Arrow’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4K Trilogy Is One of 2025’s Most Satisfying Collections

There’s something about seeing a childhood favorite given vibrant new life that will make you an eternal believer in the power of 4K and physical media. So many great movies from past decades are getting restored and re-released on the format nowadays, but few carried as much buzz as Arrow Video’s 4K edition of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy. This one had a high bar to live up to — not necessarily because the original quality was always top-notch, but because there is such a profound love for those wonderful and often silly ’90s Turtles. Fortunately, Arrow stepped up to the plate and nailed it in just about every way. This 4K trilogy is every bit the release we’d hoped it could be.

Arrow released the TMNT set on Tuesday, in both 4K and Blu-ray formats. The limited edition set comes with all three films — fully restored — and a plethora of extra goodies. There are reversible posters for each movie, little pieces or memorabilia (like business cards and pizza menus), and new trading cards for all of the main characters. While all that is nice (as are both versions of the packaging), the real stars here are the discs themselves, particularly the first one that includes the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

See, the original TMNT was restored from its original camera negative, giving it the best picture quality possible. The restorations for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III were taken from the interpositives, so they’re a small (very, very small) step below the quality of the first. That 1990 movie looks a little bit better than the other two in the set, though a big reason for that also comes from the fact that the first movie has always looked a lot better than its sequels. After the first TMNT, there were a lot of changes made to the franchise to make it more friendly for younger kids, which included turning up the slapstick style and lightening all of the colors.

So you’ll notice a difference between the first TMNT disc and the others, but that’s to be expected. The transfer is better, but so is the film itself. The dark green turtle suits pop stand out so brilliantly against the grimy backdrop of this version of New York City. The fabric material of those suits pops in such a way that seeing the costumes for what they are only adds to the experience. We all lament the rejection of practical costuming and effects in modern movies, and this ultra-detailed look at the Ninja Turtles reminds you just how much difference a tactile character can make.

Almost as impressive as the transfers themselves is the absolute treasure trove of special features included throughout this collection. These aren’t just historians or critics talking about movies we loved as kids — Arrow got a lot of folks involved in these movies back for brand new interviews and commentaries, offering some awesome perspective into the making and legacy of TMNT.

There’s a brand new feature commentary on the 1990 film from original with from director Steve Barron. There’s a featurette with interview bits from several actors who either donned the suits on set or voiced one of the turtles. There’s even a full interview with the original April O’Neil, Judith Hoag, whose absence in the sequels has been an object of fan frustration for decades.

From top to bottom, this release from Arrow is a dream come true for fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sure, the sequels aren’t nearly as good as the original (and a lot of fans are already hoping for an individual 4K release of the first movie), but this is clearly a labor of love, made for the fans who grew up with these movies. And at a very reasonable price point, it’s a must for any TMNT faithful out there.

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