The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
We've had our house for sale for a few weeks now, and we're living with the bare minimums, and that includes movies. The 4 year old is entertained by this, and that's all that matters.
On the whole, the movie has a good message. It examines the importance of family. It doesn't matter what that family consists of, whether or not it's a rat as a father, as long the love is there, you'll grow up to be a contributing member of society, even if you're a mutated turtle. If there isn't love, such as with Shredder and his band of roving misfits, you'll grow up to be a thug who gambles and drinks.
It's interesting to note that this whole movie took place on the streets of New York. It made me wonder if there was a huge gang/teenage problem back in the day. I'm going to look that up later...
There's also a journey/growing up phase the turtles have to go through. They have to learn how to work together to find Splinter and defeat a common foe. It's all very touching.
I remember enjoying this movie as a child. It was fun and funny. It's not the same as an adult. Maybe it was my frame of mind, but it was more annoying and predictable than anything. The muppets brought back some nostalgia.
The 4 year old really enjoys the movie. He likes it when the turtles fight and dance, and I'm sure the catchphrases amuse him. It keeps him busy so I can get things done. I sat down and watched it and didn't have the urge to gouge my eyes out, so it wasn't terrible.
