But if any of it fell into the wrong hands… I’m well aware of the risks.
So now we come to our last Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle review of Horrorfest V. Will they be back next year? I don’t know. But for now, let’s get this review on the road.
If you’ve been following me you’ve read this already, but for the new readers I’m giving a little background as to why I choose a TMNT film. If you have seen it already, feel free to skip ahead
So this is our third installment of four reviews of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ films.
So I know those of you who haven’t been following me, and have stumbled upon this post are probably really confused. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? As a horror film? NO WAY.
I know you are all saying to yourselves, hey this is a superhero movie, not a horror film. Au contraire, you see the turtles are radioactively enhanced to be larger; agile, smarter, etc. In fact the only thing that separates them from other radioactively changed creatures: such as the ants in Them, the giant spider in the Tarantula, or even Godzilla. They choosing to use their abilities for good and be superheroes doesn’t change the fact of how they were made.
This Post We Are Switching Things UP!!
So I started Horrorfest V with the 2014 live action film, and worked backwards to the 2007 animated version. The former had a Frankenstein-like quality and the latter had monsters. I decided to skip Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) when they travel back in time to Japan, and went with the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990). Now we are going to look into the sequel where we get the turtles backstory along with more mutated creatures.
So we saw a big shift with this film. Because of complaints about violence, the film was lighter than the original and the turtles hardly use their weapons. Casey Jones was seen as “too violent” and his character replaced by one of the turtle stuntmen actors, Ernie Reyes Jr., being the teenager Keno.
They also had a bit of a fight over the story. The comic book writers wanted them to follow their stories, like the first film did, while the TV execs wanted them to follow the TV as that was more mainstream and child friendly. What we have is a combination of the two, with elements from both.
After their battle with the Foot clan, the Turtles found themselves homeless. April took them in, and they have been living in her apartment since then, off of a lot of pizza delivery.
Pizza delivery boy, Keno, is out dropping off his pizza’s when he comes across a burglary.
Not good
Keno: Hold it! You guys are under arrest.
Burglar: What are you, night security?
Keno: No, I’m a pizza delivery.
[the gang laugh and attack, and Keno easily kicks their butts]
Keno: Did I mention I also study the martial arts?
But even with that, Keno is no match for their numbers. Luckily he has a a certain, special crew looking out for him.
But Keno has seen them, and four giant turtles is something he won’t forget easily.
AMAZING!
Back at the house the turtles get into am argument over whether to stay hidden or reveal themselves. Raphael is eager to be “out of the shadows”.
Couldn’t resist
Splinter: Their world can never be ours.
Michaelangelo: Uh… Not even pizza?
Splinter: [after pause] Pizza’s okay.
[the turtles sigh with relief]
Michaelangelo: Man, give a guy a heart attack.
Meanwhile, Tatsu has grabbed the remaining members of the Foot and have them situated in a junkyard to regroup. He is planning on taking lead control of the Foot, when he is interrupted.
The Shredder
Yes Shredder lived! And he is back with a deep rooted vengeance and a thirst for blood. Turtle blood.
So April is out reporting on Techno Global Research Industries (TGRI) as they are doing a cleanup of a few spilled canisters. April feels as if there is more to the story, but she can’t get anything else out of Professor Jordan Perry.
After she is gone, Professor Perry reveals there is a lot more going on.
[after being given a giant mutated dandelion]
Professor Jordan Perry: You know, if the soil’s contaminated so far away, there must be more leaky canisters than we thought.
TGRI Assisstant #1: Well, how can that be? They were only buried fifteen years ago.
Professor Jordan Perry: Fifteen, fifty. Just make sure that the rest are found and removed!
TGRI Assistant #1: Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to invite the press.
Professor Jordan Perry: Sometimes the best place to hide is right out in public.
TGRI Assisstant #1: But if any of it fell into the wrong hands…
[Perry looks as giant dandelion]
Professor Jordan Perry: I’m well aware of the risks.
And unbeknownst to them, April’s new camera guy is watching.
And he’s not just a reporter who has stumbled onto this story; but a member of the Foot.
Not good.
When Shredder finds out about this, he wants Dr. Perry as he has a plan.
Back with the turtles, they have been watching the report and fighting whether to continue or watch something new. Splinter comes in, and when he sees the report reveals something the Turtles never expected…that company was the one that created/housed the mutagen that made them all.
WHAT!
They decide they need to find Dr. Perry and find out the answers to their questions, and to why or how they were created.
Both groups head down to TGRI, after the Dr. and the last canister of mutagen.
They all fight, but Shredder makes off with both prizes.
When they return to the apartment, they have another surprise. Keno has come to “deliver pizzas” but in reality to track down these things he saw. And what he sees is a shock.
[about to leave April’s apartment, having seen Raph’s foot pretruding from behind the changing curtain and becoming suspicious about their weapons “she” has lying around]
Keno: One last thing, though. I think you might want to know about THIS! [slams his foot on Raph’s]
Raphael: ARGH! [Raph comes out from behind the curtain]
Keno: It’s you guys!
Raphael:[cluthching his foot and being held back by Donny, Leo, and Mikey] Ah, ah! Let me hurt him. Please! Tell me I can hurt him! Please, please! Grr!
[Splinter puts his hand on Keno’s shoulder]
Splinter: I think you’d better sit down.
[Keno sees Splinter and faints]
After Keno wraps his head around what is going on, he wants to help. He tells them how the Foot are recruiting people and that maybe he should go down and be a spy for them. This is rejected by Leonardo as he knows that if Keno, a pizzaguy, found them, then the Foot will be there soon. It is time to find a new home.
However, Raphael doesn’t always listen to Leo, and he and Keno come up with a plan.
Meanwhile, Shredder is trying to force Dr. Perry to redo the mutation that happened to the turtles. He wants a duo of monsters that he can control and unleash on the turtles. His crew searched all New York, and all they could get was a wolf and a snapping turtle. Dr. Perry continues the experiment and they become Tokka and Rahzar.
These took place of Rocksteady and Bebop, the mutated Rhino and Warthog.
But while these are gruesome creations, they aren’t exactly what the Shredder wanted.
And they unleash him out in the city.
The turtles, san Raphael, have found a new home in an abandoned subway area. They head out to try and help the city while Keno and Raphael try to infiltrate the Foot. They pass the tests and Keno is in, but then Raphael is captured by the Foot.
Keno escapes and warns the turtles who head out to the junkyard.
There they meet Tokka and Rahzar and discover that while they are babies, they have recived a higher dose of the mutagen and are much stronger. They save Dr. Perry and head back to their new home.
Back at their place, Donatello questions Dr. Perry about the mutagen and finds out it was an accident. This upsets him as he thought, maybe, there was more to why they were created.
Splinter: What troubles you, my son?
Donatello: I-I don’t know. I just thought there would be more to it; to the ooze, to you know, us!
Leonardo: I know!
Donatello: I just always thought there would be something that… I thought we’d find out we were special.
Splinter: Do not confuse the professor’s words with your current worth, my son.
Donatello: But I don’t believe him! There’s just got to be more to it!
But soon, they must focus to the task at hand. Shredder has given April a message, the Turtles must fight Tokka and Rahzar that night, or else they will be unleashed in Central Park. They are now on a timeline and must work quickly to figure out a way to stop them.
They discover that the creatures must eat their antidote and Michelangelo comes up with the idea to infuse donuts with them.
They try their plan out, but things do not go right.
They end up breaking a club wall and take the fight to the dance floor, music by Vanilla Ice.
Shredder has drinken the last of the serum and mutated gimself.
Is the Shredder dead? Never! You can never stop him!
Back at home Splinter asks about the fight. The turtles try to hide some of the events, but the people of New York saw a LOT.
Splinter: Were you seen?
Leonardo: Of course not, Master Splinter.
Donatello: We practiced Ninja.
Michaelangelo: [off camera] The art of invisibility.
[Splinter appears from behind Raph] Splinter: [holds up the New York Post, with a front page picture of the turtles on stage, with the headline “Ninja Rap is Born!”] Practice harder.
[the turtles groan]
Splinter: Ten flips, now! And remember: “Go Ninja, go Ninja, go!” I made another funny! Ha ha ha ha!
A fantastic film, and the last of our series. And because I just love this guys I decided I just had to be one for Halloween.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Man, I love being a turtle!
To start Horrorfest V from the beginning, go to Who You Gonna Call?: Ghostbusters (1984)
For the previous post, go to I Can Make You all Go Away! Any Time I Want To!: Charlie X, Star Trek (1966)
For more on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, go to I Came Upon a Shattered Glass Jar and Four Baby Turtles Crawling into a Strange Glowing Ooze: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
For more on creating monsters, go to You Cannot Conquer It. It has Conquered You!: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
For more films based on books, go to It was a Horseman, a Dead One. Headless: Sleepy Hollow (1999)
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