22. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy (1990-1992)

Cowabunga! It's a turtle triple feature as Lyndsey gets radical with her VHS selections, picking the 1990 smash hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequels, 1991's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and 1992's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. Talking points: A triple feature. The comics, cartoon, and movies. The original film. Pizza party at Pizza Hut. Cartoons on VHS. The Foot as an allegory. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Corey Feldman as Donatello, and Josh Pais as Raphael. Rapid turnover in cast. A gritty first installment that feels like a reboot. Casey Jones. A violent and fully realized world. Secret of the Ooze. The BK Kids Club. Suburban Commando. Stepkids. Ernie Reyes Jr. These turtles look different. Paige Turco replaces Judith Hoag as April O’Neil. Out of the shell and on Oprah Winfrey. What does Splinter eat? Tokka and Rahzar fill in for Bebop and Rocksteady. Everything is toned down. Go Ninja by Vanilla Ice. Missed opportunity with the anti-mutagen. The third film. Army of Darkness. The soundtrack. A Hanes commercial. Surf Ninjas. All Effects Company takes over from Jim Henson, turning Splinter into a dog puppet. Oregon fills in for feudal Japan. Time travel. Romeo and Juliet subplot. Jokes for adults. A demon gives CPR. No pizza or consequences. Human-turtle relationships. Lame villains. A double role for Elias Koteas. Favorite turtles over the years. Buy it/rent it/tape over it for the series. Other adaptations of TMNT. Turtle nostrils. An American Werewolf in London.