Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem review
It’s got to take a lot of territorial “This isn’t my TMNT” energy to not appreciate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This was an incredibly fun and funny experience. One that honored the franchise’s legacy while carving up its own slice of the mythos.
Sure, it’s visually very different from any previous Ninja Turtles adventure. The backgrounds and character designs are animated in a way that it resembles what a 7-year-old might concoct with reams of paper, jars of paint and an afternoon to go nuts. That’s not intended as an insult. Mutant Mayhem features such an unrefined, carefree graphic style that it conveys a child’s limitless imagination.
The Spider-Verse films feature a gorgeous, carefully constructed aesthetic with an intentional slant toward elite level artistry. Mutant Mayhem has a wilder, color outside all the lines approach that truly works for the tone of the film.
Another welcome shift — the story’s novel approach to the four ninja masters — they’re not quite elite level ninja warriors just yet.
Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon), Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) and Donatello (Micah Abbey) aren’t battling Foot Clan ninjas in the shadows of New York City. Yes, their rat father Splinter (Jackie Chan), trained them in the martial arts, but they just those skills to go above their home in the sewers to get food. Maybe the biggest knock on the film is the obnoxious level of product placement, which feels excessive for an animated film.
Going out into the streets constantly has only intensified the teen turtles’ desire to explore life as normal teenagers. That doesn’t sit well with the overprotective Splinter. In fairness, he’s justified in being distrustful or humans even if he pushes it too far.
The script, credited to five screenwriters including Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and co-director Jeff Rowe, constantly nails the humor. Jokes that are meant to draw big laughs deliver. The humor comes off as refreshing as the first few seasons of the long-running cartoon series.
Another aspect that works very well is the bond of the brothers. Mutant Mayhem doesn’t lean into Raphael as the brooding loner eager to ditch his brothers or fussing over Leonardo’s leadership. The brothers’ dynamic is far more playful here making their interactions lighter and less tense.
Rowe and co-director Kyler Spears encouraged joint recording sessions. Brown Jr., Abbey, Noon and Cantu certainly seemed to benefit from that approach as their chemistry together is noticeable.
MORE:
- Marvel Legends X-Men’97 Magneto review
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves review
- Marvel Legends Hawkeye with Sky-Cycle review
- G.I. Joe Classified Series figure reviews
In one of the Turtles nights out, they encounter April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), a high school student/aspiring journalist intent on cracking a big case. Superfly (Ice Cube), a mutated fly, is leading a group of fellow mutated animals (voiced by Rogen, John Cena, Rose Byrne, Paul Rudd, Hannibal Buress, Natasia Demetriou and Post Malone) in committing daring and increasingly dangerous heists.
Haunted by his traumatic origin, Superfly has no love for humanity and has a master plan of eliminating them. To stop him the turtles must rise to the challenge. The script works in some subtle moral lessons about trying to fit in with the crowd, appreciating family and believing in yourself without making them too clumsy in execution.
While it might be a little talk heavy compared to some other TMNT outings, when the action does arrive it delivers. There are some massive action sequences that make good use of the over-the-top spectacle nature of a big screen adventure.
Be sure to keep watching for a post credit scene sure to excite longtime franchise fans. There’s a nice tease of what could be in store for the sequel.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures
You can get Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on Blu-Ray now on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.