Plot
April O'Neil, a television reporter investigating a crime wave terrorizing New York City, is attacked by thieves, but is saved by an unseen group of vigilantes, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. However, Raph loses a sai in the fight, which April recovers. The turtles return to their hidden lair in the sewer, where their adoptive father, a rat named Splinter, advises them to continue practicing the art of ninjutsu. Visiting the surface, Raph watches Critters, only to run into fellow vigilante Casey Jones, and is counseled by Splinter.
Charles Pennington, April's supervisor at Channel 3 News, struggles to control his delinquent son Danny, who has been recruited with other troubled teenagers to help the mysterious ninja Foot Clan in their wave of thefts. April suspects that the Foot are responsible, raising the ire of Police Chief Sterns, while Shredder, the leader of the Foot, sends his soldiers after April. Raph defeats them and brings the unconscious April to the turtles' lair, unknowingly followed by a Foot soldier. Splinter explains to April that he and the turtles were mutated into intelligent, anthropomorphic creatures by a mysterious chemical. After escorting April home and bonding over their love of pizza, the turtles return to find their lair ransacked and Splinter kidnapped, and return to April's apartment.
Danny is arrested, which Sterns uses to pressure Charles, who urges April to drop her investigation. Glimpsing the turtles hiding at April's apartment, Danny informs Shredder at the Foot's hideout, where Splinter is being held prisoner. Back at April's place, Raph argues with Leo over his leadership, and is ambushed on the rooftops by the Foot and beaten unconscious. Casey witnesses this and aids the turtles in fighting off the Foot and escape the burning building with April, who is fired by Charles in a phone message. Danny seeks counsel from the captive Splinter, and flees the Foot Clan. The turtles retreat to April's rundown family farm upstate, where she bonds with Casey as Raph recovers. Leo receives a vision of Splinter and assembles the other turtles to contact him through astral projection. Splinter delivers his final lesson, inspiring the turtles to return to the city.
The turtles find Danny hiding in their lair, and Casey follows him to the Foot's hideout. Splinter tells Danny that as an ordinary pet in Japan, he learned ninjutsu from watching his master, the ninja Hamato Yoshi. To escape conflict with his rival, Oroku Saki, over the love of a woman, Tang Shen, Yoshi fled with Shen to New York, where they were killed by a vengeful Saki. Splinter suggests Saki is linked to the Foot, while Shredder finds Danny and realizes that the turtles have returned, ordering Splinter to be killed. Casey and Danny free Splinter and defeat Shredder's lieutenant Tatsu, before convincing the remaining Foot members that they have been manipulated by Shredder.
The turtles repel the Foot from their lair and onto the streets, before confronting the spear-wielding Shredder on a rooftop. After a fierce battle, Shredder claims that Splinter is dead, overpowering an infuriated Leo and disarming the turtles. Before Shredder can kill Leo, Splinter appears and identifies him as Oroku Saki, who in turn recognizes Splinter as Yoshi's pet rat. Shredder charges Splinter, who snares his spear with Mikey's nunchaku, leaving Shredder dangling over the roof's edge. Shredder makes a final attempt to kill Splinter with a thrown tantō, but Splinter drops him into a garbage truck below. Casey then deliberately activates the truck's compactor, crushing Shredder.
The police arrive to arrest the Foot soldiers, and recover the stolen goods from their hideout. The Channel 3 news crew arrives as well to cover the story, and Danny is reunited with Charles, who gives April her job back with major benefits. April and Casey share a kiss, while the turtles celebrate their victory with Splinter.
.jpg?width=400){kind=small}
