This live-action feature film adaptation of the cult comic book and the popular animated TV was a sleeper back in 1990, when New Line Cinema released it.
Since the Turtles have been designed by Jim Henson, they easily fit into the live-action milieu
After exposure to radiation, four teenage turtles–Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello–have mutated into ninjas and have begun living in the sewers of a large city.
Under the guidance of a ninja master Splinter the Rat and TV reporter April, the Turtles embark on a mission to get crime out of the city and battle the warlord Shredder.
The success of this picture, which has developed a cult following, led to several sequels and pale imitations.
Credits
MPAA: PG
Running time: 93 minutes.
Directed By: Steve Barron
Released: March 30, 1990
DVD: Dec 16, 1997
New Line Cinema