Other mistake: In the music within the ending credits, the lyrics incorrectly state that Raph is the leader of the group when all Turtle fans past and present know it is Leo.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Directed by: Steve Barron
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Elias Koteas, Judith Hoag, Josh Pais, Michelan Sisti, David Forman
Revealing mistake: When three of the turtles are playing Trivial Pursuit and Leonardo runs in to announce Splinter is alive, you can see a wire coming out of Raphael's shell. I guess it's for the animatronic head, but it's visible. (00:59:30)
Audio problem: At the climax of the film when the Turtles are about to face Shredder for the first time, Raphael says, "I got him" and then runs to fight. When Raphael falls to the ground, his pair of Sai hit the ground but make no noise. There should be a metallic sound against the rooftop. (01:19:00)
Trivia: At one point in the movie Shredder scolds Tatsu, and right after that, Tatsu curses saying, "kuso." That's about the equivalent of saying sh*t in Japanese.
Casey Jones: This is great. First it was The Farm That Time Forgot and now this. Why don't I ever fall in with people who own condos? Probably hard to get good maid service in a sewer. Maybe you guys should try Roto Rooter, huh?
Michelangelo: God, I love BEING A TURTLE.
Tatsu: Go... play.
Question: What did Raphael mean with the Josè Canseco joke? I've been wondering for over 20 years.
Answer: Canseco was a star in the 80s, so a bat with his name on it would have been very expensive. Raphael is basically calling him a thief, probably because he doesn't look like he can afford it.
Answer: Jose Canseco had one of the best baseball careers, so anything with his name became priceless but it all came to an end when it was revealed he used steroids.
Answer: The Oakland A's with Canseco on the team won the World Series the year before this movie came out, while the New York Yankees and Mets both posted abysmal seasons. As a proud New Yorker, Raph was surely disgusted that Casey Jones would carry merch bearing the name of another team's star player, especially right after they won a ring! That's the behavior of a band-wagon fan, after all. It seems Casey would agree with him as well, as his response to the insult is not to defend Canseco or the A's, but to shrug and say he got the bats on a 2-for-1 Sale.
Question: What was Shredder's plan? Surely he'd have the Foot go beyond petty thievery eventually. I never saw it addressed in the movie.
Answer: It's not really petty thievery. Shredder essentially has control over a large crime syndicate which is involved in pickpocketing, burglary, and highjacking. And that's just the gang itself. The Foot Clan itself is probably involved with other activities that we haven't seen.
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Chosen answer: He simply doesn't like Canseco, which is why he sarcastically asks Casey if he actually paid money for the Canseco bat.
Phaneron ★