22. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy (1990-1992)

Cowabunga! It's a turtle triple feature as Lyndsey gets radical
with her VHS selections, picking the 1990 smash hit Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles and its sequels, 1991's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
II: The Secret of the Ooze and 1992's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
III. Talking points: A triple feature. The comics, cartoon, and
movies. The original film. Pizza party at Pizza Hut. Cartoons on
VHS. The Foot as an allegory. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Corey Feldman
as Donatello, and Josh Pais as Raphael. Rapid turnover in cast. A
gritty first installment that feels like a reboot. Casey Jones. A
violent and fully realized world. Secret of the Ooze. The BK Kids
Club. Suburban Commando. Stepkids. Ernie Reyes Jr. These turtles
look different. Paige Turco replaces Judith Hoag as April O’Neil.
Out of the shell and on Oprah Winfrey. What does Splinter eat?
Tokka and Rahzar fill in for Bebop and Rocksteady. Everything is
toned down. Go Ninja by Vanilla Ice. Missed opportunity with the
anti-mutagen. The third film. Army of Darkness. The soundtrack. A
Hanes commercial. Surf Ninjas. All Effects Company takes over from
Jim Henson, turning Splinter into a dog puppet. Oregon fills in for
feudal Japan. Time travel. Romeo and Juliet subplot. Jokes for
adults. A demon gives CPR. No pizza or consequences. Human-turtle
relationships. Lame villains. A double role for Elias Koteas.
Favorite turtles over the years. Buy it/rent it/tape over it for
the series. Other adaptations of TMNT. Turtle nostrils. An American
Werewolf in London.