also plays the man in the news room who tells April that Donatello is calling her.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the fight in the TGRI lab with the Foot you can clearly see a mat in the background as one of the Foot Ninja lands in the background.

Quotes:

Michaelangelo: [Michaelangelo beating up a thug behind a deli counter] You want a pickle? I'll give you a pickle!

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Soundtrack:

Awesome (You Are My Hero)

Go, Ninja, Go!

As I sit here on the eve of what is sure to be the greatest event in the history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (more accurately, the greatest Turtle event of the new millennium), the release of the much-anticipated animated film "TMNT," I feel it's only proper to go back in time to when the original Turtle-mania was at its peak. I was only five in 1990, when Turtle-mania was sweeping the nation and now I'm 21, as Turtle-mania Part II threatens to grab a hold of a new generation of young fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Of course the TMNT got their start in the black & white pages of Mirage Comics, as first printed by artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. What began as a one-shot parody of popular independent comic titles at the time (namely Frank Miller's "Ronin" and his revisionist re-workings of Marvel Comics' Daredevil), quickly turned into an overnight sensation, launching the greatest and most successful comic craze and merchandising campaign of the last 50 years. Several animated series and three live-action movies have only added to the madness started by Turtle-mania.

The first film, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," was released in 1990. Its sequel "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze" was released in 1991. The second sequel came out in 1993. "The Secret of the Ooze" picks up right after the events of the first film. The Foot Clan (a group of martial arts-trained teenagers) has been virtually wiped out by our four mutant reptilian heroes - Leonardo (my favorite), Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo - and a much-deserved rest is at hand. However, the Shredder returns, angrier and decidedly more fearsome than in the first film, with only one thing on his mind: vengeance. So he reassembles the Foot Clan in the hopes of getting his revenge off the ground.

But TGRI, the corporation responsible for the experimental mutagen that created the heroic foursome, has been hard at work recovering and disposing of the remaining canisters of ooze. Jordan Perry (David Warner) has been leading the mission of retrieval and disposal, with Channel 6 reporter April O'Neil (Paige Turco, a little less convincing than the first film's Judith Hoag) on the story. Shredder manages to steal the last remaining canister of ooze and uses it to create two mutants of his own: Tokka and Rahzar (filling in for Bebop and Rocksteady, from the 1987 animated series), who have both been swimming in the same toxic cesspool as ye old Toxic Avenger. Guided by their Yoda-like sensei Splinter, the Turtles must find a way to battle their new mutant adversaries.

Considering that "The Secret of the Ooze" is a sequel, it is a surprisingly entertaining sequel. Although not as a good as its predecessor (it is less dark and less violent and more slapstick than the first film), it is obvious that accommodations were made by the filmmakers to cater to a younger audience. Director Michael Pressman takes his cues from Turtle-mania hype, much rather than Eastman and Laird's source material, but "The Secret of the Ooze" is still a fun ride through and through.

The acting and plotting is all sub-standard, but hey, it's a family movie based on a hyper-violent underground comic book. Along for the ride is high-kicking martial artist and stuntman Ernie Reyes, Jr. as the Turtles' new human friend Keno. Without a doubt, he probably gives the most enthusiastic performance here, even if his talents are somewhat underused; it's a shame he hasn't faired better over the years even though he has become something of a cult figure. The special effects by Jim Henson's Creature Shop (the film is dedicated to his memory) are astounding, even if somewhat dated. The action climaxes with a battle royal in a dance club where (who else?) rapper Vanilla Ice is performing "Ninja Rap" as our four heroes duke it out with Tokka, Rahzar, and a bunch of Foot Clan members (this segment alone is what will surely date the picture).

For this Turtle fan, I plan on seeing the new movie next week with friends, just so you know. From looking at these movies today, they probably haven't aged all that well. But one thing is clear: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are here to stay. "TMNT" will only prove that.

8/10