Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

The sequel to the smash hit 1990 TMNT, starts off greatly with an introduction to a new character (Keno) and has a great pizza scene showing how the city loves New York pizza as well as metaphorically showing the viewers watching that this indeed is a turtles movie...The opening music is great and is perfect for the city scene.

The plot is not as well thought out as the original but still does the turtles a good name for them...I still feel they rushed it a little seeing that the movie was in production right after the 1st movie went into theaters...I seem to feel the super shredder was the turning point in the franchise, meaning that it went from a sort of Tim Burtan feel with TMNT 1, and ended up with a corny kid focused feeling with the introduction of the super shredder..and the ninja rap didn't help either..all though I thought it was cool....I just wished secret of the ooze was more of a dark TMNT movie....which the 1st movie held on to strong.

The addition of Professor Jorden Perry and the whole TGRI company was a great idea to explain the chemical spill and the mutation the turtles went through. His mature nature and serious tone helped the movie maintain a sense of maturity as well as stability in the plot.

The acting was great in this one as well and the comedy was just as good as in the first movie. Although Corey Feldman did not voice Donetello in this one, the replaced voice actor was great...I even might say that the actor that voiced Don in TMNT 2 is just as good as Cory Feldman's voice acting in the 1st and 3rd movie.

IN conclusion, TMNT: Secret of the Ooze is a great sequel that is both funny as well as serious and is a great movie for any age. The only thing that bothered me was that is was slightly too focused on the youth audience and didn't stay 100% with the original's dark atmosphere.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

The turtles have thwarted the evil Shredder and his army of ninja thieves and are now searching for a new home.However,it soon emerges The Shredder is set to return to wreak more havoc,and has the ways and the means of unleashing a terrible new threat to the crime fighting awesome foursome.As they set out to stop him,the turtles come to learn more about where they came from and the secrets of their origin...

At the time of the original film's release,the TV series and the toys were at the height of their popularity and so a feature film was inevitable.However,it was a relatively low budget Golden Harvest production that went on to become the most successful independent film of all time.GH still played quite a huge part in the proceedings with this second instalment,however the first film had been a major success,a sequel was as inevitable as the original adaptation that preceded it and so now,a worldwide big major studio like Twentieth Century Fox wanted to have a cut in the stakes and so stepped in to cash in on the franchise.And hey,nobody makes family blockbusters like Twentieth Century Fox,right?Well,maybe Universal.

Anyone who would regard Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 as pointless is,in essence,unable to see past their own nose.The law of physics practically states that any successful (especially family based) action film will have a follow up,in the interests of franchising and,well,basically making money.And it's certainly the family that TMNT2 appeals more to.It's a much lighter,sillier and more family friendly feeling outing,in comparison to the dark,grimy feel of the original.The Shredder,for instance and most significantly,manages only a fraction of the dark,menacing vibe he gave last time and for the most part completely lacks substance here.There's a scene in which the Tokha and Rahzor monsters clamber up and cuddle him that forcefully strips him of all the fear and respect he commanded from the last film.To a degree,the same could be said of Tatsu,although in fairness,he did carry a slightly bumbling quality to him in the original.That's not to mention a number of woefully under-used supporting characters,such as April and Chief Sterns.And what the hell happened to Casey Jones?!?

Of the new characters the new film introduces,Ernie Reyes Jr. emits a fairly engaging charisma as kung fu fighting pizza delivery boy Keno and David Warner is impressive as bumbling professor Jordan Perry (or maybe the film holds too much sentimental value for me!)

One of the main compounding factors of the film (in my eyes) was the plot (or,rather,lack of it) that at best feels very slight and at worst feels practically non-existent.The film is very short,so the feeling of it all being slapped together to make money is never far in doubt.Yet,for all this,the film still manages to carry a charm all of it's own.The script,though patchily assembled,still manages to be engaging throughout and the Jim Henson creature shop creations are as well made,colourful and pleasant to the eye as you'd expect.And hey,when even a Vanilla Ice cameo can't spoil it,something has to be right.***

Looking for great lines and dialogue, there is none here. Looking for cool costumes that look extremely realistic, not here Looking for pure turtle fun… you have come to the right place

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the OOZE, oh boy when I was young this was the movie to see; there is nothing better than seeing something that you loved when you were young, and then just knowing all the lines before they are said.

Anywhere anytime, during my youth days I will sit down to see these guys take on Shredder again and bring down Tokka and Rahzar. The Foot Clan could not even measure up to the task of taking on these guys, as they have failed in the first part of this film.

The event in the movie follows the first film, after Shredder was believed to have been dead. The Shred-Master was not dead though and he reunited with the remainder his Foot Clan and he now wanted to take down the turtles, a revenge mission that he decided will be freak against freak.

So he kidnapped a professor who knew about the Ooze that made the turtles and he (the professor) was forced to create two monsters for Shredder, and they were named Tokka and Rahzar. Now Shredder has the upper hand and he promises to release the creatures into the city if the turtles do not come and face them.

The movie was received with mixed reviews totally because the movie was very tuned down from the dark theme of the first and also, many of the fight scenes featured the use of hands rather than weapons. All this was to make the film more appealing to younger audience, which worked in my case as I was young and found the comic references interesting and great.

The only thing that may have not made this movie so appealing to older viewers will be the fight scenes, removing the weapons was not just cool for me, and they changed the April, which to some was not needed. In the first movie April O'Nei, was played by Judith Hoagl who did a fine job if I may say so, but she was replaced in this movie by Paige Turco, who wasn't half bad.

Also the person I missed the most in this movie was Casey Jones, who was a prominent character in the first movie.

To put it like this, if you were my age when you saw this the first time you will have learnt the Vanilla Ice rap song, and be singing on the streets Villains you better run and hide…Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go.., so reviewing it like I was watching it back in 1991 when Vanilla Ice was still popular I say this is a good movie.

www.lagsreviews.com

It was obvious that with the successful release of the Ninja Turtles comics, cartoon TV series and first theatrical release, that another story of the turtles was asking to be told. As told by the released date, it seems that the production of the next installment was already being set up very quickly after the first film. This is OK if everything is thoroughly prepped but most of the time, this isn't the case. The product becomes rushed and comes out nothing like it's predecessor. From the trailer it may seem like nothing changed, when in fact there are, and its rather distracting.

The story takes place after the events of the first movie. So it seems like along with this setting, all the characters should be back too right? Actually, it's a bit of both. Some require explanations for both the missing and the present. Fans will appreciate that their four turtles still look the same and voiced by the same actors. However, a new actress named Paige Turco has taken over for the role of April O'Neil. Although she fits the look of the character more, she isn't given much to do this time. Her character hangs more on the sidelines than anything else, than actually helping her turtle friends fight crime. Also, where is Casey Jones? He's not to be found or even mentioned once throughout the film. Not to mention, the writer behind the screenplay worked on the first movie. How'd he miss that?

Another issue that comes into question in this installment is the return of The Shredder. In first movie, audiences witnessed him being crushed inside a garbage truck compactor. How in God's name did he survive that? The continuity is lacking here and it's very unclear. But the piece of the movie that fans will not appreciate is the fact that for action sequences, the turtles no longer use the weapons they carry. It would be one thing if they didn't carry them at all, but in every fight they do and they never decide to use them. This particular aspect was something that fans enjoyed about the first one. Why upset the fans? It all comes down to money sad as it is.

When it came to other parts of the screenplay, the whole plot behind the "secret" of the ooze, pardon the pun, didn't contain enough substance to really expand upon anything that wasn't already known. This is rather disappointing because the setup behind the first made it feel like there was more to be told. Yet when viewers arrive at the sequel, the explanation to this setup feels almost washed over like there wasn't anything to begin with. With all this said though, there are still a number of redeeming qualities. First and foremost are the turtles themselves. Although they don't use their designated weapons, they still are fun to watch rolling around, have kicks flying and throwing fists. It seems that even the facial expressions move more fluidly too which is a good thing.

It's also nice to see that Splinter is still included in the movie. Even David Warner, better known as Ed Dillinger from Tron (1982) plays a scientist who understands the toxic ooze. And most possibly, the most surprising of them all is seeing Vanilla Ice performing the most nostalgic of all raps, the Ninja Rap. To think that the first movie had music that dated it is now and understatement. With Vanilla Ice chanting his "Go Ninja Go" lyrics, there's nothing to think except that THIS is the dated movie now. The composer is also the same for this movie and it is understood now that John Du Prez's themes from the first movie are still kept in tact for this movie as well. At least now, there's an official theme. Surprisingly, it still entertains with all its issues.

It still contains fun action sequences and the same turtles but on the whole, the story feels like an empty shell of the first movie. Not to mention, there are a number of things that go unexplained.

When I saw the first debut of the turtle's movie I did not want to miss a second. And I did'nt. When the 2nd one came out I loved every second as the 1st, and to this day I still have the collection, and the credit I want to give to is the puppeteers and the suit performers they were awesome bringing those characters to life. Great Job. My full respect for these movies is still strong. Some say I'm too old to watch it still. I don't think so! TMNT Rocks. Let's keep it that Way!