For the past few years, those of use where kids and tweens in the early 1990s have seen the fashion, music, and movies of our youth come back in a major way.

For me, the 1990s revival that I approached with the most mixed feelings was the 2014 reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as live action/CGI film produced by Michael Bay. I thought for sure that this installment would be a flop and would stop 90s nostalgia in its Reebok Pump clad tracks.  Although the film was largely panned by critics, fans warmed to this iteration of the Turtles, making it the top-grossing film in the franchise. Far from stopping 90s nostalgia, the performance of the 2014 TMNT only served to increase the appetite for all things cowabunga.

In honor of the June 2016 release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, the crew at Overthinking It revisited the first two films in the 1990s iteration series by watching and discussing both films. These group viewings reminded of what we liked about the Turtles all along, and got us excited to go out to the theater to see the newest installment. Join in the fun by purchasing the Overview Commentary tracks for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

The first thing you will notice when you revisit the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film is just how gritty and violent it is. If you last saw this film more than 25 years ago, you’ll be surprised about how the film opens in a New York City still very mired in the urban blight of the Warriors and closes with a villain being brutally crushed in a trash truck.  Panelists Peter Fenzel, Richard Rosenbaum, Ryan Sheely, and Matt Wrather discuss whether this is the last film of the 80s or the first film of the 90s, analyze the business plan underlying the Shredder’s crime syndicate, and theorize about why the Ninja Turtles love pizza so much. Get the commentary now.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze is a demonstrably silly movie, taking its cues far more from the cartoon series than the darker, grittier comic books, but it still remains true to the Turtles’ core values, and still provides a lot to Overthink. Panelists Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Richard Rosenbaum unlock the Secret of the Ooze, and further unpack the existential puzzle hidden within. Get the commentary now.

Join our virtual Pizza Party!

Get each overview for $2.99, or save 16% and get both for $4.99. Overthinking It Members at the “Well, Actually” and “Full Harvey” levels get free access to both commentary tracks (and all installments of The Overview) as a benefit of their membership.

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The Overview is a series of alternative commentary tracks from Overthinking It, where the we watch and discuss your favorite movies in real-time. The commentary is meant to be played while watching the movie, so get your own copy or stream of the movie and get ready to watch the video and listen to a MP3 of the track at the same time.