Really, Warner Bros, why did you even bother?Why do people buy special edition DVDs or Blu Rays? Let's see... vastly improved picture quality? Yup. Superior sound mixes that often utilize extra channels? Of course. More and better extras? That's often the main attraction! How about slim, space-saving packaging that looks cool on the book shelf? Well, maybe, but since I had a kid I'm all about saving space.
So what was the point of the Warner Bros/New Line 25th anniversary Blu Ray and DVD box set for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles again? Yes, it's great that they included all three live-action films as well as the CGI cartoon from 2007. But the audio/video quality on the three live action films are barely an upgrade (especially on standard-definition). And the extras for the original live-action films are non-existent (the CGI Blu Ray is a duplicate of the feature-laden original release). The box advertises 'radical extras' like four turtle eye masks and tubular tattoos. Want to know what isn't advertised? Commentaries, deleted scenes, documentaries, or any other kind of bonus feature that fans might actually want from such a set. This makes me thank the heavens that the current Warner Home Video regime wasn't in place when those feature-packed Superman and Batman special editions were released back in 2005 and 2006.
And the packing... dear god, please Warner Bros. stop doing this! I don't want a fold-out map of San Fransisco with my Dirty Harry series box set. I don't want lobby cards with my Casablanca blu ray. And I sure as hell don't need four eye masks and/or a set of tubular tattoos with my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles box set. And, believe it or not, these four discs are actually housed in the same way that you and I house CDs for a long car trip. See that circular thing that looks like a sewer gate? Yeah, that's a zipper package that houses several flimsy plastic disc-holding sheets, just like the portable CD cases you'd buy at Pepboys. I know that boxes similar to 20th Century Fox's Die Hard series or Paramount's The Godfather trilogy are a little too much to hope for (one blu-ray keep case with four discs housed comfortably inside), but would it kill you guys to make packaging that actually looks like it belongs on a DVD/Blu Ray shelf? The Blu Ray set apparently resembles an actual cardboard pizza box, which will look snazzy when the cardboard rots and/or fails to protect the discs. Cowabunga!As for the movies, same as it was always. The first film is a stunningly good comic book adaptation, which is almost too faithful to the not-always kid-friendly source material. A friend of mine has often commented that he finds the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to be darker than Tim Burton's Batman, since this one is based in real-world New York City and not an art-deco, somewhat fairy-tale-ish Gotham City. I'm not sure I'd disagree with him, but regardless this remains a surprisingly potent action-adventure picture. Since many parents and critics were outraged by the grim tone and often brutal violence of the PG-rated original (there are five onscreen deaths, a supporting hero commits murder, and a teenager is beaten to death onscreen) the two sequels are more in line with the no-harm, no foul slapstick of the long-running animated series. The first sequel is silly, but bright, colorful fun with a terrific opening action scene. The third is just a dumbed-down bore. As for the CGI animated film, the less said about that one, the better (yawn is the word).
So we're left with ho-hum transfers with no extras concerning the very films that fans are looking to own. But, hey, at least we get new inelegant packaging and tattoos!Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - B+
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze - C+
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Turtles in Time - C-
TMNT - C-
Scott Mendelson
