Unspoken Issues #143 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III The Movie: The Turtles Are Back...In Time!

It’s time to dive into the "dark times" of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cinematic legacy in this hilariously honest episode of Unspoken Issues! Jesse Starcher and Chris Armstrong tackle the notorious TMNT III—the film that sent the turtles back in time…and possibly sent fans running in the opposite direction. Often mistaken for the beloved arcade game Turtles in Time, this 1993 misfire left many questioning whether the franchise had lost its shell. But does the comic book adaptation redeem the movie’s clunky animatronics, generic villains, and missing Foot Clan? The guys are here to find out.Jesse and Chris walk through the movie and the Archie comic adaptation scene by scene, pointing out everything from awkward time travel mechanics to Splinter’s budget Chuck E. Cheese vibes. They compare the story beats, missing wet willies (you read that right), and surprisingly bloodless action scenes, even digging into whether the adaptation makes the film slightly more digestible. There’s also room for some praise—namely for Corey Feldman’s return, some fun splash pages from Chris Allan, and the standout panel of Michelangelo rescuing Yoshi from a fire.To cap it all off, Jesse takes listeners on a laugh-filled tour through the TMNT III soundtrack—one of the most “minimal effort” soundtracks of the '90s, featuring recycled pop hits, questionable remixes, and a bizarre rap gem courtesy of Loose Bruce.