Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990

Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune: The cynicism of the motion picture industry will be apparent to any child who is exposed to the many product plugs for a nationwide pizza delivery company. Read more

Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune: The results are lively and funny enough to keep adults enthralled as well as kids. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times: As a movie, Ninja Turtles would make a better cereal. It looks like it needs a little milk and mother-wit poured over it, something to make it snap, crackle and pop. Read more

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: What troubles me about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is that it's basically an exploitation movie aimed at young children. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Ninja Turtles is cluttered and flashy. In terms of plot, there's not much flesh on its bones. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: The results are high-spirited martial arts and comedy. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: A dismal, tedious affair. Read more

Henry Sheehan, Hollywood Reporter: The one subplot that could have been milked, about a young friend of O'Neil's who falls in with the gang, is handled indifferently and fails to supply much in the way of a youthful identification figure. Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: It is itself a mutant of sorts, a contentious, unsightly hybrid of martial-arts exploitation film and live-action cartoon. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: This movie is nowhere near as bad as it might have been, and probably is the best possible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie. Read more

Colette Maude, Time Out: Between the dubbed dialogue and the dark visuals, the cumulative effect is curiously dislocating. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: Scores with its generally engaging tongue-in-cheek humor. Read more

Richard Harrington, Washington Post: Truth be told, there's something amusingly surreal in watching these happy-go-lucky, man-sized terps engage in full-scale punch-and-kick-outs with the inevitable villains. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Parents can vaguely console themselves, however, that amid the kiddie pollution available on Saturday morning TV, the Turtles rank slightly better than the rest. Read more