Turtle Power! TMNT 25th Anniversay Collection 4-DVD Set Reviewed

I am officially declaring it the year of the turtle. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that is. In Celebration of their 25th anniversary, Warner Home Video has released the TMNT 25th anniversary collection, collecting all four feature films into one complete set. Can you say turtle power?

Originating in 1984 in the form of a comic book published by Mirage Studios, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles quickly became a pop culture phenomenon with the release of the first of four films, three of which were live action. Adding in a toy line and an animated series, you cannot deny the entertainment power that these turtles in a half shell have delivered over the years.

The first film, debuting in 1990, aptly titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, presented the origin story of the turtles along with their sensai Splinter. We were introduced to April O’ Neal, Casey, the evil Shredder and his Foot Clan. The film, with it’s dark and gritty nature, did a good job of following pretty closely to the storyline presented in the Mirage comic.

The second film in the franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze, premiered a year after the release of the first film. TMNT II followed the adventures of the four turtles roughly where they left off in the first film. Shredder was the main antagonist, this time bringing in additional muscle in the form of Tokka and Rahzar.

The third film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, take the turtles on a time traveling adventure to ancient Japan. Here they must rescue April O’ Neal and get back to present day New York before they are trapped in the past forever. In case your wondering this was my favorite of all the films.

TMNT, premiering in 2007 in the form of a CGI animated film, was the fourth film in the popular franchise. This film shows our turtle brothers growing apart, no longer protecting the citizens of New York from the evils that haunt it. That is until an army of ancient creatures threaten to take over the world. The pizza loving turtles must unite and save the world from this menace.

The 25th Anniversary box set contains four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVDs, spanning the first three live action films from 1990 to 1993 and the recent animated film, which made its debut in 2007. The four DVDs are not delivered in the standard DVD packaging but instead you’ll receive these DVDs in a zippered pouch with metallic manhole covers on each side. Accompanying the DVDs are four TMNT masks, representing each turtle. You’ll also get some pretty cool looking temporary tattoos.

The bonus features on the first three films are pretty bare and consist of a few games and some trailers. The fourth DVD features commentary, interviews, storyboards and deleted scenes.

Nearly Twenty years after watching the first film I can honestly say that I experienced the same amount of joy from watching each of these films as I did way back then. If your a fan, or not, this 25th anniversary collection is well worth picking up.

TMNT 25th Anniversary Collection is a available on Blu-ray and DVD with a release date of August 11th, 2009.

Check out the official site.

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Here’s a clip from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.