Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) | First Time Watching! | Movie REACTION! 

Casey and Donatello insulting each other with words going down the alphabet will always be one of my favorite movie bonding moments.

And the costumes, animatronics and puppet work for this film were all done by none other than the legendary Jim Henson and his creature shop. Some great behind the scenes photos of Jim Henson on set with the Ninja Turtles in costume

The Turtles are all actors in suits and each one of them actually has a small role in the film outside of the suits. The guy who plays Michelangelo also plays the pizza delivery guy that Mikey talks to who only gets paid 10 bucks cause he's 2 minutes late. The guy who plays Raphael also plays the passenger in the cab when Raph jumps over the car chasing Casey. The guy who plays Donatello also plays the foot member who slaps April in the subway scene. The guy who plays Leonardo also plays a gang member in the warehouse where Casey has his fight with the foot leader guy Tatsu.

the cinematography in this movie has no business being so good. the farm scenes have such a great atmosphere to them.

This film focused on comic book accuracy which explains the dark theme and extensive martial arts visuals. The sequel (TMNT II 1991) is more lighthearted and family-audience friendly but still just as reaction-worthy.

Casey Jones' "oops!" line and what he did still lives as legendary status in comic book movie history

I love the nunchuck showdown between Mikey and that Foot Ninja. But the scene that will always hit me in the heart is when the Turtles are sitting around a campfire and they get a spectral message from Master Splinter. Fun fact about Master Splinter: He was puppeteered and voiced by the same man who originated Elmo on Sesame Street, Kevin Clash.

Like many scenes in the movie, the first meeting between Raphael and Casey plays out almost exactly as it does in the original comics. Raph was also the only Turtle to have the same actor for both his voice and suit performance, Josh Pais, whose voice and mannerisms really worked together to make him feel like a very distinct character. Josh, unfortunately, was claustrophobic, and working in the suit was extremely difficult for him, so he did not return for the sequels.

Fun Fact : the guy in the cab is also the body and voice actor of Rafael

Each turtle suit was something like 50 lbs. The stunt men and actors sweat profusely, losing around 30 pounds each during production. The risk of heat stroke sent more than one to the er during shooting. Composition ofthe suits was fiberglass shells and rubber coated nurf. Each head was part animatronic courtesy of Jim Henson creature shop they also did Splinter, one giant puppet, and 4 operators.

God I love being a TURTLE!!!!!! And I love this movie. It's really funny while being dark and gritty at the same time. And those suits! 33 years later and they're still better than any CGI turtle. I wish they'd do an updated version of guys in turtle suits. They were super uncomfortable to wear back then, but with today's technology, I'm sure they could make it much easier on the performer.

ONE MORE FUN FACT: The puppeteer/voice of Splinter (also the puppeteer director for most of the effects) was played by Kevin Clash, best known as the voice/performer of Elmo

This movie in NYC in 1990 was absolutely the biggest thing for kids at the time....and ghostbusters

When it came out on VHS it was common to have a pizza party with friends while you watched the movie. The 90's were such a great time, especially to have been young. Very fortunate to have experienced this period of time, it was the happiest time for me before things changed.

FUN FACT: The thug who offers cigarettes to teens (regular or menthol) and tries to take on Casey is played by future Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell. You'll know him from films such as THE GREEN MILE, GALAXY QUEST, CHARLIE'S ANGELS, VICE, and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI. (He won the Oscar for the latter movie.)

DUnno if it was something on purpose but someone pointed out to me this bit of Trivia. Splinter, being the master that he is, gave each a weapon that teach each turtle to be outside his comfort zone or to learn something about himself. -Leonardo, who's the leader of the team, as the ONLY real offensive and lethal weapons of the group, to teach Him that a Leader must be determined and that once a choice as been made, it cannot be undone, just like the stroke of a blade. -Michelangelo is the one with the most energy and the shortest attention span, He was Given the Nunchuks, who is a weapon that requires discipline, focus and training to master efficiently without hurting oneself. -Donatelo is always portrayed as the one being the more tech savy (if not outright a savant/engineer in the cartoons), he was given the Bo staff, wich is a simple, unassuming wooden stick, to teach Him that simplicity can be the best answer sometimes. -Raphael is the one with the most Anger issues and also the one that is the Loniest of the group, he was Given the Sai's, who are defensive tools, more than weapons, to learn to channel his anger and use it to protect his Brothers and care for them as a team.

The Roof top fight is probably one of the most iconic fight scenes ever in film. It's just so well done and lit and acted and stunted. It's really top notch for sure. Turtles 2 the secret of the ooze is okay, it's not as complex and deep as The first one but, it's got a cool charm to it. The third one, well, by then it was paint by the numbers.

I love and miss practical effects. 🥰👍

This movie was an absolute masterpiece. The characters were portrayed beautifully, and they weren't afraid to go to darker places.

The scene when splinter talks with Raphael about facing his challenges alone and being consumed with anger is my favorite. I've gone through similar issues, and it's probably why raph was always my favorite. You're not alone 😉

At the time of its release it was the highest grossing independent film of all time and held the title until the Blair Witch Project was released in 1999.

Originally, the Turtles came out as a comic book in 1984. This is drawing largely from that and some aspects of the cartoon. The origin stories here are from the comic book series. The costumes were created by legendary Jim Henson - known for The Muppets. This was probably his final film. Casey Jones with the ski mask was introduced in the comic book. He was based on the character played by Kurt Russell in Big Trouble in Little China and inspired by the idea of vigilantes.

This is my first time seeing a video from you two. Great reaction. This is my childhood film. This film is a mix of a few issues from volume 1 of the original Mirage comics along with the 87 cartoon. The film was in pre-production before the cartoon existed. It wasn't until the show became a huge hit that aspects of it were added to the film.

Gotta love Casey casually murdering shredder

Guy: “What the hell was that?!” Cab driver: “Looked like a big turtle, in a trenchcoat.” The most New York thing ever

I love this movie. I met Judith Hoag, April, at Comic Con. I just met the original voice actress of April at the recent Terrific-con. The sequel Secret of the Ooze is a pretty good movie even though they were forced to make it less dark and more family friendly because critics and parental groups thought this movie was too dark and violent.

The "oops" moment is the best murder in a kids movie, ever.

There were a few scenes in movies that made me cry as a kid. The scene where Gizmo sings in Gremlins (he’s so cute), the scene where the guide gets killed in Dances With Wolves, and the scene where Splinter tells Raph that he’s always there for him in this movie. Great reaction.

THIS is the absolute peak of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The PERFECT fusion of the dark, gritty, violent original 1984 comics* and the light fun goofy colorful pizza-loving 1987 cartoon. This was also one of Jim Henson's final project before he died. He died just after the premiere. This movie was the most successful indie movie of all-time when it came out, and held that record for almost a decade, until the Blair Witch Project FINALLY beat it. *The original comics are a parody of Frank Miller's Daredevil comics. In fact, the canister of ooze that mutated the Turtles is canonically intended to be the EXACT SAME canister of chemicals that splashed a young Matt Murdock in the face, blinding him and giving him his radar senses that allowed him to become Daredevil. Where the Turtles have Splinter, Daredevil's sensei is Stick. Where the Turtles battle The Foot, Daredevil battles The Hand. Etc UNFORTUNATELY, this movie suffered the EXACT same fate as Batman Returns, and a bunch of Karens complained and whined about it being too dark and violent, so despite being perfect and amazing and making a mountain of money, the sequel was severely gutted and turned into kiddy junk, just like Batman Forever. And just like Batman & Robin, the next sequel was even worse and dumber. It just went linearly downhill, completely wasting truly incredible potential. The second movie might be worth watching if you just want more Turtles stuff and don't mind it being a lot dumber and more cartoony and kid friendly. The third one....uh.....I can't exactly recommend it.

My brother and I saw this as kids together in theaters when it came out. When we left we were literally looking down the sewers on a rainy night to maybe see them. Then went together to see it again for the special 30 year anniversary re-release in 2020. It was a nostalgia overdose in the best way... We still do the pork rind joke to this day 🍕🐢🐢🐢🐢 Some fun facts.... The original TMNT VHS has a Pizza Hut Little League baseball commercial in the beginning, yet Domino's ended up with the greatest pizza product placement in movie history. AND the delivery guy was actually one of the turtles, out of costume. Also the guy in the cab was one of the turtles out of costume as well. And there are cut scenes and altered ones of Michelangelo. He was the one shouting from the top of the farm house yet they used Raph's voice. He was also the only Turtle to not have his drawing shown done by April Reply

As far as the sequels go, I see them the same way as the Batman quadrilogy from 1989 to 1997. They drop in quality but are still a part of the franchise's history. To be more specific, the second film is fun, but had to be toned done because of parents complaining about the violence from the first film. The story was also changed due to either the script or the budget. I don't want to say what the change was. You might know depending on how familiar you are with the TMNT. The third film is known for being horrible, but I'd still watch it over the two films Michael Bay worked on.

I am 36yrs old now I loved this movie as a child - it holds up so well I remember seeing this in the theater as a little kid @25:49 Song - Shredder's Suite is such an iconic banger The sequel is good too however "parents" complained about the weapons/violence so they were used less in the sequel the 3rd movie I enjoyed too personally but its the weakest entry

i was a kid half away across the world and still watched in the movie theatre in the early 90s. how can you NOT knew about this movie when you were a fan of TMNT? lol. i still watch this movie at least once a year to this day and i'm 41 now. i don't like the sequels nor new ones but that's just my preference.

Its campy, its funny. The cinematographic is amazing the Fights choreography is awesome, the practical effects are top notch, the character's chemistry is out of there and they are acting like young New Yorkers would and its somewhat mature. This WAS the best movie of this time.

Awesome reactions I love how you guys praised the fighting and suits they really are incredible!

A classic movie that I hadn’t seen in such a long time, it was so fun to re-watch it with you. I’m glad I found your channel

"GOD, I LOVE BEING A TURTLE!" Fun Fact: This was the highest-grossing independent film until The Blair Witch Project (1999), having made $135 million in domestic box office and $66 million in the foreign box office. Unlikely Help Fact: Robin Williams, who was a big fan of the franchise, provided Judith Hoag with information regarding her character through his comic book collection; the two were co-starring in Cadillac Man (1990) when the Turtles film went into production. Turtle Cameos Fact: The actors who physically portrayed the Turtles also had cameo roles in the film: Josh Pais, who plays Raphael (Josh Pais), plays a passenger in the back of a taxicab right after Raphael hops on the cab's hood. Michelan Sisti, who plays Michaelangelo (Robbie Rist), plays the pizza delivery man who delivers the pizza to the Turtles' sewer. Leif Tilden, who plays Donatello (Corey Feldman), plays the Foot messenger that meets April (Judith Hoag) in the subway station. And David Forman, who plays Leonardo (Brain Tochi), plays a gang member in the warehouse during Casey's (Elias Koteas) fight with Tatsu (Toshishiro Obata/Michael McConnohie).

This was a great reaction, I would love to see you react to the second one. Also, Splinter is the best dad.

I believe Josh Pais was the only one of the actors who not only provided the voice for Raphael, but also was in the suit.

"One twenty-two and an eight." Every time 1228 happens in my life (addresses, phone numbers, license plates, cash register-) I think of this. Also, the cricket-crumpet conversation comes up in my daily life more often than I would have thought.

7:34 the stunt double for Donatello impressed the producers so much that they gave him his own role in the second one.

This movie is actually based on the comics, rather than the cartoon. The original creator hated the cartoon since the comic book he created was much darker, like this movie. And I think it worked. Honestly, this movie had way more heart, too. I don't think I've seem a single entry as good as this one.

I saw this in the theater as a kid. It was amazing. haha

I can respect a vigilante that beats the crap out of people with sports equipment. Thats like half of the Avengers.

I have the blu-ray collection of all the movies. I grew up with all and I also love the 2003 versions. This is awesome guys 🎉

I was 8 when this movie came out and my brother and I were already fans of the original 80s cartoon version. My brother played with the toys. Casey Jones is one of the most recognizable side characters. He was seen in any of the previews or promotional material of the movie (at least from what I saw), so he was a nice surprise for kids like me.

I love that a young Sam Rockwell is in this as the head thug :)

Hah! My favorite ninja turtle is Casey freaking Jones!! The guy is a legend. "Oops!" That part always gets me.

4:30 one of the best scenes in the entire movie.. Donatello goes to talk to Mikey about splinter talking about "when I'm gone" and Mikey wants absolutely nothing to do with that conversation.

Holy crap! I've seen this a million times. Never got that Eastman and Laird reference! Amazing!

This movie was a huge part of my childhood. I used to have a movie poster that was on my closet door at my grandma's house, until the day her house burned down, anyway. Also, Donatello.

Greetings from a fellow Canadian! Great reaction! I'm very happy to see more Canadians make videos on RU-vid. I'm a viewer only, but your videos are great. I hope you react to the other Ninja Turtles movies, as they're worth reacting to even if they can't hold a candle to the first movie.

I like the 2 earlier practical effects versions much better than the newer CGI-ish ones. Thanks for a fun reaction.

I recently rewatched this film and was completely blown away from the costumes the humor and story. It rt up there with Tim Burton batman

Never knew the Live action films existed? How?! They're some of the most prolific and iconic as well as widespread films ever. 🤯

I was seven years old when my mom took me to this film (still to this day one of my favorite movie-viewing experiences). I hadn't seen the original comics, but this one definitely caught the "darker" moments. It's also so weird that every big film studio rejected this film, despite both the comics and the original cartoon series were HUGE hits, but Golden Harvest (best known for their action films with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan) help get it made, making it the biggest moneymaker for an independent movie since the original HALLOWEEN (BLAIR WITCH PROJECT would top it in 1999). Jim Henson wasn't a fan of the comics (he HATED "action fights"), but thought the effects were a perfect project for his "Creature Shop" effect group (which did fantasy films apart from his usual Muppet work). TMNT would be the last project he saw completed (literally dying a month after the film came out; the sequel would be dedicated in his memory)

Personal fun fact, I'm old enough that I actually got to see the "coming out of our shells world tour" in Brandon Manitoba, yes it was a real thing, there's actually a copy of the concert somewhere on RU-vid 🤣

I was born in '83 and I'm basically honored that these guys were my childhood heroes, and that this movie turned out to be as good as it did. Chandra is right about the writing and how profoundly impactful it can be in some scenes, especially for a kid's movie.

Wise man once said never pay full price for late pizza 🍕 😂

This movie is so much sweater and cute than you can expect. I mean yeah drama, action and comedy I think they have an excellent balance.

I enjoyed most of the TMNT movies, especially the first 3 live action films . My least fave is probably the animated Turtles Forever cause the 87 turtles felt like a spoof. One of the creators(Kevin Eastman) likes part 3 more than 2) but there are no wrong answers cause we all have different tastes.

It's a fun movie..I've been a longtime martial artist and do like some of the moves, While the idea of a bunch of turtles being trained by a rat to be bad-azz fighting machines still cracks me up. They're the kind of heroes you don't mind your kids watching, but entertaining enough for adults...Still a highly successful animated/comic series today. Never did get why the bad guys call themselves The Foot Clan, though!

Awesome reaction to one of my top 10 favorite movies. You two seemed very likeable right from the start. I've liked and subscribed. As for whether or not the sequels to this are worth watching, I would say the 2nd one definitely is. The 3rd one, although not as good as the first two, in my opinion, I think is worth watching at least once. The 3rd one is still a fun one.

Penicillin is used to get rid of bacteria so that's what he meant by that.

This movie was the most successful indie movie for a long time. Believe it or not all the major studios turned it down when pitched for it. Also did you hear there's a game coming out based on a short run comic where all the brothers die except Michaelangelo.

Still the best looking Turtles movie to date. The turtles and Splinter are perfect.

I overheard at a gastropub in Des Moines that the Maplenuts mustache isn't really gone, but is just in the process of being switched to Chandra. I hope I was dreaming. New sub.

As a child of the 80’s the VHS releases of anything TMNT, especially the movies, was always a highlight. Edit: The shot of ‘Raphael’ screaming Splinter’s name from the roof of the farmhouse was actually Michelangelo, but they dubbed him differently. In the original version of the script, Splinter being kidnapped and Raph in a coma would have made him take dark turn, which would have been one of the subplots of the film.

TMNT was my jam back when I was a kid. One of the best live action films. The suits look SO much better than CGI.

This is the best turtles movie. I saw it when I was like 9-10 in the theater. I was fighting back tears multiple times watching with you guys. The sequels are painfully bad and it’s well documented why.

100 seconds into this video. And if the energy is consistent, and you keep picking awesome throwback movies like this, there's no way I'll regret subscribing. 🤘🤘

That "oops" line always gets me 😂

fun fact: this movie actually was one of the earliest roles for future academy award winning actor sam rockwell. he was the main thug in the white tee.

The opening shot is one of my favorite moments in this movie. RIP to all those people who died that day.

Loved watching yalls reaction to this movie. I grew up on this flick and it still holds up so well.

The suits and the animatronics and the puppeteering and the physicality of the turtles (and Splinter) in this movie is a-mazing. Brilliant technical achievements in an awesome movie. :)

Keep it up guys, glad to see another of my favs in your library :)

Fun fact this movie took place in NYC, but most of it was actually filmed in North Carolina. The sequel is worthy of a watch, but it's way more toned down to be a kids movie. Parents actually complained that this movie was to dark to be a kids movie.

The costume design was made to be functional. 35 years later, those live action style costumes could still 100% work.

I was 9 years old when this came out and have never been so hyped for any movie and this still blew away my expectations. I laughed, I cried, i don't think I took more than 2 steps without doing a kick or cartwheel pretending to be a ninja turtle on my walk home from the theater lol.

The only saving grace of the horrible Seth Rogan Ninja Turtles movie is that more people are watching and appreciating the original 1990 classic. This 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie perfectly balances the silliness and fun of the cartoon series, with the gritty violence and dark undertones of the comic book series. Much of the scenes and imagery in this movie come directly from the black and white comic book.

I just subscribed. You two are awesome and I love this movie grew up on TMNT. Looking forward to other reactions. 😂

When I was a kid, I met Ho Sung Pak, the martial artist who did the fight scenes in the Raph suit…he was more famous for playing Liu Kang in the original 3 Mortal Kombat games!

Fun Fact the voice of Master Splinter was also the voice of Elmo on sesame street in the 90's and 2000's Kevin Clash

Always love seeing people react to this one. Definitely watch 2 and 3, especially since you're fans of the original cartoon. The second one, in particular, feels very original cartoon ish. The third one is certainly the weakest of the three but it has enough good character moments that it's worth a watch at least once.

The whole farm scene lasted for half the movie as a kid. The campfire scene is great. Rafael was able to smile, and Michaelangelo was able to cry.

I found you by accident, but I enjoyed your reaction a lot! (highlander is already in the next tab!) And to add some weird trivia to make this comment longer: I'm from germany and the Turtles movies were deemed too dark for kids over here, so they tried to make it more kid friendly by adding way more quirky sound effects/micky mousing to all the action sequences which gives the whole movie a completely different feeling. They replaced every natural punching sound with some cartoon effect. Every single one. It took me all the years to the age of DVD when I could watch the movie in english and realize that its a totally different tone. Seeing them fight without doorbell ringing, coo coo clocks, cymbals or gong sounds for the first time was brilliant!

I gotta 65"4K TV and feels good to watch these with friends and family.

I grew up with these turtles. Which is why I consider the Micheal Bay turtles a abomination.

Awesome! These are MY Turtles Gang. Taking my nieces today for the new movie.

Keep up the good work you two. Loving the videos.

Such a criminally underrated movie. ll these years later and it's still better written than most action movies today

Saw this in the theatre as a young teen. While it wasn't as good as I had hoped, it was still far, FAR better than I was expecting. I came in as a fan of the original comic, which was a lot more hardcore than the TV show, despite the original premise. Like in the movie, The Foot were human guys in the comics, and the fights were pretty bloody. They could do it because it was an independant comic. I would love to someday see a live action (or even an animated series) that was more like the original comic. I loved your reaction to the movie "The Crow," imagine the turtles existing in a world like that. That was the comic. It was not for kids. Thanks for the great reaction though! This movie still holds a place in my heart :) Btw if you're taking suggestions for movies to watch, my top favourites for reactors to do are Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010) and Arrival (2016). I promise neither will let you down.

My second favorite film of all time. The voice actors are mostly separate from the stunt guys and body doubles, but Josh Pais did both the voice amd body for Raphael (Minus the stunts). This was the last project Jim Henson worked on before he died. Also produced by Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest who did most of Bruce Lee's movies, hence the amazing marital arts. And the Penicillin joke is my favorite. Really shows Donny's intellect

Mutant Mayhem was aiiiiight. Nothing will ever top the original 1990 TMNT. Infinitely quotable. Fight? Fight. Kitchen? Kitchen. Pork rind? Pork rind.

First movie I ever saw in the theater twice. Still holds up.

One of my favorites since early childhood when it first came out

I can't believe you didn't hear about the movies. Wow. That's crazy. I also love the movie toy collection of the turtles. I'm happy to experience this with you. I even love music during the credits. It really gives you that 90's vibe.

Great reaction, I remember watching this movie before it was released to Australia in 1990

This is the most accurate depiction of the turtles on film