STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

The turtles have thwarted the evil Shredder and his army of ninja thieves and are now searching for a new home.However,it soon emerges The Shredder is set to return to wreak more havoc,and has the ways and the means of unleashing a terrible new threat to the crime fighting awesome foursome.As they set out to stop him,the turtles come to learn more about where they came from and the secrets of their origin...

At the time of the original film's release,the TV series and the toys were at the height of their popularity and so a feature film was inevitable.However,it was a relatively low budget Golden Harvest production that went on to become the most successful independent film of all time.GH still played quite a huge part in the proceedings with this second instalment,however the first film had been a major success,a sequel was as inevitable as the original adaptation that preceded it and so now,a worldwide big major studio like Twentieth Century Fox wanted to have a cut in the stakes and so stepped in to cash in on the franchise.And hey,nobody makes family blockbusters like Twentieth Century Fox,right?Well,maybe Universal.

Anyone who would regard Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 as pointless is,in essence,unable to see past their own nose.The law of physics practically states that any successful (especially family based) action film will have a follow up,in the interests of franchising and,well,basically making money.And it's certainly the family that TMNT2 appeals more to.It's a much lighter,sillier and more family friendly feeling outing,in comparison to the dark,grimy feel of the original.The Shredder,for instance and most significantly,manages only a fraction of the dark,menacing vibe he gave last time and for the most part completely lacks substance here.There's a scene in which the Tokha and Rahzor monsters clamber up and cuddle him that forcefully strips him of all the fear and respect he commanded from the last film.To a degree,the same could be said of Tatsu,although in fairness,he did carry a slightly bumbling quality to him in the original.That's not to mention a number of woefully under-used supporting characters,such as April and Chief Sterns.And what the hell happened to Casey Jones?!?

Of the new characters the new film introduces,Ernie Reyes Jr. emits a fairly engaging charisma as kung fu fighting pizza delivery boy Keno and David Warner is impressive as bumbling professor Jordan Perry (or maybe the film holds too much sentimental value for me!)

One of the main compounding factors of the film (in my eyes) was the plot (or,rather,lack of it) that at best feels very slight and at worst feels practically non-existent.The film is very short,so the feeling of it all being slapped together to make money is never far in doubt.Yet,for all this,the film still manages to carry a charm all of it's own.The script,though patchily assembled,still manages to be engaging throughout and the Jim Henson creature shop creations are as well made,colourful and pleasant to the eye as you'd expect.And hey,when even a Vanilla Ice cameo can't spoil it,something has to be right.***

The Turtles and their master Splinter are now living with April O'Neil (Paige Turco) in her apartment. Keno is a kicking pizza delivery guy. They have to stop Shredder and his minions.

This is a live-action movie of a Saturday morning cartoon. It is what it is and it has fun with it. Heck, it has Vanilla Ice performing. It has its fun without getting too stupid.

The Turtles and the Shredder battle once again, this time for the last canister of the ooze that created the Turtles, which Shredder wants to create an army of new mutants.

The general consensus is that his film is not as good as the original. And, you know, maybe that is the case. But all I can do is express my opinion that it is equal and possibly better than the first -- feel free to disagree.

As much as I liked the darker tone of the first film, the humor in the second really makes it the more enjoyable picture. And then when you throw in the Vanilla Ice scene, what is not to love? My only real complaint is that the actress playing April did not return, so the continuity is a little bit off. But that is more than made up for by losing Corey Feldman.