The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have featured in eight different movies since the franchise was created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. But which TMNT film stands out as the best?
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a staple of pop-culture since the hit animated series was released in 1987. Due to the success of this series, the world has witnessed a vast range of different media based on the Heroes in a Half Shell over the past 30 years. This has included multiple television series, comic books, merchandise and a total of eight films.
The Turtles have starred in five major live-action movies, one CGI-animated film and two direct to DVD animated films.
Every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie ranked
With the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series spawning a Netflix movie due out later this year, and Seth Rogen producing an animated big screen adaptation of the property, now seems like the perfect time to create a definitive ranking of each film.
The TMNT have seen some mixed reactions when it comes to feature length adaptations, with only a few being considered good movies. On that note, let’s reflect on them with this list that will attempt to rank the films from worst to best – featuring both live action and animated adaptations of the ninja turtles.
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Quite easily the worst film in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise’s history, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III was the case of one sequel too many. The film features many of the same gags from the previous films, leaving it feeling like little more than a cash grab, and its plot – which sent the Turtles on a trip to Feudal Japan due to the sorcery of a magic sceptre – felt muddled, with the story ultimately ending in a rather predictable fashion.
While the first two TMNT films are considered classics to most who grew up with this trilogy in their lives, the third film is rarely regarded highly and is often left out of conversations that discuss the TMNT big screen adventures. If it hasn’t been forgotten about entirely, TMNT III is considered little more than a chore to sit through for most – quite frankly making it a lowpoint for the franchise.
It is quite easy to see why the film sits with an abysmal 23% on Rotten Tomatoes, as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III‘s incredibly poor reception led to the Turtles not featuring in theatres again for another 14 years when 2007’s TMNT made its presence felt on the big screen.
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
When it was announced that Michael Bay would be producing the movie that would reboot the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, fans began to question whether the director of the Transformers films would do the Turtles justice.
Their fears were heightened when Bay originally announced the changed origins for the turtles, as the original draft of the film was going to see the TMNT’s origins be vastly different, with claims that they would be “from an alien race” sparking outrage in fans.
Bay eventually responded and told fans to “relax” as the Turtles were eventually given a different origin based on Earth, albeit only after fan backlash at making the TMNT aliens, adding that he does “listen to the fans” and that he wanted it to “be authentic”. Bay also made reference to their digital appearance – and this was something that drew some ire from fans too.
The Turtles’ “monstrous” appearance was heavily criticised, with many disliking their CGI-heavy almost lizard-like look. And they also took a disliking to the the original decision to make Eric Sachs be revealed as The Shredder.
This led to the film experiencing a number of reshoots, resulting in the final product being a disappointing and muddled mess. While quite not as bad as TMNT III, it comes close and is arguably more of a disappointment when you consider the technology, story potential and lengthy wait ahead of its release.
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze
Most fans loved the first film in the original TMNT trilogy, with fans enjoying seeing the Turtles in a darker atmosphere that felt more like an amalgamation of the original 1987 cartoon and the Mirage Comics that first introduced us to the four brothers.
With the success of the first movie came a sequel, titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze, which was substantially different to the first film’s tone.
At the time of the first film’s release, parents were upset about the amount of violence in the film with many believing the Turtles inspire violence. Even the original April O’Neil actor Judith Hoag (who was recast for the second and third films) had misgivings about the violence in the film:
This resulted in a second film in which the turtles were more comedic, did not use their weapons at all and were more in-line with their cartoon counterparts. And while that was not necessarily all bad, the film just suffered from trying to cater to a younger audience to such an extent that it lost much of what made the original so great. The first film succeeded in having something for both adults and children to enjoy while the second lost much of that identity.
From dance numbers to plot holes created from being unable to use their weapons (Shredder has the Turtles trapped in a net and Leonardo does not use his swords to cut them free!), the film suffers from feeling like one big cartoon (and not the good kind) that defies logic.
5. TMNT
TMNT sits weirdly in the hearts of Ninja Turtles fans. While technically a loose sequel to the original trilogy, the film kind of sits in its own timeline. It also features a strange plot about a man who lives forever (played by Patrick Stewart) who attempts to capture 13 monsters with his stone statue army.
It is weird, even for the TMNT universe, however this film does feature a lot of positives despite the strange and often head-scratching plot. For a start, it boasts a really interesting dynamic between the four brothers at this stage in their crime fighting careers. The turtles have seemingly retired, with Mikey and Donnie both getting jobs. Leo goes on a retreat to become a better leader, while Raph becomes the famous Nightwatcher vigilante.
The animation also makes it one of the most beautiful interpretations of the turtles, with the action scenes especially being some of the best looking we have ever seen from the franchise. Scenes such as the Leonardo vs Raphael scene are pure brilliance.
Featuring a voice cast of Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nolan North, Patrick Stewart and James Arnold Taylor really does add to the grandeur as they all perform well as their characters, Unfortunately, the poor story lets this film down.
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
The sequel to the infamous Michael Bay reboot in 2014, it’s safe to say hopes were not high for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows ahead of its release. However, as the casting announcements came out, reavling that classic characters such as Casey Jones (Stephen Amell), Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady were joining the fray, fans got more and more intrigued to see some of their favourite characters from the classic 1987 series on the big screen.
While the film did some things wrong, such as changing Casey Jones’ origin story completely (making him a cop was not a good choice for Casey), and reducing Shredder to a pawn in the plans of Krang, the performances from the actors, the characters themselves and the fun nature of the film certainly make up for some of the poor story elements.
For example, Bebop and Rocksteady are just magnificent and, in a way, they really are the highlight of the film. Tyler Perry as Baxter Stockman is also a nice touch (although it would have been nice to see him mutate into a fly).
All these elements came together rather well and resulted in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows being a fun film that did not take itself too seriously – something which was a real benefit for the TMNT franchise.
Plot elements such as the serum to turn mutants back into humans were not needed, and it did ultimately create some worthless conflict. However, the additions of the villains from the classic ’80s series make this film worth the watch on their own.
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Ah yes, the classic that many consider the best live action film of the bunch, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is considered by many to be the best TMNT film ever made. And that is okay, since this film was a major reason the Turtles have had six big screen adventures in the past thirty years.
The major criticism of this film, however, was clearly marketed towards children and yet it was too violent to be a kids film. Some parents were very distressed with the amount of violence, which resulted in the Turtles being unable to use their weapons in Secret of the Ooze. As Entertainment Weekly put it:
"“The National Coalition on Television Violence claims there are more than 190 acts of violence in this movie; it seemed to me there were at least that many in the opening scene.”"
As EW highlights, much of the violence in the film does override the storytelling elements. However, this is still the best live action portrayal of the TMNT we have seen. The blend of the silliness of the ’80s animated series and the dark tones of the Mirage comics and the callbacks to classic storylines (the farmhouse, Splinter going missing etc.) are all intriguing elements of the film.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the definitive portrayals of the Ninja Turtles, with great characterisation for the Turtles, especially Raphael, and while the film is not perfect, it is a classic that continues to be viewed fondly by many.
Hopefully we get some form of continuation from the original trilogy in the future that is more in-line with the tone of this film rather than the sequels that followed it.
2. Turtles Forever
Turtles Forever is a classic film from Nickelodeon that did a fantastic job of concluding the TMNT 2003 series with a bang. It features a multiverse-spanning adventure, which sees three groups of Ninja Turtles join forces for the first time. This includes the wacky 1987 Turtles, the slightly edgier 2003 iteration of the Heroes in a Half Shell, and the original Turtles from the Mirage Comics.
It also features a storyline that sees Krang and Shredder from the 1987 series rescue Ch’rell (2003 Shredder) from his exile, who seems determined on wiping out all Turtles from existence by destroying the Prime Turtles (Mirage Turtles).
While unfortunately not featuring the voice cast from the 1987 series (a mistake which was remedied in the 2012 series crossovers), the movie is a fun team-up between the three different eras of Turtles, making for some fun interactions.
Seeing the other characters react to 1987 Raphael breaking the fourth wall, Mikey’s awe of the 1987 Turtles and their belt buckles and 2003 Raph instantly loving the narration and broodiness of the Mirage Turtles are all highlight moments, with the movie concluding with a big fight scene against the sinisterly 2003 Shredder in the Prime universe.
Truly, this film is a dream for Turtles fans, however there is one TMNT film that slightly edges out the top spot..
1. Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
This dynamic crossover is easily the best film the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have ever starred in. The collaboration of DC Comics and Nickelodeon saw the classic comic book storyline from 2015 loosely adapted for the animated film treatment.
While I may be bias given these two properties are my favorite franchises ever, this film is a love letter to both TMNT and Batman fans. The film sees the Turtles and Batman in their element, as the Heroes in a Half Shell head to Gotham to track the Shredder, but end up in conflict with the Dark Knight. However, once the misunderstanding is rectified, the two teams join forces to take on the combined might of the Foot Clan and the League of Shadows.
Batman vs TMNT sees some amazing animated action, including the Turtles and Batman taking on a mutated rogues gallery which includes Joker, Bane, Mr Freeze and others. It also provides each turtle and member of the Bat Family a chance in the spotlight, and creates cool little team ups (Alfred and Mikey’s conversations are, by far, the best).
The team up sees the Turtles taken to a world that is darker than the usual TMNT universes depicted in animation, while showcasing Batman’s rogues gallery off brilliantly. Backed by a brilliant voice cast (with Troy Baker doing a double role as both Batman and The Joker), the film was beloved by fans.
With the comic series spawning two sequels and that major tease at the end of the film, fans will be hoping for the two sets of heroes to collide again in what would be a bombastic sequel. Fingers crossed, TMNT fans.
Which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!