Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
It's not that I have no love for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I didn’t grow up with them. My knowledge of the characters comes from the seasons I watched as an adult on DVD or through pop-culture osmosis. I saw the first film. It wasn't my thing but I understand why children enjoyed it. I came into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze with low expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s not a great picture. Even for Turtles fans, some of it will disappoint, but I enjoyed it more than I didn’t.
Following the defeat of their enemy the Shredder (François Chau), Leonardo (voiced by Brian Tochi), Donatello (Adam Carl), Michaelangelo (Robbie Rist), and Raphael (Laurie Faso), along with their master Splinter (Kevin Clash), are living in reporter April O’Neil’s apartment. When April (Page Turco) interviews Professor Jordan Perry (David Warner) of Techno Global Research Industries, she discovers samples of the chemical compound that created the turtles. When the Shredder returns and steals the last remaining canister of "Ooze", he uses it to create new, powerful minions to help him destroy the Turtles.
This will seem odd, but one of the things I like about this film is how annoying and juvenile the Turtles are. This film gets it. Teenagers are more than pizza gorgers. They’re annoying, they think they’re so funny and can’t imagine that what they're now discovering is old news to every single adult. As a kid, you look up to them. As a grown-up, you’re slightly embarrassed at their juvenile antics. You smile, reminiscing how dopey you must’ve sounded at that age. I don’t know if the intention of The Secret of the Ooze”was to create a story that would morph as the audience grew up, but it’s amusing to me, that had I seen this picture when I was 8 years old I’d feel so differently about it than I do now.
The Turtles ally themselves with a karate-savvy pizza delivery boy named Keno (Ernie Reyes, Jr.) He’s fun. The man’s charismatic, pretty good at performing considering he’s opposite a bunch of guys in suits and I love the idea of a pizza delivery guy befriending the Mutants. Speaking of suits, the special effects are well done. The costumes allow the stuntmen to perform their comedic routines as well as deliver convincing (well, convincing enough) punches and kicks to their opponents without making the picture too violent. The mutants Shredder adds to his arsenal have memorable designs, and there are some decent laughs too.
I don't know how TMNT die-hards will react to this picture. For one thing, it’s less adult, with no cursing and significantly less use of the Turtles’ signature weapons. I suspect people who want their childhood heroes to be taken as more than silly cartoons characters will be disappointed at the light, often goofy tone. The picture drops fan-favorite Casey Jones entirely and instead of having obvious additions to the picture, like Bebop and Rocksteady, the heroes fight brand new mutants. These choices are sure to let them down.
As someone who isn’t indoctrinated in the TMNT fandom, I say this is a decent sequel - I might even like it more than the first. If you grew up with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze you'll find that it mostly retains its entertainment value. (On DVD, July 17, 2016)