10 Movies Smarter Than Anyone Wants To Admit
7. TMNT (1991)
Just because a film isn't Shakespearean in its intellect doesn't mean it isn't intelligent in its own right. Case in point, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie from 1991.
If you have a particularly nasty stick shoved up your ass, then you might be resistant to the idea that this film has anything to offer. To that I give you the Michael Bay Ninja Turtle films to compare it to. Which ones seem the more intelligent of the two?
Not only are the practical effects amazing and many of the jokes land a lot better than you'd think they would, but its themes of healthy vs unhealthy family environments is surprisingly mature for its subject matter.
Sure the sequels would only get dumber and dumber, but that's hardly the original's fault. The first Ninja Turtles movie showed exactly how to blend the dark grittiness of the comics, with the lighthearted fun of the 80's cartoon.