Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 20, 1993 TAG: 9303200231
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: C12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
`NINJA TURTLES' SCORE AGAIN
The opinions of reviewers couldn't possibly mean less to a film like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III." Parents want to know if it entertains the target audience, and the answer is yes.Friday afternoon, the film attracted a fair-sized crowd, most ages 4 to 10. They stayed in their seats, did not talk and seemed to gasp and laugh in all the right places. From the way they bounced up the aisle when the lights came up, they had thoroughly enjoyed their time with their amphibian heroes.
And their parents hadn't been completely bored, either. The "Turtle" films are told with a visual sophistication unusual for children's movies and humor that grown-ups can appreciate.
For the uninitiated, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michaelangelo (portrayed under heavy costumes by several actors and puppeteers) are intelligent, semi-mature, human-sized turtles who live in a New York sewer. Their teacher Splinter, a big rat, has taught them fighting skills and the wisdom of the Orient. They have two human friends, April O'Neil (Page Turco) and Casey Jones (Elias Koteas).
This adventure begins when April picks up a magic scepter at a flea market. She inadvertently uses it to whisk herself and our four hardback hearties back to medieval Japan, where they find themselves in the middle of a civil war. Further complicating the situation is Walker (Stuart Wilson), a greedy English pirate who's trying to sell guns to Lord Norinaga (Sab Shimono).
The rest of the story is a slapdash collection of time travel and martial arts cliches. It makes just enough sense to keep the youngsters occupied, and that's the point. Besides, most of them probably haven't seen these chestnuts a hundred times before.
Director Stuart Gillard ("Paradise," "A Man Called Sarge") keeps the action moving quickly, and if the big melodramatic scenes are overplayed, the kids didn't mind. Some of their parents may find the martial arts violence too extreme. But even though there are several long fight scenes, they're no more (or less) explicit than they were in the original. So when one of the Turtles delivers a little anti-violence sermon to a child, it comes across as preachy and self-serving.
Also, this film contains a clear and unmistakable anti-gun message. Some parents will applaud it; others will see it as inappropriate propaganda.
But, those criticisms and observations won't mean much to TMNT fans who are probably already looking forward to "IV."
\ Viewer's Guide: **1/2 A New Line Cinema release showing at Salem Valley 8 and Valley View Mall 6. Rated PG for some violence. 90 minutes