Why The Critics Were Wrong About TMNT 1990? (And What Does Superman 1978 Have In Common With TMNT 1990)

 

In March 30th, 1990, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles leaped way onto the big screen.  With the popularity of the comics, cartoon, and toys at hand, expectations from the fans were very high and it exceeded them, grossing $135 million. Despite it's financial success and high praise from fans of the franchise and fans of 80's/90's cinema, most critics gave the film generally negative reviews. They wrote it off as this juvenile, overly dark and violent movie for kids, and felt that The Turtles were unappealing. Watching Siskel and Ebert's reaction to the film, they were even dumbfounded that the movie did so well.

I think the critics really misunderstood the film. Not only did they ignored the film's qualities, but the film itself has a lot in common with Richard Donner's cinematic interpretation of Superman from 1978, which was ironically praised by critics 12 years earlier. Let's address the qualities of both movies one by one and analyze what both movies have in common.

Groundbreaking Aesthetics

The first thing about the 2 movies that comes to mind is the groundbreaking aesthetics and special effects. Obviously, both movies have different technological advancements in making Superman fly and the Ninja Turtles come to life, but what they both have in common is that the effects share some believability.

 

Let's begin with the effects of Superman and how they convinced audiences to believe that a man can fly. Hollywood has made adaptations of comic books before in the forms of film serials or TV shows. But a big budget Superman movie was a huge risk back in the late 70's, and they needed a lot of money and new technology for the effects to pay off. 

The film employs both old and new techniques. The effects include miniatures, matte paintings, and optical effects. But the most groundbreaking effect comes from an upgraded front projection process called the Zoptic process, which was invented by effects wizard Zoran Perisic. As explained in the above making of documentary, Zoran achieved this effects by synchronizing zoon lenses in both the projector and the camera to creative the illusion of Superman flying towards the camera. The best special effect however, is Christopher Reeve himself. Whenever he's on wires, or shot against blue or front projection screens, he shows some commitment, believability, and joy when the Man of Steel takes flight. The iconic final shot when Reeve smiles at the camera when flying in space really shows how much fun he has with the role. 

12 years after Richard Donner made the audience believe that Superman can fly, director Steve Barron and Jim Henson's Creature Shop wanted to achieve similar goals of having the audience accept that crime fighting turtles can exist in New York City. The result was to create animatronics that are so realistic and believable, you totally forget that these are actors in suits. The turtle costumes don't look like plastic or foam latex at all. They look like flesh and blood. And even the facial animation look more expressive and more mechanical. Pardon me if I sound a bit conservative, but this is the kind of approach that the newer live action films should be using, because CGI often dates more than miniatures and optical effects. With the 1990 film, they didn't need computer animation, both because the technology was in its infancy at the time, and also because they knew that the animatronics wouldn't date the movie. It actually makes the movie timeless and more realistic in its visuals. 

On a sad note, it would be the last project Jim Henson has worked on, as he sadly passed away 2 months after the film's release. 

How Did Directors Richard Donner and Steve Barron Bring Realism To Both Movies?

When Richard Donner was approached to direct Superman, one of his key goals was to bring some verisimilitude to the material. Rather than playing it safe, he gives the audience impression that although this is a fictional universe, it really needed to be a believable world. Steve Barron, who actually was a crew member on Superman, clearly wanted to share the same goal Donner did, but both directors achieve it in radically different ways.

To start off with Superman, Donner focuses on Superman's journey as a hero in 3 distinct styles. The first act focuses on Krypton and it's eventual destruction, as baby Kal-El travels to Earth in the early 1950's. The second act establishes Clark Kent's realization that he's from the planet Krypton and it was his duty to save mankind. And the third act has Superman fully realizing his potential as a hero. The 3 acts are basically 3 different movies in one. First, it begins as a science fiction film, then it continues as a 50's teen film with its warm and inviting atmosphere, then it ends as a serious, yet adventurous, human interest story about what it takes to be a hero, with some occasional moments of comedy. Donner takes Joseph Campbell's analysis of The Hero's Journey and wraps it up with a balanced tone, so it has all of the ingredients audiences would want from a Superman film.

Another contributing factor about the movie's success is Christopher Reeve's great performance as both Superman and Clark Kent. It's well known that there was a talent search, with A-list stars and athletes being considered for the role of Superman. But when Donner set his sights on Christopher Reeve, who was a Broadway actor, he knew he found his Superman and he was. Reeve really makes you believe that he's the character, and takes him very seriously. If Reeve wasn't cast, then the movie would have fallen apart.

Superman laid the groundwork for comic book movies over the past 40 years, but there are moments where they lost their staying power, because by the mid to late 80's, many comic book movies have either flopped or fell below expectations, especially the notorious Superman IV back in 1987. So making a live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was a huge risk, as their main goal was to focus on the Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comics rather than the cartoon (though some elements of the cartoon were kept, such as the colored bandanas). But if you add the surprising success of Tim Burton's Batman in 1989 and the popularity of the cartoon, expectations from the fans were obviously high and the move exceeded them in a similar way that Superman did 12 years earlier.

The main difference is that Superman's qualities were well addressed on the spot by the critics back in 1978, they completely ignored what TMNT had to offer, and wrote it off with surface level critiques of it's violence. What the critics really didn't understand is that underneath the so-called "mindless" fight sequences, this is really a moral film about family. The film establishes the relationship between the Turtles and their mentor, Splinter as a strong family unit, especially the bonding moments between Splinter and Raphael, the angriest of the Turtles. Once Splinter is kidnapped by The Foot Clan, headed by a criminal mastermind called The Shredder, they are totally heartbroken and are desperate to find him. And when Splinter makes spiritual contact to the leader of the Turtles, Leonardo, they band together at a campfire to speak with him spiritually. 

Meanwhile, The Shredder has been exploiting teenagers by brainwashing them into thinking that the outside world rejects them, so they can join The Foot Clan and do crimes for him, such as robbing and stealing. One of the kids is the son of the news station April O'Neil, a friend of the Turtles, works for, and he joins The Foot because he thinks he father never cared for him. But when he bonds with Splinter, especially when Splinter explains his backstory, the kid learns the errors of of his ways and agrees to help Splinter and convince the other kids that The Shredder lied to them. To add further of The Shredder's exploitative goals, they actually remind me of when Pinocchio was tricked into going to Pleasure Island, because his lair also has an amusement center that has arcade machines, a skateboarding ramp, and a pool hall. So the film really has a serious core that was sorely lacking in the sequels, which were made both with desperate attempts to pander to kids and to capitalize on the franchise. There's real heart to both movies, making what you see on screen look and feel believable as possible.

Conclusion

Overall, both movies were made with similar goals from directors Richard Donner and Steve Barron. It's been over 30 years since the release of TMNT, and I'm happy that's it's being vindicated. It met the expectations of the fans and it made money, but the film's qualities have been tarnished by surface level critiques regarding its violence and tone, and is easily dismissed. Superman The Movie is a great superhero movie, TMNT 1990 is an underrated movie.