Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 21, 2025

Note: This version of this film is available on disc as part of Arrow's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is arguably one of the just flat out weirdest phenomena to ever erupt into the public consciousness, and for those jonesin' for a raucous "Cowabunga!", Arrow is offering the first three films in the series in two new collector's editions, one with 1080 discs and one with 4K UHD discs, with both offering Arrow's typically abundant supply of on disc supplements and "extracurricular" swag.

Those interested can find plot information, lists of supplements and reactions to technical presentations in Ken Brown's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Blu-ray review from 2009's 25th Anniversary collection from Warner Brothers.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Arrow sent check discs of the 1080 releases for purposes of reviewing, and I therefore don't have packaging for this format. I'm assuming that per Arrow's standard operating procedure, the booklet included with the 1080 version is the same as the 4K version, with attendant (irrelevant) information about HDR grades and the like.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet lumps all three films together on its page devoted to information about the presentations:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with stereo and a new Dolby Atmos mix. The film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K 16 bit at Fotokem. A 35mm interpositive was also scanned for Reel 3, which was missing from the negative. A 35mm UK theatrical release print was sourced from the BFI for the content unique to the UK release.

The film was restored and color graded in 4K at R3Store Studios, London.

The original stereo mix was remastered by Þorsteinn Gíslason.

The Dolby Atmos mix was produced at Deluxe Audio Services, London.

All materials sourced for this new master were made available by Fortune Star, Warner Bros., The Academy Film Archive, and the British Film Institute.

The restoration was supervised by James Pearcey and James White, Arrow Films, and has been approved by filmmaker Steve Barron.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III are both presented in their original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with stereo and 5.1 audio.

For both films, a 35mm interpositive was scanned in 4K 16 bit at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. The films were restored and color graded in 4K at R3Store Studios, London.

The stereo mix for Turtles II was remastered by Matt Jarman at Bad Princess Productions. The stereo mix for Turtles III and the 5.1 mixes for both films were remastered by Þorsteinn Gíslason.

All materials sourced for these new maters were made available by Fortune Star and Warner Bros.

Of the two films in this set struck from interpositives, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III fares better than its immediate predecessor in both its 1080 and 4K presentations, and I'd argue part of that success is due to a much more consistently tight resolution of grain in both formats. While things can occasionally get thick and even slightly splotchy, just looking at the nice organic appearance in the red drenched opening scene provides a good beginning example of improvements in overall grain resolution this time out. While Arrow's 4K UHD release probably gets the upper hand in terms of palette nuance courtesy of the HDR / Dolby Vision grades available on that version, the palette here is really nicely suffused throughout and some of the outdoor location footage (shot in my home state of Oregon in what on the commentary track director Stuart Gillard calls Goonies territory, by which he assumedly means Astoria) is really evocatively hued. Detail levels are generally excellent throughout on both puppets and actual humans, and the historic sets and costumes provide a certain luxe production design aesthetic that the two other films in this set really don't offer.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III features LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. Kind of interestingly, I didn't sense the same noticeable enhancement of scoring and effects in the surround version on this film that I did with the second, though that's not to say there aren't differences, as the surround track does offer both decent if not overwhelming immersive aspects to the music, and also clear if intermittent discrete channelization of various sound effects. One way or the other, as with the two preceding films, my hunch is purists will want to stick with the stereo track, which provides great fidelity and clarity. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with director Stuart Gillard


• Rebel Rebel (HD; 14:17) is a new interview with actress Vivian Wu.


• Daimyos & Demons (HD; 10:14) is a new interview with actor Sab Shimono.


• Alternate UK Opening (HD*; 2:03) was another effort to eliminate nunchucks.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:03)


• Image Gallery (HD)

*720

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Most Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans I know tend to think of this third film as an also ran, but it has its own fun aspects, and the historical setting at least offers a little variety in the production design department. Technical merits are solid and the supplements are very enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.