DVD Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown

DVD Reviews, Reviews

The revival of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turned out to be a hit for Nickelodeon. Nearly a quarter of a century after the four reptiles captured the attention of kids, the quartet had bonded with a new generation. There’s still a fascination the pizza eating superheros that have mad martial arts skills. Even older fans eating deep dish pies secretly wish they could properly fling throwing stars. The new CGI adaptation of the series beefs up the action to maintain old fans while attracting new ones. They also hired prime voice talent including Jason Biggs (Leonardo), Rob Paulsen (Donatello), Sean Astin (Raphael), Greg Cipes (Michelangelo), Roseanne Barr (Kraang Prime), Kelly Hu (Karai) and Corey Feldman (Slash). Thus this show becomes a treat for the ears and eyes. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown contains the final 13 episodes of the first season.

“I, Monster” transforms Dr. Victor Falco into Rat King. He’s out to get Splinter. “The Alien Agenda” makes the turtles nervous about trusting Karai. This doesn’t work out right for them since she gets a lead on the Kraang. But they don’t want to believe her. “The Pulverizer” marks the arrival of Shellraiser. It’s Leatherhead’s old subway car as pimped out by Donatello. They end up meeting a superfan who has decided to become a superhero too. He calls himself Pulverizer. He seems to think the suit will do all the heavy work when it comes to crime fighting. “TCRI” sends the turtles deep into the evil corporate headquarters. This allows them to uncover the Kraang’s major plan. “Cockroach Terminator” allows the Turtles to make a spy cockroach. They send it into TCRI, but the little bug gets mutated into their next enemy.

“Baxter’s Gambit” risks an ultimate revenge plot. The Turtles, Kraang and Foot Clan are in a threeway battle. Baxter offers a solution for how the Turtles can get the upperhand. What they don’t realize until it’s too late is that Baxter is not their friend. It’s a trap. “Enemy of My Enemy” makes the turtles rethink their treatment of Karai. Turns out the Kraang are making a major move. “Karai’s Vendetta” illustrates why the turtles need to be wary of Karai. The superfan comes back with “The Pulverizer Returns!” But can even he be trusted as the Turtles enemies surround them? “Parasitica”
is a warning why you shouldn’t take mutant wasp eggs back to your secret headquarters. “Operation: Break Out” involves a raid on TCRI in order to free April’s dad. “Showdown” is a double length episode that features a massive throwndown between the turtles and Kraang. One of the characters gets to learn their true identity. It’s a big finale for all involved. Although this is not the end as the second season starts soon on Nickelodeon.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown is a fine edition to their television legacy. The CGI makes the slow moving reptiles a quartet of slick martial arts heroes. The Kraang are a worthy enemy of the Turtles. The show isn’t too scary for smaller kids who are eager to enjoy the action and pick up pizza eating tips.

The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfers reveal all the detail in the CGI animation. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. You hear the sweeping of their blades across the screen. The episodes are Closed Captioned.

Comic Book promotes the upcoming Lego version of the Turtles.

Animated Comic Books are provided for issues 3 – 6 of “Tales from the Turtle Lair.”

The Mutation of a Scene breaks down how CGI animation is created. This stuff doesn’t magically appear on the screen. The segments include The Pulverizer (11:14), TCRI (15:02), Cockroach Terminator (10:40) and Baxter’s Gambit (13:40).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown wraps up the first season of the revived heroes on a half shell. The show mixes just the right amount of action and mutant adventures for old and new fans.

Nickelodeon and Paramount present Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown. Starring: Jason Biggs, Sean Astin,Roseanne Barr, Kelly Hu and Corey Feldman. Boxset Contents: 13 episodes on 2 DVDs. Released: October 1, 2013.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.