Every generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans has their own show or movie that got them into the franchise! For the 1980s and 90s kids, they had the original animated series or the original live-action film. For the 2000s kids, they had the 4kids show or the 2007 animated film. For the 2010s kids, they had the first Nickelodeon show or the Michael Bay-produced live-action films. And now for the kids currently in the 2020s, the main options for this generations of TMNT fans goes to the second Nickelodeon show in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the film it’s based on, and now, of course, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
A key reason as to why the Ninja Turtles themselves has resonated with so many people throughout many generations is knowing how to “modernize” the series in a way that’s appealing to the current generation it’s catering to along with still maintaining the spirit and heart that the turtles themselves as always have, save for the recent live-action reboot. And I don’t think there has been quite a TMNT flick that has captured that right balance of old and new along with it being the definite one for a new generation to follow than with Mutant Mayhem.
Of all the films that have we have gotten to date involving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mutant Mayhem is probably the one to get the most things right. The animation is top notch, the characters are all well-utilized and bounce off each other perfectly, the story feels fresh but yet faithful to the turtles lore, the score is absolutely killer, and it’s able to exist in it’s own sandbox as being the kind of castle that can stand proudly along with the best of what the Ninja Turtles have offered throughout their history. While I won’t go as far to say that it’s a perfect film, it’s certainly a perfect TMNT film and one that will likely be the one to get a new generation into this successful running franchise.
Plot Synopsis: After years of being shelter from the human world by their master/father Splinter (Jackie Chan), a brother band of turtles named Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), and Raphael (Brady Noon) look to get out of their comfort zone and set out to be accepted as normal teenagers through defining acts of heroism. During this process, they meet and collaborate a human girl who’s smart and has a desire in Journalism named April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), who also confidently has problems of her own with getting accepted by society after making a bad first impression in front of the camera in the school news.
As the turtles go on the hunt for a mysterious crime, they find themselves up against an army of mutants with Superfly (Ice Cube), Leatherhead (Rose Byrne), Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd), Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress), Wingnut (Natasia Demeteriou), Scumbug, (himself**) Ray Fillet (Post Malone), and the always memorable Bebop (Seth Rogen) and Rocksteady (John Cena). With the turtles believing this will be the perfect crime that they can stop to be accepted by humans along with April thinking this will be the perfect story to cover for school to be accepted by the rest of her school, both sides work to stop these army of mutants from accomplish their goals for the fate of themselves and New York City.
On the surface, it would be easy to say that Mutant Mayhem is to TMNT what the Spider-Verse movies is to Spider-Man or The Last Wish is to Puss in Boots but a more favorable comparison would be that of another animated feature, The Mitchells vs the Machines. And that’s not just because this film also happens to have the same writer in Jeff Rowe, whose the main director of this film, but because the animation style helps compliment one another with how rough and gritty it feels around the edges along with getting a feeling of pages in the book being ripped out right before your very eyes. And also tackling thematic elements such as acceptance, relevancy, and coming out of your comfort zone soon also helps too.
Even when compare to the recent surge of animated features that dare to use it’s medium as a brand of telling stories you couldn’t possibly do in any other form, Mutant Mayhem is still able to stand strongly as it’s own unique beast. It’s able to use the coming-of-age tropes and themes involving prejudice and discrimination that has been accustomed to the series while also able to blending it very well with modern times without going so overboard that it will become confusing for young fans and overbearing for adults. The arcs that the main turtles and April O’Neil go through involving trying to be accepted and finding your place in new uncharted territory is very engaging to watch and the parts of the story I can see engaging quite well with audience members.
What is also refreshing is how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actually feel like teenagers instead of just overgrown men cosplaying as children. Not just because all the turtle members are all played by teenagers respectively but they legit feel like real teens without ever becoming annoying or obnoxious. This is especially felt in the dialogue where they talk about the hot topics in the entertainment business such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the very best Chris in Hollywood. While it’s certainly there to give the case of the times that these turtles are currently living in, it also helps in the journey where they go from the end of being pubescence kids to the beginning of being young adults. While these might not act as the fully formed ninja turtles from past TMNT media, you do get a good sense by the end that there is still plenty of room for these characters to grow for the future.
Of course, the main talking point when it comes to the turtles themselves is of the kids actors themselves. While there are certainly times you certainly get the impression that these are child actors, they all do a fine job in the roles. Micah Abbey gets the wise and resourceful aspect of Donatello quite well. Shamon Brown Jr. shine as being the most charismatic and hearted of the bunch as Michaelangelo. Nicolas Cantu stands out perfectly as the leader and more honorable/responsible of the bunch as Leonardo. Brady Noon, while sounding a bit too pre-pubescence for my taste, still sounds as brave, strong, and courageous as Raphael.
As for the rest of the cast, it’s about as every bit of celebrity heavy as the animated film from 2007 was but they still seem like they are having a lot of fun playing their characters. Some of the biggest highlights of the cast include Ice Cube as Superfly, Rose Byrne as Leatherhead, Paul Rudd as Mondo, Seth Rogen as Bebop (And this is coming from someone who is normally not a fan!), and John Cena as Rocksteady. Ayo Edebiri is very good as the newer, diverse version of April O’Neil who shows enough sympathy and likability to get you invest in her arc of overcoming pressure and your greatest fear. Arguably the best performance in the entire film is given by Jackie Chan as Splinter. Chan does a great job at playing a wise but flawed father figure of the group who occasionally makes jokes and shows cracks of the armor when raising your kids.
The animation, as you would expect, is genuinely spectacular. Nearly every single shot in the movie could been seen as a page that leaped off a comic book and one that can be an easy pick for a screensaver. While comparisons to other recent animated films that are going for a more “out there” approach with their animations, it’s still able to stand strongly as it’s own thing just like the best of these films do. They masterfully help the action sequences by giving them all their own unique flare and style that compliment one another, with the main standout sequence being the one in the gateway. This is easily the best looking and stylist TMNT film to date and one that I can easily seeing aging well as the years go on.
In terms of everything else, this is quite a solidly put together film giving the 70 to 80 million dollar budget that was spend on it. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is very well done and captures the tone and mood perfectly along with being added by a very well-chosen hip hop soundtrack. It’s very well paced with a refreshing brief 100 minute long runtime, it’s filled to the brim with easter eggs and references that longtime fans will get a kick out off, and it ends on a note that will likely leave fans anxious to see new adventures with this iteration of the ninja turtles.
While Mutant Mayhem plays out as good as a TMNT film can possibly get, there are certainly some imperfections. There are times where the film looks too “dark” for it’s own good, not all the jokes/modern pop culture references land, and you are likely to see certain plot beats/story turns coming from a mile away. And while the looks of the characters themselves did grow on me as the film went on, April O’Neil’s design still feels more resemblance more of a young adult woman rather than a teenage girl.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an absolute blast and makes for an absolutely proper TMNT movie for this current generation. While certain opinions will vary, this is probably the best and most well down film adaption of the Ninja Turtles thus far. I can see this TMNT flick being the one that gets children into this series the way that prior movies and shows did before it along with being seen as a giant letter to the hardcore fans who are still around to this day. By the time we reach the end, you get the feeling that there’s a lot more to explore with this iteration of the turtles themselves and that a solid foundation has been set in stone. A sequel has just been announced is in the works along with a brand new 2D series. If they manage to be as enjoyable if not more so than Mutant Mayhem, than this new generation of TMNT fans will certainly have a lot to look forward to.
** Yes, really! That is literally what the credits says!
Other comments:
- There is a post credit scene btw. Even if I could see the obvious sequel tease coming, I still did get quite excited when I saw it.
- I can’t recall the last time I’ve been to a screening which was filled with kids and families that seemed like they were having the time of their lives. Movies are so back!
- This movie got the best Chris right!
- If you want to play a drinking game, take a sip every time a character mentions someone being “milked”. You will feel quite loopy in just the first thirty minutes of the movie.
- I don’t know if it’s just me but there has been quite an amazing run of animated flick as of late! Animation really is the future of cinema!
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