As a movie, Ninja Turtles would make a better cereal. It looks like it needs a little milk and mother-wit poured over it, something to make it snap, crackle and pop.
The cynicism of the motion picture industry will be apparent to any child who is exposed to the many product plugs for a nationwide pizza delivery company.
Elias Koteas scores as a mock-turtle vigilante, and there are some nifty turtle effects from the Henson Creature Shop, but little else hits the target, despite Barron covering the cracks with fast editing.
Despite brisk direction by Steve Barron, plus unbridled energy and fine special effects, an overt glorification of violence is still at the crux of this stunt film.
The one subplot that could have been milked, about a young friend of O'Neil's who falls in with the gang, is handled indifferently and fails to supply much in the way of a youthful identification figure.
