DVD Review - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown
Voice Cast: Jason Biggs, Rob Paulsen, Sean Astin, Greg Cipes, Mae Whitman, Hoon Lee
Studio: Nickelodeon
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Retail: $19.99
ASIN: B00DTRR3XS
Running Time: 312 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be premiering its second season next month, but now it is your chance to get caught up with season one's third volume titled Ultimate Showdown featuring twelve episodes, including the two-part season finale Showdown! Specials features include 4 Shorts: "The Mutation of a Scene," and the Animated Comic Books: Tales From the Lair, Parts Three - Six. There is also an exclusive Lego TMNT mini comic book inside the DVD case.

The second-half of season one debuted in January featuring the debut (or the return of a fan favorite for fans of the 1980s' TMNT) of the Rat King, though technically we have already met Dr. Victor Falco earlier in the season. Karai investigates the turtles' enemy, the Kraang, and learns why they are interested in capturing the young April O'Neil.

Donatello creates the Shellraiser out of Leatherhead's subway car. The turtles befriend a teenager who dresses up in a costume and calls himself "The Pulverizer", a they battle Baxter Stockman, Fishface, and the Purple Dragons.

As Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo are coming closer to rescuing April's father, they stumble upon the Kraang's plan on opening a portal to Dimension X and invading Earth with the Technodrome. Meanwhile, Karai and the Footclan kidnap April, leading Splinter to confront his old nemesis, Shredder, who reveals a startling revelation.

The twelve episodes on the 2-disc set are:

I, Monster
The Alien Invasion
The Pulverizer
TCRI
Cockroach Terminator
Baxter's Gambit
Enemy Of My Enemy
Karai's Vendetta
The Pulverizer Returns
Parasitica
Operation: Break Out
Showdown (Parts 1 + 2)

I grew up watching the original cartoon series and I stumbled upon the 2003 incarnation on DVD several years ago, so I was little skeptical when Nickelodeon announced the 2012 TMNT, as I thought it would be too kid-friendly and just down right silly. I'm glad to say that I was completely wrong as the new TMNT is written for both children and adults. The writers went to great length to pay homage to the original series, while at the same time they made the TMNT exciting and fresh for a new generation. These final season one episodes expands the series mythology and borrows a few things from the original, like the Technodrome. Overall, I enjoyed watching the Ultimate Showdown. Even though I kind of saw it coming, I didn't think the writers would go the route that they did with the Karai shocker (which I won't go into detail as I don't want to spoil it for others). Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ultimate Showdown has plenty of action and humor to satisfy any fan.