"BABIES! THEY'RE.... BABIES!!!!"
"....What did you expect, they come out quoting Macbeth?"
35 years ago, the quirky, crime-fighting quartet of turtles got a sequel in theatres. Granted, it pales in comparison to its predecessor - and this is mainly due to the fact that some parents had issues with the grittier tone and violent themes - but it's still a pretty fun entry in the NTCU (Ninja Turtle Cinematic Universe) – one that still charms me since getting it on DVD as a kid. You get some of the finest ingredients in this: references to things prevalent in the '90s decade (with most shoutouts definitely a shoe-in for the adults watching, like Ralph Nader? Oprah? Subterranean housing?); lighter, cheeseball humor from the Turtles (which works because they are teenagers, after all); oh, and lots of well-coordinated stunt work.
Beyond the turtles (and franchise mainstays including master Splinter and the persistent "big bad" Shredder), there are some lively characters: Keno (
Ernie Reyes Jr.), a young kid with top-notch martial arts skills; Professor Perry (
David Warner), a friendly scientist familiar with the Turtles' lore; and Tatsu (
Toshishiro Obata), Shredder's sidekick who only speaks in aggressive grunts. I also should note that April O'Neil's actress was switched (
Judith Hoag played her in movie 1 and was replaced by
Paige Turco for the sequel and follow-up/movie 3) but I really don't have much of an issue as April's presence isn't as strong here. However, there are two characters that I felt were a bit underutilized: Tokka and Razhar. A poor man's Bebop and Rocksteady? You decide, but I felt the Foot Clan was a more intimidating, consistent challenge for the Turtles than these two.
Best scene? Still the "Ninja Rap" sequence performed by
Vanilla Ice with dance choreo from the Fab Four - arguably his biggest hit
he didn't steal a bassline for. 'Nuff said.