Last August, shellbacks made a very unexpected comeback. For the 35th anniversary of theoriginalTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesmovieFathom and Saga Arts re-released the superhero action comedy in theaters. The event was originally supposed to last only two days, but ticket pre-sales were so promising that they extended it to an entire week and expanded the number of venues. Then, after the film got a surprising3.3 million dollars at the box officethe event was extendedother week and Fathom announced that its sequel would have a similar release next year.
Now, 1991Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze is back in theaters and, 35 years later, it’s still the most fun you can have with the Turtles on film (especially for those who grew up on the original Turtle-Mania of the late ’80s and early ’90s).
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze takes place shortly after our heroes defeat Shredder at the end of the first film. While they can’t return to their sewer house thanks to it being discovered by the villainous Foot Clan, the siblings seem content to stay at their human friend April O’Neil’s (Paige Turco) apartment until they find a new place, which they eventually do in a cool old abandoned subway station. Shredder (François Chau), however, is not dead and soon begins to rebuild the Foot Clan. Worse yet, he creates two new monstrous mutants to get revenge on the Turtles.
Despite being a revenge story, it is worth noting thatThe secret of the slime It was much lighter in tone than its predecessor. The 1990 film primarily adapted the grittier original comics and lightened them with some humor taken from the 1987 cartoon series. The result was a solid story full of action, drama, humor and heart, but violent enough toextract some complaints from parent groups. As a result,The secret of the slime He adopted a much lighter tone; The Turtles constantly make jokes and take almost nothing seriously. Also, they almost never use their ninja weapons. However, these changes did not break the Turtle formula; others,Much worse turtle movies. I would do it later, norThe secret of the slime a movie so bad it’s good. Instead, screenwriter Todd Langen (who also wrote the original) leaned into this new direction and made the most of it, which is why so many Turtle fans still love this sequel.
The secret of the slimebegins with the Turtles beating up a gang of thieves in a shopping mall. The change in tone is immediately evident. Instead of attacking criminals with swords and nunchucks, the Turtles hit them with yo-yos and foam baseball bats. There’s even a scene at a deli counter in which Michelangelo trades his nunchicks for two intertwined pepperonis while shouting, "Fight the cold cuts!” while you defeat the bad guys. Almost all the fight scenes are like this: hard to take seriously, but still energetic and fun.
The new villains are also a lot of fun and feature some really impressive art from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Tokka the snapping turtle and Rahzart the wolf have genuinely menacing appearances, but their personalities are those of babies (they even call Shredder "Mommy!”). Being twice the size of the Turtles, they’re a credible threat to our heroes and the citizens of New York City, but Tokka and Rahzar are also incredibly funny in a slapstick, Three Stooges-style sort of way.
And though he’s underused, Shredder spends the last fight scene as a mutagen-induced Super Shredder (Kevin Nash), a wild design with crazy muscles and swords.everywhere– without any explanation as to how the mutagen would change his outfit.
Of course,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze He is best remembered for a scene with rapper Vanilla Ice. For about a month in the early 1990s, Vanilla Ice was the biggest rap star around, and that happened to be the same month thatThe secret of the slime I was filming. So Vanilla Ice cameoed as himself and performed “Ninja Rap,” an original song with the memorable chorus “Go ninja, go ninja go!” Within the context of the film, he freestyles all of this on location during the Turtles’ final confrontation with Tokka and Rahzar, which begins at a construction site but just so happens to end at a nearby nightclub where Vanilla Ice is performing.
In a way, "Ninja Rap” serves as a kind of microcosm for the entire film. Is it a great song with any particularly deep meaning? No, but it sure is fun to listen to. In that same sense, it isTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze A great movie or even a great Ninja Turtles movie? No way, but it’s a fun place for kids or nostalgic 90’s kids who want to grab a slice of pizza and enjoy the ride.
Soruce: polygon.com