Based on the comics that debuted in 1984, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was once a powerhouse franchise that sold everything from tickets, to toys, to videogames. The franchise is still around today, albeit not quite the cultural phenomenon it once was.

The franchise isn’t dead. Far from it - fans are still actively craving more content. There have been numerous movies within the last decade, and there’s a new one on the horizon as well. This list highlights the ups and downs in this storied franchise’s theater-released film history.

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6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)

     New Line Cinema

Making a functional sequel to a cult classic is hard. Making a functional third movie is even harder. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III tried some interesting ideas out - but ultimately would be the worst in the franchise.

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Rather than dealing with city-based crime, as in the previous two entries, this third film decides that time traveling back to feudal Japan was the route to go. Props have to be given to thinking outside the box, but it just doesn’t work well. Like any of these movies; there’s still a lot of fun to be had for fans. The campiness has become part of its central identity, and there will always be adamant defenders of any movie on this list.

The first two films (more so the first) are often praised for the costume work, which had been done by the famous Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. This third film, however, would depart from that and instead go with the All Effects Company, a competing, but smaller animatronics company. This would turn out to be a mistake, as one of the biggest criticisms is how the turtles themselves look. It’s drastically different, and drastically worse. If the characters that star in the franchise aren’t right; the film won’t be either.

5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

     Paramount Pictures

Michael Bay can mean a lot of different things to different people. To some, he’s an action director that has made numerous successful and enjoyable box office darlings. To others, he’s a shallow explosion machine that, despite bringing no artistic merit to his films, manages to bring in tons of box office rewards. Either way, he seemed, at least, a competent hire for another blockbuster franchise that needed rescuing from the ’90s.

Produced by Bay, and directed by Jonathan Liebesman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswas met with some resistance from fans when the announcement was made, but after some encouraging words from co-creator Kevin Eastman, fans were more on board. It showed in the box office, with the film netting $493.3 million on a $150 million dollar budget.

It’s a reboot in every sense of the word. Being that way - it suffers a bit from the normal things that set up a movie franchise, such as pacing or tone. Critics weren’t too hot on it either, with it being the lowest-rated movie in the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes.

4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a lot like its predecessor, but a little more focused. The turtle designs still irk some, but the action and plot move at a brisker and more enjoyable pace.

This time, directed by Dave Green, the turtles find themselves mixing with Krang (Brad Garret) for the first time in a live-action film. Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams), Rocksteady (Sheamus), and Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) all made appearances in this one. Despite the quality of the film, it was exciting seeing so many iconic characters on the big screen once again.

It’s a flawed movie - but it understood the central premise that these movies need to be fun. It accomplished that.

3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze represented the last, truly enjoyable live-action film for fans for years. Not quite as good as the original, but the camp and comedy were turned up about 20 notches.

The story picks up shortly after the first one. Even though a few cast members from the first film weren’t brought back, the cast is still great, especially the new character Keno (Ernie Reyes Jr.). It goes to some pretty wacky places as more mutants are born from the ooze to fight the turtles, but it’s the kind of campy that has aged perfectly. Not to mention, the iconic Vanilla Ice scene. So much of this movie is total gold.

Despite being another critical failure, this film found its audience years later. This is another movie that fans have wanted to hold onto. It’s still getting toys all these years later.

2 TMNT (2007)

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Originally a John Woo project, TMNT changed a lot during its long preproduction. Normally, movies that sit that long in production end up coming out as messy, or even not coming out at all. TMNT managed to buck the trend and actually delivered a solid product.

Unlike many of the live action films - this movie is hindered or limited in its scope. It might be a little more kid-friendly than the others - but it still packs a punch and brings some of the most comic-accurate moments that any of the movies have ever seen. It’s not often talked about among the best - but it should be.

Chris Evans as Casey Jones is pretty much a perfect casting. Too bad they didn’t do that for the live-action film, too.

1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Probably not a surprise - but the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film is the best out of all of them. It was also the hardest to make. The comics were a big deal at the time - and the animated show was even bigger. Producers wanted to capitalize on this, and push the brand even further with their name attached.

Luckily, they had the help of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The design of the turtles is absolutely genius and the perfect way to bring them to the big screen. Even better than the CGI treatment they would get later. There’s a lot of heart and soul in this movie, and you can see it from the performances, to the script, and even the music. It’s not a perfect movie by any means, but it is a perfect Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

There’s been a lot of adaptations of 80s cartoons over the years, and this is one of the best. It’s aged perfectly.