Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is a 1993 American live-action
filmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, the second
sequelA sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
of the 1990 live-action
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 American live-action film adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise directed by Steve Barron. The film was followed by three sequels: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993, and...
film. It was produced by Clearwater Holdings Ltd. and
Golden HarvestGolden Harvest is a film production, distribution, and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. It played a major role in becoming the first Chinese film company to successfully enter the western market for an extended period of time, especially with the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan...
. This was the last Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film released by
New Line CinemaNew Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
and released on VHS along with Columbia Tristar. Outside the United States, it was internationally distributed by
20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. Unlike the previous films, the
Jim Henson's Creature ShopJim Henson's Creature Shop is a company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, and Frank Oz.It was originally created as a result of the observation that the team that had been put together for The Dark Crystal was extremely hard to recreate for Labyrinth, since the...
did not provide the advanced
animatronicsAnimatronics is the use of mechatronics to create machines which seem animate rather than robotic. Animatronic creations include animals , plants and even mythical creatures...
, which garnered criticism from fans of the previous movies.
Plot
The movie begins in feudal Japan, 1603, with a masked man fighting four
samuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
on
horseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
back. As the samurai ride off with the man, a mysterious woman emerges from the underbrush and tries to help him. However, the samurai eventually capture and take the man with them.
Fast forward to present day Manhattan (1993), the scene switches to the
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesThe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
who still live in the abandoned subway station. During their practice, the Turtles are met by April O'Neil, who has been shopping in preparation for her upcoming vacation and brings her friends gifts to cheer them up. Among those items is an ancient Japanese scepter, which was supposed to be for Master Splinter.
In feudal Japan, the masked man is revealed to be Kenshin, son of the
Daimyois a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
Lord Norinaga. Angry against his father's unfair war against a group of rebel villagers, Kenshin leaves his father's presence and drives priests out of a temple. There, he finds the same scepter and reads the inscription on its handle: "Open Wide the Gates of
TimeTime is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
". Before Kenshin leaves, a British weapons trader called Walker is introduced, along with his lackey Niles.
As the scepter begins to emit winds and strange lightning, April and Kenshin are switched in their respective times exchanging clothes. Upon arrival, April is captured by the Daimyo's soldiers. Lord Norinaga blames her for his son's vanishing and sends her to dungeons.
The Turtles become friends with Kenshin and decide to travel back in time to retrieve April. They invite
Casey JonesArnold Bernid "Casey" Jones is a character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Like the turtles, Casey Jones is a vigilante, and was created as a parody of vigilante characters that were in comics. Casey wears a hockey mask and cut-off biking gloves and carries his weapons in a golf bag...
to watch over Splinter, then embark, warned by Donatello's calculation that they have only 60 hours wherein to complete the rescue before the scepter ceases to enable
time travelTime travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
due to the time-space continuum being out of sync. Having been sent to Japan in exchange for Daimyo Norinaga's Honor Guards, the Turtles arrive mounted on
horseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s in the midst of a battle. Michelangelo is separated from his brothers and captured by outlaws. The scepter goes with him and is ultimately seized by an unseen character. When the other Turtles search for April at Norinaga's fortress, they are quickly mistaken for Honor Guards, then follow Walker's men to the prison and take out April through a garbage-disposal chute. They also help an Englishman called Whit who is said to have rebelled against Walker, and who bears a strong physical resemblance to Casey Jones (both parts are played by
Elias KoteasElias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
).
An attack on the Turtles, who were again mistaken for the Honor Guards, leads them to Mitsu, leader of the rebellion against Lord Norinaga. She is a young, beautiful, courageous, and determined woman who intends first to overthrow the Daimyo and later to marry Kenshin so as to prevent another
warWar is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
. It is she who has imprisoned Michelangelo. Mitsu's village is under attack by Walker and his men, who are searching for the scepter; therefore the Turtles rush to intervene. Having seen his face and heard him speak, they plant the rumor among their partners that a demon is in the vicinity. When confronted by Michelangelo, the other Turtles, and Mitsu's people, Walker flees. Michelangelo saves a boy named Yoshi from a fire, whereupon Leonardo revives the nearly dead child by means of CPR, for which the grateful villagers allow them to stay. Anguished by the loss of the scepter, the Turtles commission a local blacksmith to make a new one.
Back in Norinaga Castle, the Daimyo reveals a legend to Walker stating that four
kappa resembling the Turtles, had vanquished his ancestors, and suggests that they have returned to disgrace him. Walker offers to use his cannons to destroy "these monsters" if Norinaga accepts to pay for the weapons.
Michelangelo is apparently attracted emotionally to Mitsu, and reassures her that Kenshin will return when the Turtles have departed. Raphael, meanwhile, fulfills his potential patience and gentleness through Yoshi. He becomes very fond of this child and eventually considers him a younger brother.
The new scepter is completed, only to be broken by Michelangelo and Raphael during an argument. Mitsu then informs them that Lord Norinaga has guns and will attack the next day. Yoshi, fearing Raphael's death, gives him the original scepter, which he had hidden under his grandfather's command, because the latter wanted the Turtles and not Mitsu to fight the Daimyo. Mitsu is then kidnapped by Whit, who resulted to be Walker's spy and steals the scepter to Walker.
The Turtles set out to rescue Mitsu. In the process, they learn of the legend that has caused the Daimyo to fear them. They free many of those imprisoned, leading to a massive battle in the courtyard of Norinaga's palace between the rebels and the Daimyo's army. Leonardo defeats Lord Norinaga in a sword duel, comically finishing him by cutting his hair (a disgrace to his status as a samurai), and then trapping him inside of a bell.
Walker, at the end of the battle captures April and threatens to kill her. His soldiers then take control of the battlefield, armed with guns. He orders the Turtles to be shot, whereupon Leonardo bluffs by drawing upon the belief (held insistently by Walker's superstitious men) that he and his brothers are demons, saying that any bullets shot at them will ricochet and kill their senders. Baited by Leonardo to take the shot himself, Walker shoots at them with a cannon, but misses when Leonardo instinctively pulls his head into his shell. April and Whit, also targeted by the cannon (Whit having spoken against Walker's order), duck their own heads to dodge the shot. The cannonball collides with the bell, freeing the shocked but largely unscathed Daimyo.
Walker's soldiers are routed and he himself runs away. He obtains the scepter and a cage containing pet birds from his room, then climbs over the roof of the palace to a high point overlooking the ocean. He is there cornered by the Turtles. To distract them while escaping himself, Walker throws the scepter overhead and begins climbing down a scaffold. The Turtles form a chain with their bodies, holding onto a wall or fence at one end and catching the scepter at the other. Walker, realizing that he has forgotten his birds again, returns to retrieve them, whereupon Whit, realizing that his name is "lower than scum" in the eyes of the desirable April, uses a catapult to kill Walker by knocking him to his death in the ocean.
The Turtles then debate whether or not to go home, wishing to remain on grounds that they are appreciated and respected in feudal Japan, unlike 20th-century New York City where they must hide underground to avoid being targets of human
xenophobiaXenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
. Mitsu urges them to go, so that she may have Kenshin return to her, and makes a parting well-wish to Michelangelo, of whose soft spot for her she is aware and by which she is flattered. The scepter then activates, making their decision urgent. In New York City of the late twentieth century, Kenshin has activated it in his impatience to go home. Splinter counsels him not to abandon the Honor Guards, on the grounds that such an act would be cowardly. Casey gathers the Honor Guards, who have become infatuated with the trappings of their host society, and organizes their return to feudal Japan.
The Turtles ultimately decide to go home, based on the argument that their presence interferes negatively with the lives of the people of feudal Japan. Raphael bids Yoshi an affectionate farewell. As a result of his procrastination, Michelangelo fails to join April and his brothers. When they have returned to their native time, the Honor Guard who had replaced Michelangelo runs away, carrying the scepter. As he exits the Turtles' den, the scepter activates, exchanging him for Michelangelo. Simultaneously, its powers of time travel (symbolized by the rotating device at its head) are destroyed. In Japan, Norinaga is taken prisoner and brought before Mitsu and Kenshin. He is surprised to see them both together, and more surprised to see his Honor Guard walk through the corridor, half naked and talking incoherently about anachronisms. When he has gone, having spoken no word but clearly shown his submission, Kenshin seizes Mitsu in imitation of a poster he had seen in the Turtles' home and kisses her on the lips. Norinaga, presumably is reconciled with his son.
Michelangelo, perhaps thinking on the preceding scene, is depressed until Splinter puts the afore-mentioned lampshade on his (Splinter's) head as a joke about Elvis in Hawaii, whereupon both laugh. The film ends with another dance sequence by the Turtles.
Live actors
- Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
as Casey Jones / Whit
- Paige Turco
Jean Paige Turco is an American actress. She is known for playing April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.-Early life:...
as April O'Neil
- Stuart Wilson as Walker
- John Aylward
John Aylward is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the former DNC chairman Barry Goodwin on the NBC television series The West Wing and for playing Dr. Donald Anspaugh on the NBC television series ER. He also supplied his voice for Dr. Arne Magnusson in Half-Life 2: Episode...
as Niles
- Sab Shimono
Sab Shimono is an American actor who has appeared in dozens of movies and television shows in character roles.-Career:An accomplished stage actor, he has appeared on Broadway and in regional theaters including San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre and Berkeley Repertory Theatre...
as Lord Norinaga
- Vivian Wu
Vivian Wu , is a Chinese actress, known for her roles in The Last Emperor , Heaven & Earth , The Joy Luck Club , and The Pillow Book and as the historical figure of Soong May-ling, commonly referred to as Madam Chiang Kai-shek, in two major Chinese motion pictures The Soong Sisters and The...
as Mitsu
- Henry Hayashi as Kenshin
- Mark Caso as Leonardo
- Matt Hill
Matthew "Matt" Hill is a Canadian voice actor. He is known for several roles, including Kevin Keene/Captain N in Captain N: The Game Master, Kira Yamato in Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, Ed in Ed, Edd n Eddy, Raphael in Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Ryo Sanada in Ronin Warriors and Artha...
as Raphael
- Jim Raposa
Jim Raposa is a Stuntman, Actor and Dancer. He is most notable for playing Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.Raposa also played dance roles in films and television such as The News Boys, For the Boys, She's Out of Control and an episode of Fame....
as Donatello
- David Fraser as Michaelangelo
- James Murray as Splinter
- Travis A. Moon as Yoshi
Voice cast
- Robbie Rist
Robert Anthony Rist is an American actor and musician.-Acting and voiceover work:As a child, Rist played Cousin Oliver in the final six episodes of The Brady Bunch. With the regular children all getting older, his inclusion was intended to reintroduce cute younger children to the series...
as Michaelangelo
- Brian Tochi
Brian Keith Tochihara , better known as Brian Tochi, is a U.S. actor, screen-writer, movie director and producer. He was widely recognized as the most popular East Asian child actor working in U.S. television during the late 1960s through much of the 1970s having appeared in various T.V. series and...
as Leonardo
- Tim Kelleher
Tim Kelleher is an American writer, actor and director.Born in The Bronx, Tim grew up across the five boroughs of New York City, and played football with an elite corps of young men at perennial powerhouse Msgr. Farrell on Staten Island...
as Raphael
- Corey Feldman
Corey Scott Feldman is an American film and television actor. He became known during the 1980s, with roles in the Hollywood films Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Gremlins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
as Donatello
- James Murray as Splinter
Rist and Tochi (who did the voices of Michaelangelo and Leonardo, respectively) are the only two voice actors to voice the same character throughout all three live-action
TMNT movies. However, Feldman voiced Donatello in both this sequel and the first movie.
Reception
Reviews for the film have been mostly negative by both fans and critics. Common criticism include the cartoon-like feel of the film, the unrealistic plot, the lack of combat, the poor writing, low quality of the Turtles' costumes, Splinter's puppetry, and the absence of any established TMNT villains, like the Shredder or
KrangKrang is a fictional supervillain who appears in the Sonic The Hedgehog TV shows and most frequently in the 1987 STH cartoon and its associated media, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic book and most of the classic TMNT video games....
.
James BerardinelliJames Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
gave it one out of four stars, citing that "any adults accompanying their kids will have to invent new and interesting ways to stay awake. Not only is this movie aimed at young children, the script could have been written by them."
TV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
gave it two out of four stars and said in their review, "If the time-travel gimmick has to be employed twice in a row then it's probably best to banish these characters to a retirement sewer." Based on a sample of 21 reviews, the film holds a 29% "rotten" rating on
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with the consensus "It's a case of one sequel too many for the heroes in a half shell, with a tired time-travel plot gimmick failing to save the franchise from rapidly diminishing returns." It was poorly received by the LA Times as well.
Alternate versions
As with the both previous films, the British PG version was censored due usage of forbidden weapons (Michelangelo's nunchuku). For these scenes, alternate material was used. The cuts were waived for the DVD release.
The German theatrical and video version was based on the censored UK cut; the DVD is uncut.
Home media releases
The film was released to
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Region 1 on September 3, 2002; it contained only minor special features and interactive menus.
On August 4, 2009, the film was included in a special 25th-anniversary boxset, released to both DVD and Blu-Ray formats. It also contained
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 American live-action film adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise directed by Steve Barron. The film was followed by three sequels: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993, and...
,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the OozeTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze is a 1991 American live-action film, It is the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, being the direct sequel to the 1990 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Secret of the Ooze was then followed by a third film in 1993, and a fourth...
, and 2007's animated release,
TMNT. In this release the film is given the subtitle
Turtles in Time, previously a common misnomer by fans confusing it with
the video-game by the same nameTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, released as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Turtles in Time in Europe, is an arcade video game produced by Konami. A sequel to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, it is a scrolling beat 'em up based mainly on the 1987 TMNT animated...
.
External links