Written by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit
Starring: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph
Rating: [4/5]
As individuals reach adolescence and puberty, they undergo changes that impact them physically and particularly emotionally where their esteem gets dominated by how others view them. A phenomenon that parents typically need advice on how to handle the complexity of each child, but what if this occurs amongst some mutant turtles? Not something one would expect to think about, but something amidst all of its greatness, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem delves well into.
After coming in contact with a mutagenic ooze when tiny turtles, Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), and Raphael (Brady Noon) have grown to teen age and have exceptional combat ability but must stay hidden out of fear of humans. Wishing they could connect with others, they see the opportunity to rid the city of some crime and therefore perhaps gain the admiration of everyone by taking down the notorious Superfly (Ice Cube).
Of the many ways in which the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been presented through various series and movies, they have never actually felt like a bunch of teenagers than their presentation in this feature. Sure they have the voice acting that brings this immaturity that would make one think of them as such but Mutant Mayhem feels like the first one to actually get the essence of it in their presentation. Taking one look at these turtles and the way they interact with the world perfectly encapsulates exactly what a teen would do when finding themselves as outcasts. This particular yearning they have for the high school experiences they only know exists because of movies becomes palpable from the very beginning and quickly demonstrates that this film will deliver something quite special, which goes beyond the wicked animation utilized.
Breaking down its story displays a twofold message about acceptance of these mutants by humans, who naturally fear anything as crazy as these creatures and essentially how to deal with it. Splinter (Jackie Chan), the mutant rat that cares for these turtles has a genuine fear of humans and the pain they will cause his youngsters while Superfly has a very different approach where he wants to fight back as the more dominant species. This dynamic has been presented before in other styles of films, but the kinetic energy utilized in this film ultimately makes it feel even more special. We feel for these villains in what they want to achieve but should not because of the misguided approach of their efforts and it surely helps just how likable they prove to be. This appears not only with Superfly but also his rogues’ gallery of sidekicks who bring much of the humor of this story along with the turtles as well.
One simply cannot talk about this movie without praising the animation utilized in making this at the very least a visually unique way in which these turtles have been presented. Watching projects like this one move beyond the standard look of animation and morph into something much more tactile, ushered in by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse into the mainstream makes the film all the more enjoyable to take in and watch. Nothing about this presentation can aptly be described as standard and it makes whole swaths of this film exciting not only in what will happen in the narrative, but also how they will visually animate it. This version of animation makes the city feel more lived-in and allows each punch and kick to mean something, which only makes it all the funnier this happens to a bunch of teenage mutant ninja turtles.
In addition to the animation, this film also comes with quite the vibe befitting this era of teendom. From the choice of music all the way down to their attitude, this film evokes this feeling of Gen-Z Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While certain elements will age the film years down the line with specific references to current technological tools, it certainly befits how teenagers act like right now. It only further gets at how this film truly nails the youth of these turtles and that even with them fighting in treacherous situations, we should not forget the fact they are children just as any teenager, just turtles who are heavily mutated. This film never loses sight of that.
As delightful as one could want, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem exceeds in pretty much every way in presenting a new version of these pizza-loving, weapon-wielding turtles. Each of them feel distinct in ways beyond their original archetypes and they have this youthful energy these characters should always have. They have feelings, insecurities and issues, which this allows to flourish on top of its awesome soundtrack, beautiful animation, and strong story to wrap everything up together. I surely hope we receive more adventures with this version of the turtles because there’s plenty more to mine from these guys and their adventures in trying to find acceptance.
Films with Josh 
