Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy 4K UHD Review & Comparison

Arrow Video

4K UHD Release: December 16, 2025

Video: 1.85:1/2160p (HDR10/Dolby Vision)/Color (all three films)

Audio: English Dolby Atmos; LPCM 2.0 stereo theatrical and Korean mixes (TMNT only); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 stereo (TMNT II & TMNT III)

Subtitles: English SDH

Run Time: 93:26 (TMNT), 91:15 (TMNT UK cut), 88:23 (TMNT II), 95:33 (TMNT III)

Director: Steve Barron (TMNT), Michael Pressman (TMNT II), Stuart Gillard (TMNT III)

Disc 1: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Intrepid New York City reporter April O’Neil’s (Judith Hoag) life is in danger after she uncovers connections between a petty theft crime spree and an ancient Japanese ninja sect called The Foot. Fortunately, she has secret protectors in the form of sewer dwelling mutant teenagers with ninja skills of their own.

In the history of unlikely pop culture phenomena, few things were less likely than Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Made as a joke, the indie comic became a surprise hit, leading quickly to a cartoon and toyline worth millions of dollars. That in itself isn’t entirely unique – a lot of silly ideas became multi-million dollar cartoon and toy properties in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. No, what was so unique about the Ninja Turtles is that they endured past their prime. The cartoon has been successfully rebooted several times, they never really stopped publishing the comic, and there have been four completely different major motion picture franchises starring the heroes in a half shell.

The craziest thing about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is the consistent quality of these reboots, many of which managed to appeal to new generations of children, as well as existing adult fans. The IDW comics and the 2012 CG animated series, for example, were both particularly good. None of this would have been possible, if not for the success of the original live-action theatrical adaptation. Shot in 1989, released in 1990, and directed by music video maven Steve Barron (the guy behind Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” Dire Strait’s “Money for Nothing,” and A-ha’s “Take on Me”), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a major gamble that paid off and briefly became the most profitable independent film of all time (a record that was surpassed later the same year by Dances with Wolves).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles probably wouldn’t have worked under major studio supervision in 1989. Studio heads would’ve second and third-guessed what they had, commissioned half a dozen different spec scripts, and sanitized the weirdness of the concept in committee. To top it off, there wasn’t really a model in place for how to do a comic book adaptation on modest funds. The closest comparison would’ve been Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), from which Barron and company learned that the key to depicting comic characters in live action was to acknowledge their absurdity without denying them sincerity.

Yes, these are wisecracking teenagers, yes they’re giant turtles, and yes, they were raised by a giant rat, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be interesting characters living in an interesting world. It doesn’t mean there can’t be consequences to their actions and it doesn’t mean the filmmakers should ignore connections to actual, real world societal problems. Unburdened from the studio system, the filmmakers were able to introduce nuance without worrying about the ridiculousness of the initial premise.

Bobby Herbeck & Todd W. Langen’s screenplay is surprisingly loyal to Eastman & Laird’s comics, though it took into account some of the kid-friendly aspects invented by the cartoon, such as each turtle’s theme color (they originally all wore red bandanas), playful personalities, and love of pizza. The most important and lasting change Herbeck and Langen made was turning the Foot Clan from an underground society of mystic ninjas (as in the comics) or team of hapless robots (as in the cartoon) into an organized gang of disaffected youth. Shredder becomes a “Fagin figure” (Barron’s words), taking advantage of angst-ridden, forgotten children, offering them all the vices their parents and authority figures deny them, and giving them a sense of meaning and community. Over the years, youth gangs became a vital part of the franchise, often in connection to the Foot.

In a key scene, we are introduced to the inner workings of the Foot and witness the way Shredder brainwashes his young soldiers with promise of vice and purpose is the moment the film really bucks the burden of its Saturday morning, sugar cereal promise. Sure, earlier sequences have the visual grit and emotional weight of ‘adult’ filmmaking, but witnessing an initiation, seeing the Shredder give these kids what their parents haven’t or couldn't, is a mature shift in the story that doesn’t discount or negate the endlessly quotable quips and rubbery martial arts mayhem. 

Of course, you can’t talk about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles without praising The Jim Henson Shop’s groundbreaking creature effects or noting that the film helped save distributor New Line Cinema (we might not have Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies without it), and it’s always fun to remember that future award-winning actors Elias Koteas and Sam Rockwell make important appearances (as vigilante Casey Jones and Head Thug, respectively), but, as a Hong Kong action fan, I’m always most excited to tell people that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was co-produced by Hong Kong powerhouse Golden Harvest at the height of their power. It’s a very fun factoid, despite none of the studio’s headlining choreographers or performers being involved.

Video

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a huge hit on VHS, both rentals and sales (it was available for $24.99, when tapes were still generally priced much higher for rental stores), was released on a flipper disc DVD in 2006, Blu-ray in 2012, and was coupled with its two sequels (and sometimes the 2007 animated film TMNT) on multiple series collections from New Line/Warner Bros. The original Blu-rays weren’t bad, but there was plenty of room for improvement, which brings us to Arrow Video’s new 4K UHD. Arrow’s 1.85:1, 2160p transfer was restored in 4K from a scan of the original 35mm negatives and features a Dolby Vision HDR upgrade.

As per usual, I’m unable to get 4K screencaps to use with this review, but Arrow did supply me with Blu-ray copies as well and the upgrade is significant enough that you can see the difference on the page in only 1080p. With that in mind, I’ve included a collection of sliders with caps from Arrow’s remastered BD (available separately) on the left and from New Line’s original BD on the right. The problem with shrinking the images down is that it looks like the Arrow transfer is a little soft and fuzzy, so let me assure everyone that the New Line transfer was over-sharpened, leading to thin haloes and jagged edges. Obviously, the softer, often smokey look was what Barron and cinematographer John Fenner intended.

The color-timing is pretty similar between the discs with Arrow’s transfer skewing warmer (note the skin tones, Shredder’s armor, and Donatello’s mask). The bigger improvement is found in the dynamic ranges. Previously muddied shadows are much cleaner, all without sacrificing the gritty and dark overall look. The improvements in detail and range are boosted on the 4K disc, thanks to the extra resolution and Dolby Vision enhancements. Grain is persistent without becoming overwhelming, other textures are tight without oversharpening problems, and there aren’t any compression or print damage artifacts worth complaining about. 

Being a British studio and catering to British customers, Arrow has included the alternate UK cut of the film. For nostalgia’s sake, I suppose, because it’s essentially a censored version of the film.

Audio

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is presented with original stereo 2.0 and new Dolby Atmos audio options. The film was made on the verge of mainstream digital 5.1 mixes, so previous DVD/BD 5.1 mixes sounded pretty natural, as does the upgraded Atmos track. I’d still recommend the uncompressed LPCM 2.0 track over the remix, but Atmos does offer richer music and a few broader directional effects. John Du Prez’ score is a perfect encapsulation of medium-budget movie music in the year 1990. The main theme isn’t the contagious earworm that the original cartoon theme was, but it’s enough to get all the Gen Xers and elder Millennials boogying. And who can forget mood-setting pop-rap classics, like Hi Tek 3 (featuring Ya Kid K)’s “Spin That Wheel,” M.C. Hammer’s "This Is What We Do,” and Partners in Kryme’s “Turtle Power.”

This release also includes an alternate South Korean mix in English. In accordance with South Korean law, references to Japan were censored and changed to Korean references. The word “ninja” was also changed to “hero.”

Extras

• Commentary with director Steve Barron (2025) – In this new Arrow-exclusive track the director discusses his career, making the film, building the script and imagery around the original comic, adapting the franchise, casting, the Domino’s Pizza tie-in, locations, special effects, action choreography and stunts, and the film’s version of the Foot referencing things like Peter Pan, Pinocchio, and Oliver Twist.

• Commentary with Dave Baxter – A second Arrow-exclusive track with the podcaster, comic fan, and, according to his Instagram, ‘wine prothelytizer,’ who explores the ongoing history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise, from comics to cartoons, toys, and movies, focusing mostly on Eastman & Laird’s original collaborations, the ‘80s animated series, the 1990 film, and different versions of the characters over the decades. 

• Rising When We Fall (14:44, HD) – This interview with Barron is sort of a Cliff’s Notes version of his commentary track, plus a little extra information on the director’s early life and wider career.

• Turtle Talk (18:50, HD) – Actors Robbie Rist (Michelangelo’s voice in films 1, 2, and 3), Brian Tochi (Leonardo’s voice in films 1, 2, and 3), Ernie Reyes Jr. (Donatello stunt performer in films 1 and Kena in 2), and Kenn Scott (Raphael stunt performer in films 1 and 2) talk about their careers and experiences making the three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies.

• O'Neil on the Beat (19:54, HD) – Actress Judith Hoag looks back on her role as April O’Neil, being cast (she shared an agent with Sam Rockwell), the overlapping productions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Roger Donaldson’s Cadillac Man (1990), bonding with Robin Williams (who was very supportive of TMNT, despite her rushing off the Cadillac Man set to make it), shooting on location, technical challenges, and working with the rest of the cast & crew. 

• Wet Behind the Shells (11:01, HD) – Producer Simon Fields recalls his introduction to the industry, making music videos and commercials, future Oscar-nominated director Anthony Minghella being the one that brought the property to Golden Harvest (?!?), hooking up with Jim Henson’s people and New Line Cinema, shooting locations, and extra funding through pizza tie-ins.

• Beneath the Shell (16:07, HD) – Puppet coordinator/second unit director Brian Henson and Splinter/Leonardo puppeteer Rob Tygner discuss their careers working with Jim Henson, the creature shop, and the technology behind the turtle/rat suits and facial animations. 

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turf (12:58, HD) – A location tour of New York City and North Carolina hosted by critic and author Michael Gingold.

• Alternate ending from VHS workprint (2:10, HD) – In this extended finale, April and Danny try to sell the concept of a Ninja Turtle comic to an executive. It includes the original suit performers’ voices.

• A montage of alternate South Korean footage (1:01, HD)

• US Trailer and UK teaser, trailer, and re-release trailers

• Image gallery 

Disc 2 and 3: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) 4K UHD

Technically, this is a three-disc collection that includes the two sequels, both remastered with their own new collection of extras. Hopefully, you’ll forgive me for not devoting as much page space to the two direct follow-ups to the 1990 film.

The first sequel, directed by Michael Pressman, did exactly what the first film didn’t do and tried to tailor itself to the largest possible audience. Parent groups complained about the first film’s violence, so the edges were sanded off the action. Other parents claimed that their children found Splinter too scary, so his design was made cuter. Kids wanted Rocksteady and Bebop, but Eastman and Laird didn’t, so they split the difference with new characters Tokka and Rahzar. Most notoriously, producers jumped on the already sputtering Vanilla Ice bandwagon, devoting the bulk of the climax to an impromptu concert sequence with the rapper.

That said, Secret of the Ooze does boast twice the first film’s budget and a lot of the creative staff returned, so it isn’t a disaster. The effects are still fun, the fight scenes are still well choreographed, and David Warner is on hand to lend the whole thing credibility. He deserves a place on the Mount Rushmore of classy actors bringing their best to silly kid’s property adaptations, alongside Frank Langella (Skeletor) and Raul Julia (M. Bison).

The third film, on the other hand, is universally remembered as a complete failure. It looks cheap, despite having a budget nearly twice that of the original film. The turtle suits are slick and rubber (thank goodness they spend so much of the runtime in samurai costumes), and Splinter looks like a Chuck E. Cheese animatronic. The kid-friendly qualities have been pushed beyond the limit, becoming obnoxious and pairing very badly with the plot’s attempts at historical drama. The comedy is dire, the script lacks focus, and the characterizations are thin, even by ‘90s family movie standards. I suppose that Japan-set sequences (with Oregon doubling as Japan) look nice, at least.

Video/Audio

The sequels were mastered in 4K as well, but from interpositive, rather than negative 35mm sources. The second film maintains a lot of the original’s gritty New York aesthetic, just with a bit more cartoon lighting, making it the better of the two 1.85:1, 2160p transfers. The confluence of grainy, dark shadows and vivid neon & pastel colors is actually quite attractive, despite the minor, but consistent noise issues inherent in the interpositive format. The third film’s natural, outdoor photography also gets a nice boost from the Dolby Vision grade, though it’s definitely lacking the texture of the other two transfers.

Audio-wise, Arrow didn’t create Atmos tracks for the sequels, but have included both the original stereo tracks in uncompressed LPCM and the 5.1 DVD mixes in DTS-HD Master Audio.

Extras

Disc 2 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secret of the Ooze)

• Commentary with director Michael Pressman – This new director’s commentary is moderated by filmmaker Gillian Wallace Horvat, who acts as a sort of series historian while asking Pressman questions about the production. 

• John Du Prez to the Rescue (13:40, HD) – Composer John Du Prez looks back on his career as a musician, his early film compositions with Monty Python players, infusing his three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle scores with funk, the session players that played on the first film’s soundtrack, getting more time to plan and record for the sequels, the third film’s traditional Asian motifs, and Vanilla Ice being thrust upon him.

• Hard Cores (8:17, HD) – Mould shop supervisor at Jim Henson's Creature Shop Kenny Wilson talks about his duties on the three TMNT films.

• The Secret of the Edit (15:00, HD) – Secret of the Ooze co-editor Steve Mirkovich recalls working with John Carpenter, collaborating with lead editor John Wright, and cutting the sequel.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mania: Behind the Shells (28:36, SD) – An original 1991 EPK featurette on the making of the first film (I actually remember this being for sale/rent on VHS).

• Theatrical trailer

• Image gallery

Disc 3 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III)

• Commentary with director Stuart Gillard – In the final of the Arrow-exclusive commentaries, writer/director Gillard walks us through the making of the film, chatting about shooting on location in Oregon, going back to the comics for inspiration after deciding on the time travel plot, Eastman & Laird wanting a darker movie, technical challenges, and casting. 

• Rebel Rebel (14:17, HD) – Actress Vivian Wu discusses her career, including Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor (1987) and Mitsuo Yanagimachi’s Shadow of China (1990), her love of Golden Harvest’s movies, preparing to play a Japanese character (she’s Chinese), learning martial arts and horse riding, and working with actors in turtle suits.

• Daimyos & Demons (10:14, HD) – Veteran actor Sab Shimono wraps things up calling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III his “Toshiro Mifune movie,” and looks back on his early childhood in an internment camp, his acting career, playing the character of Lord Norinaga, getting to wear period costumes, and his own challenges riding horses and acting with guys in rubber suits.

• Alternate U.K. opening (2:03, HD, VHS quality)

• Theatrical trailer

• Image gallery

The images in the sliders are taken from Arrow’s 4K remastered BD – NOT the 4K UHD – and New Line’s BD and sized for the page. The other images are taken from Arrows 4K remastered sequel BDs and sized for the page. Note that there will be some JPG compression.