Credit: Paramount PicturesThe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first emerged from the New York City sewers way back in 1984, starting life as a comic book series, but quickly exploding into a pop culture phenomenon, with a hugely popular cartoon series of the same name, a live-action movie, and waves upon waves of toy lines that flooded kids’ bedrooms the world over.
And over the last 38 years, their popularity hasn’t really waned. There was a bit of a hiatus on the theatrical side of things during the early part of the millennium, but in total, we’ve had seven Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies to date.
Here are all the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies ranked from worst to best!
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) is an easy picking, not just because it’s a bad film, but also because of the jarring nosedive in quality the first two movies, at least not when it comes to the Turtles themselves. But the truth is that the cheapish-looking costumes of the third movie would have been gladly overlooked in exchange for a half-decent outing.
In hindsight, though, the costumes aren’t the worst thing about this movie — it’s everything around them that’s unforgivable. And seeing the Turtles go back in time and abandon their signature New York City playground goes down like a pizza that’s on the turn.
Related: Every Version of April O’Neil From ‘Ninja Turtles’ Ranked
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
There was a time when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) seemed like the best thing since sliced pizza, but just like pizza, as the decades pass, it becomes totally inedible. There’s a ton of fun to be had here, but with its predecessor just a year old when it his theaters, it’s painfully clear that this pie went in the microwave!
The fact it was churned out isn’t the only issue, though — following a backlash of complaints from parents about the levels of “violence” in the cartoon show, which was at the time still airing, the studio omitted all violence from the movie, and replaced the Turtles’ signature ninja weapons with hotdogs and other weird things. Go, ninja, go? More like no, ninja, no!
Related: ‘TMNT’ Sequel Kills Off Original Heroes, Officially Replaces Them With Female Turtles
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
It’s impossible to rank a franchise without at least one controversial entry. Enter the Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), the first reboot on the cinematic side of TMNT (there have been numerous small-screen iterations). Just like Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016), this reboot angered fans with its trailer alone.
At the time, many fans drew comparisons between the Turtles’ designs and Shrek, but now that we’ve gotten used to this look, it’s easier to appreciate the special effects and motion-capture performances on display. The plot might be a huge mess, but the Turtles are fine, while Megan Fox (April O’Neil) and Will Arnett (Vernon Fenwick) are a lot of fun to watch.
Related: Marvel and DC Actors Dominate Our New Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Cast
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) is the latest iteration of TMNT, and is currently taking theaters by storm. The CG-animated reboot from producer Seth Rogen and director Jeff Rowe finally focuses on the teenage aspect of the titular half-shell heroes, and, for the first time ever, they’re also played by actual teenagers.
The chemistry between Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), Brady Noon (Raphael) is palpable. The film is also great fun from start to finish: the soundtrack oozes ’80s-inspired synth that channels Stranger Things (2016), and there’s enough early ’90s hip-hop for the lifelong TMNT fans.
What lets the film down, though, is the “mutant mayhem.” There’s a ton of fun to be had watching Ice Cube’s Superfly tearing up the streets of New York City, or Paul Rudd’s Mondo Gecko totally “vibe-ing” with Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), but by the time we reach the third act, Mutant Mayhem becomes more of a “mutant mess.” Superfly (Ice Cube) turns into a Kaiju-inspired monster with a blue whale for a head and horses for legs, while iconic villains inexplicably befriend the Ninja Turtles.
The film also suffers from a major identity crisis: one minute, it’s surprisingly poignant, the next, Splinter (Jackie Chan) is making out with a cockroach who’s now the Turtles’ stepmom, or something. Mutant Mayhem is easily one of the stronger TMNT films, but at times it feels like an amalgamation of most entries that have come before it (the Turtles wanting to live among humans, super-villains wanting to harness their mutagen-blood). If it was live action, audiences and critics would probably be tearing it apart.
Related: ‘TMNT’ Prequel Follows ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot, Replaces Beloved Heroes With Female Turtles
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) is a very special movie, as it became the highest-grossing independent film of all time, a title it held proudly until The Blair Witch Project (1999) claimed it nine years later. The first theatrical outing for the half-shell heroes is the grittiest of all, but it’s not without plenty of cheese, either (two perfect ingredients for a Ninja Turtles movie).
It’s extremely nostalgic to watch Leonardo (Brian Tochi), Raphael (John Pais), Donatello (Corey Feldman), Michelangelo (Robbie Rist), Splinter (Kevin Clash), and April O’Neil (Judith Hoag) battle The Shredder (James Saito). And while the film hasn’t aged all that well, those excellent Jim Henson-made Turtles costumes still look pretty spectacular.
Related: All 12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Explained (Yes, 12!)
2. TMNT (2007)
When ranking movies that feature our favorite heroes, it’s easy to get caught up in which entry has the best interpretations of those characters. And we’d be lying if we said that this doesn’t factor in with ranking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. Is TMNT (2007) a drastically better movie than some below it? Not necessarily, but its Turtles are among the most authentic.
The cast includes Sarah Michelle Gellar (April O’Neil), Chris Evans (Casey Jones), James Arnold Taylor (Leonardo), Nolan North (Raphael), Mitchell Whitfield (Donatello), and Mikey Kelley (Michelangelo). Sadly, TMNT does suffer from an unforgivably dull plot, but what makes this movie interesting is that it’s actually canon with the first three.
Related: Will the Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot Be All-Female?!
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
You might think we’re being controversial, but let it be said that not one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies is perfect. On the other hand, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016), the sequel to the 2014 reboot, is a near-perfect big-screen adaptation of the popular 1987-born children’s cartoon (but with a ton of flaws, nonetheless).
This movie’s greatest strengths are the performances from Pete Ploszek (Leonardo), Alan Ritchson (Raphael), Noel Fisher (Michelangelo), and Jeremy Howard (Donatello). It also wisely retcons elements of its predecessor, while bringing franchise-favorites, Krang (Brad Garrett), Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams), and Rocksteady (Sheamus) into live-action for the first time.
Related: Will One of These Actresses Play April O’Neil In the Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot?!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is in theaters now. Check out the trailer below:
Related: Which ‘Ninja Turtles’ Characters Have Been Gender-Swapped In the Reboot?
As per Wikipedia, here’s the official synopsis for Mutant Mayhem:
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtles set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a notorious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Related: Is the New ‘Ninja Turtles’ Film Canon With Any of the Previous Installments?
Mutant Mayhem stars Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), Brady Noon (Raphael), Jackie Chan (Splinter), Ayo Edebiri (April O’Neil), Seth Rogen (Bebop), John Cena (Rocksteady), Hannibal Buress (Genghis Frog), Rose Byrne (Leatherhead), Ice Cube (Superfly), Post Malone (Ray Fillet), Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko), Maya Rudolph (Cynthia Utrom), Natasia Demetriou (Wingnut), and Giancarlo Esposito (Baxter Stockman).
How would you rank all the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!