When a sequel strays too far from its predecessor, it ceases to be a sequel and becomes its own entity. In some cases, this can work in favor of the movie. Unfortunately, it didn't work for The Secret of the Ooze.Don't get me wrong; when this movie came out in 1991, we all ate it up. It had the Ninja Turtles, it had Splinter, it had Shredder, and it even had a cameo by Vanilla Ice. The Turtles had a couple of new mutant adversaries in the form of Tokka & Rahzar (why they couldn't have used Bebop and Rocksteady instead is beyond me).
One of the reasons this movie didn't work is because Judith Hoag does not return as April O'Neil. Instead we have Paige Turco, playing a professional, feminine and submissive April; a stark contrast to the strong-minded, independent, and boyish April that Hoag played. Personally I'm a fan of the latter, but all I'm really looking for here is a bit of consistency. If you're not going to keep the actress, at least keep the personality.
The emasculation doesn't stop there. It even ripples out to the battle scenes and the persona of our favorite Turtles. Most of the battle scenes have happy, upbeat music; rarely evoking a moment of suspense or eeriness. As for the encounter with Tokka & Rahzar, the Turtles spend most of their time in evasive maneuvers. It's general knowledge, apparently, that the Turtles are weaker than their mutant foes (maybe you caught April's reference?). Do the Turtles stand tall and roll up their figurative sleeves? No! Instead they retreat and evade. These are not the brave, heroic Turtles we all know and love. Aren't they supposed to be Ninjas? Aren't they disciplined in their training, able to adapt to circumstances, and physically adept? Their encounter with Shredder is hardly any different. They mostly stand around while Shredder tears down the dock and self-implodes.
Furthermore, Corey Feldman does not return as the voice of Donatello. Again, all I'm looking for is consistency. I enjoy Feldman's work, but even if I didn't, it's still the voice that I identified with in the first movie. It was really jarring to hear a different voice.
While I'm still on consistency here's a little note about Tokka & Rahzar. If it took the Turtles 15 years to grow to their current state (you did see Splinter's flashback, didn't you?), wouldn't it take Tokka & Rahzar the same amount of time to develop? Yes, their minds were infants, but their bodies were at least the same size as the Turtles' (again, refer to Splinter's flashback). Does that mean that Tokka & Rahzar are 7 feet tall when fully grown? It's just too convenient. Couldn't they have had Bebop and Rocksteady in the same pile of ooze as the Turtles in the flashback scene, and have Splinter explain that he lost track of them? It's sad to think that I can come up with a better plot device than paid writers.
While we're at it, where's Casey Jones? I mean, sure, Keno is all right, but he's a faceless kid, and he pretty much stays that way. Splinter even discouraged him from joining the Turtles in battle. Bottom line: You can't have the Turtles without Casey Jones. There's just no heart.
This article was originally published on June 25, 2007.
