#6: TMNT 2007
Of all the movies on this list, TMNT feels like an anomaly to me. I grew up with the 2003 version of the show, specifically Fast Forward, which should've put in prime target to watch it. Yet it took me till 2021 to finally watch and see the hype it garnered for many years. And when I finally did, I had a startling conclusion after 90 minutes. This movie is kinda mid.
Okay, maybe mid may be the strong word, but this is the most frustrating movie on the list from a potential perspective. Starting with the positives, this movie is visually impressive for the time. Because this is Imagi Studios's first theatrical film and is from the 2000s, this movie works well. Especially at night, when you can hide details in the darkness. There's a unique Almolst black-and-white comic book vibe in this I fuck with.
This movie may have the best voice cast of any TMNT movie. I think this franchise has almost always had great castings across the board, but TMNT takes it to a whole new level. James Arnold Taylor, Mako, Chris Evans, Patrick Stewart, Nolan North, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lawrence Fishburne, Mitchell Winfeild, and Mikey Kelley are a stacked line-up, and no bad performances are here.
Again, like the last entry, though, the problems are really in the movie's central conflicts. This is supposed to be a loose sequel to the first three from the 90s through references and such. However, even with said knowledge, the Turtles getting a new base, April and Casey getting an apartment, and the family drama making this movie still makes me feel like I'm being dropped into the season 2 premiere of What Good Turtles Show.
Still, we can only infer at best what honestly had the turtles break up in the first place, and since we don't know what their dynamic is supposed to be like in this film, I felt the drama was hollow. The director of the movie, Kevin Munore, gave me a little insight into the film. Specifically, he said he struggled with how much of a reboot for the turtles he wanted this to be in the first place. This, combined with some of the vastly different scripts I heard, definitely paints the picture of the movie's lack of direction.
Like in this movie, Raph's anger and unwillingness to listen to Leo are presented as fatal flaws, but honestly, his annoyance is justified.
Leo automatically hates the Nightwatcher even though Raph is actively still cleaning up the streets with more restraint than Leo. Especially if you want to take the prequel comic into account, where Leo was willing to kill people. I feel like this lack of set setup is just a hole in the movie that aids in it getting down to 3 scenes: the Leo/Raph fight, Mikey's entrance to the layer, and Donnie's tech support. And don't get me wrong, the first scene is quintion is iconic for a reason.
The animation/choreography is excellent. James and Nolan are giving these performances their all, and it sells it … in a vacuum. Again, this just doesn't work when paired with the lack of. Unfortunately, the external threat does not compensate for the lackluster internal threat. Sachs, Niles, and Norinaga are worse. Still, Winters may be in the running for the most boring TMNT antagonist. Again, I'm willing to accept a lot with this franchise, but having Winters be an immortal warrior amidst a brotherhood intent on taking over the world until their mystical portal stopped them a bit much. I understand the obvious parallel here of having the turtles's family dynamic break apart while Winters is trying to get back his.
But having the Karai's foot clan, his fellow brothers in arms, and the 13 Mcguffins in the fray cuts his screentime. Hindsight is truly 2020 because I feel like Winters would've been better off an immortal warrior who was trying to retrieve his brothers who got trapped in the portal a thousand years ago.
Have the monsters be replaced by items he brought into the city and have him capture Leo primarily due to the Turtles intervening and wishing to trap him like his brothers. Or if all else fails, pull a 2003 and have Karai as the Shredder and do the same plot. Either way, TMNT 2007 frustrates me more than any entry since it feels like they need more time to cook on the plot. This movie has a passionate fanbase, and while I do like that Mikey and Donnie would've gotten more focus in future films, I'm okay with what we got.
#5 Turtles Forever
Now, going from the TMNT movie, I have the least connection to the one I have the most with. As said, II grew up with the 2003 era of the show and rewatched it the most out of any iteration. This means we are well-acquainted with this landmark. Capping right around the 25th anniversary, Turtles Forever pays tribute to the franchise by having the 87 and 03 Turtles team up. An idea that Llyod Goldfine, the showrunner of 03 show, was super passionate about for a while eve, and if he knew the show was reaching its stages.
In many aspects, too, you can feel the ambition of even doing this crossover realized. The art team did extensive research into the old show and tried getting as many model sheets as possible to replicate the feel of the old show. In terms of animation, this is definitely the best the 03 Turtles have looked, combining the higher saturation and more angular style of the later seasons with extra shading and the white maks back.
For a TV budget movie barely feature-length, the animation is still really impressive. While it's a lot easier to see TMNT crossovers as something more common than PB and J, we need to realize how ICONIC this really was. Almost every version of the TMNT up until this point gets a cameo, including the first animated depiction of the original Mirage Turtles.
Seeing the worlds of the two shows is so vastly entertaining. 87 Krang and Shredder messing things up to get ported towards the 03 world, only to then revive the Utrom Shredder to be the real villain, is the best use of every character involved. And seeing the way the goofy technology of the 87 show clashes with the serious and more ambitious aspects of 03 creates cool conflicts.
Scottie Ray's Utrom Shredder is someone who can do no wrong, in my book, and I can't think of anyone more fitting to make this high-stakes Turtles movie.
As much as I love the overall story, no matter how fanservice and gimmicky it may be. I do have the elephant in the room. For a film whose whole thesis seems to revolve around respecting every version of the Turtles in history, a message I wish the fanbase took way more seriously, it does not do a good job of presenting that message.
Do I think the 87 show has held up? No. Do I think the Cowboys, who haven't consumed this franchise in x amount of years, are annoying? Yes. Do I still acknowledge this series as the most popular iteration of the show, and does it deserve respect? Hell yes. Stuff like not getting the original music or voice actors is fine since those are primarily legal issues that can't be fixed.
But the characterization is so off for the iteration which started diversifying the Turtle's roles the most here; they all like comedic jackasses that can't stay serious. Even when the 87 turtles do something effective, it always feels so backhanded in this film. 87 Donnie taking out the foot soldiers with a boulder is met with annoyance, alongside him working with Donatello. The turtle van's lasers bounce off Shredder's mutants, and Krang doesn't even get a chance to get revenge on Ch'rell, instead getting defeated in seconds.
I'm not saying the og show needed to be glazed harder than a Krispy Kreme factory, but an attempt could've been made. The Mirage Turtles' introduction is a good example because it appropriately manages to get solid jabs on every character involved while not feeling too mean-spirited. I don't personally mind a couple of gags, like the 4th wall break joke with Raph and Hun, but I still feel like there was a miscommunication here.
It's a bit damn shame too, bec,ause as far as I can tell outside of the SatuSaturdayning Adventures comic the, best iteration of the 87 Turtles is the crossover with 2012. Not only were they able to get music that was more reminiscent of the original theme song, but the original actors and characters shined through way better there. However, I guess mentioning the 2012 show brings up the pivotal point of this crossover.
For all my complaints, Turtles Forever is probably the film that has had the biggest impact on fans. 15 years later, the fandom is still asking for an updated Turtles Forever with every cartoon. While I would love for that to happen if possible, I'm also okay with letting future iterations or other mediums depict that tale.
#4 Batamn vs the TMNT
Alright. From here on out, every turtle film I talk about here is good to borderline perfect in my eyes. I understand if you have any of these 4 in your top 1. Serving as an adaptation to the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic by James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams 2, we have Batman vs Tmnt, the movie. A crossover I'm kinda still shocked even happened amidst their more recent crossovers before and since then. Then again, given the 2012 turtles crossing over with BTAS, I'm sure anything is possible.
Unlike the original comic, though, the Dark Knight and Heroes in the Half-Shell are less from different worlds (literally, in this case) and more from other cities. This is a bit of a crucial change since the big emotional crux of the comic was the Turtles and Splinter needing to get home before the mutagen in their blood becomes inert. While that ticking clock getting removed is bothersome, it's a necessary evil to make this movie as fun as humanly possible. And God, it is.
The film perfectly totes the line between cheesy comedy and more serious action. The animation and overall art direction help in that regard. A lot of saturation and beautiful color is used to shade the characters to help balance the two clashing tones. The animation also fucks just as hard. Later, everyone talks about the fight between Batman, Shredder, and Turtles.
Like Turtles Forever, this film feels like a fully fleshed-out collaboration that takes full advantage of each franchise's lore. The Foot Clan and the League of Assassins joined forces to trade the Lazarus Pit and Ooze, which is a match made in hell. It naturally allows us to see the mutagen work in tandem with Gotham's craziest foes and get some baller designs. This results in a fun finale where the Batmobile and Turtle Van team up to lay waste to both their foes.
Since this is a tent ranking, I'll focus more on the turtles here. For a one-off crossover, though, this is some of the strongest adaptations they've been given. Eric Bauza (Leo), Baron Vaugh (Donnie), Darren Criss (Raph), and Kyle Mooney (Mikey) have great chemistry with each other, coupled with unique designs.
The cell shading on their shells, the vast proportions, and the little details separating them, like Raph's scar or Donnie's head with rounder eyes, are excellent. Outside of not being equal to the caped Crusader, they never feel like they fall behind. The Batfamily themselves, this time Alfred, Robin, Batman, and Batgirl, are fun.
If I have a minor complaint about the movie, it is the attempted interpersonal drama. In the original comic, Batman was far more cheerful and outwardly wished to help the Turtles. With the ticking clock of the turtles on, though, Raphael goes on his own, only for Bruce to fully show off why he must put his faith in him. Eventually, this leads to the infamous crime alley scene, but it also gets a massive payoff in that the turtles stay a little longer to help Batman when given the choice to run away.
The movie makes this far less compelling, though, with Batman having to learn in so many adaptations to trust and work with the turtles after Raph brings some scenes into him. While I think it's a good scene for the latter, it makes the former feel like they have even less ground to stand on for the entire movie. The Bat Fam and Turtles work perfectly in sync and follow orders. If they had messed up or made a crucial mistake during the second act, we'd have some basis for Bat's going in alone we g. We do something, but we don't. Still, amidst a bit of disappointment in adaptations, this movie is excellent.