Rewind: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)'

As a child in the 90's, 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' was THE THING. Whether it was the movies, tv show, or the massive amount of toys that I owned, the turtles were probably my favorite thing growing up.

1990's 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' was the first time that Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelangelo got to make it to the big screen.

4 ordinary household pets were doused in a mutanogetic ooze, causing them to grow into human-sized creatures, giving them the ability to walk, talk and act like like the 'teenagers' we get to see in the film. With the help of their mentor, Master Splinter, a rat also mutated by the ooze, the turtles learned the art of Ninjitsu, as Splinter was the pet of a martial artist on Japan. Splinter's master, Yoshi, was killed by a man named Hiroku Saki.

The turtles, residents of New York City, are enveloped in a plot with the Foot Clan, an organized crime unit consisting of ninjas led by Shredder. Finding help from news reporter April O'Neil and vigilante Casey Jones, the turtles do battle with Shredder and the Foot, who kidnap Splinter. The turtles are eventually able to defeat Shredder, as Splinter throws him off of a building into a trash truck.

This film had a significantly darker tone that the movies to come after, drawing inspiration from the original comic series by Laird & Eastman, but lost that tone in the sequels as toy sales and cartoon popularity became greater.

As a kid, my favorite of the trilogy was the second film 'Secret of the Ooze', but upon re-watching all 3 films later on in life, the original film became my favorite.

The dark, gritty tone mixed in with the light-hearted humor and banter between the characters made for a more "believable" movie, centered around a villain in the menacing Shredder, that was deemed a bit much for young kids.

The puppetry used for the turtles and Splinter by the Henson company to this day still looks incredibly realistic, and to me, is far better than the CGI turtles we're getting with the new rebooted franchise.

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' will forever hold a special place in my heart that will always take me back to my adolescent self.