Product Info

Studio

Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Director

Jeff Rowe

Genre

Action, Adventure, Animation

Rated

PG

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

Aug 2, 2023

Film Length

1hr 39min

Purchase From

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in a new film after their lackluster 2006 outing, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, but this time they’ve nailed it. From the cast and soundtrack to the animation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a fresh coat of paint for new and old turtle fans to enjoy.

Mutant Mayhem is directed by Jeff Rowe (Gravity Falls, The Mitchells vs the Machines) and Kyler Spears (We Bare Bears, Amphibia). Additionally, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are back again to write the movie, having worked together on films like Superbad, Sausage Party, and Pineapple Express. They take a popular series, recreate it with a basic, familiar story but with different toppings. It’s like a new style of pizza that fans should try out.

A Different Slice of Pizza

The basic story remains the same, a mutated substance known as “ooze” falls down the sewer and covers four turtles, mutating them into humanoid creatures. However, there are some differences that original fans of the franchise will notice. Scientist Baxter Stockman, voiced by Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, 2016’s Jungle Book) is on the run as his goal is to create his own family of mutants by using test tubes filled with ooze. Unfortunately, he runs into Cynthia Utrom’s security team. Before things get worse for Baxter, his young mutant “son”, Superfly, escapes from his crib with Baxter’s test tubes, carrying the mutant villains. They seek revenge against the human race with a plan to wipe them all out by launching ooze to turn all animals into mutants.

Additionally, there are some differences with Splinter, voiced by Jackie Chan (Rush Hour, Supercop). Traditionally, he is known more as a ninja master to the four turtles, but in Mutant Mayhem, Splinter plays more of a father figure. He does still teach the turtles martial arts, but it’s more for self-defense against the humans. Splinter despises humans and keeps the mutated turtles hidden in the sewers like an overprotective parent.

Those growing up with the original series and films may not like this new approach, but with a new generation upon us, this film takes a modern twist to win them over as new fans. Additionally, there’s a lot of references in the film that gravitate towards the younger audience such as the word “sus” and anime references to Attack on Titan.

Watching Them Grow

Outside of doing errands for their “dad” (which the turtles do call him a father rather than Master Splinter), these teenage turtles run into a high-school journalist named April O’Neil, voiced by Ayo Edebiri (The Bear, What We Do in the Shadows) by accidentally throwing a shuriken (a ninja star) at her biker helmet from the rooftop. While arguing, a nearby thief hijacks April’s motorbike. Leonardo, feeling bad about the incident, convinces his turtle brothers to catch the bike thief. However, they find out it’s a bigger issue as these teenagers, with no real-combat experience, take on a gang of thieves in a private garage. It’s the first time viewers will see these turtles in action.

As you can expect, they goof up but quickly get back on their feet and learn as they go. The majority of the film is more about watching these teenage turtles going through new experiences and facing tough choices. It’s ironic since Splinter also goes through some growing up, too. From working together with a human to noticing that his parenting is similar to the antagonist’s teachings, it’s a wake-up call for the Splinter family. This TMNT film takes a different approach, with the turtles wanting to be normal and be accepted rather than being fighters.

Mutant Power!

The four turtles, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello, yearn to be accepted by the humans and to be among them after getting a taste of their world. They also really want to go to high school with the human children, get girlfriends—normal teenage stuff. Well, maybe not every teenager wants to go to school.

In Mutant Mayhem, these turtles feel more like teenagers rather than the more mature turtles in the television series and previous films. What makes it work so well is the voice actors are actual teenagers. The original Ninja Turtles persona and their weapons do carry over to this film. Leonardo, voiced by Nicolas Cantu (The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Dragon Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky), does try to act like a leader of the turtle team but sometimes flakes out under pressure. Raphael, voiced by Brady Noon (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Diary of a Wimpy Kid), seeks a fight with a sassy attitude. Donatello, voiced by Micah Abbey (Cousins for Life), is into gadgets and, yes, anime. Michelangelo, voiced by Shamon Brown Jr. (The Chi), is a laidback and a goofball. Weapons do carry over to their roles, and of course, they still love pizza.

While the four turtles have a solid cast, the villains have bigger names behind them. The film’s antagonist, Superfly, is voiced by Ice Cube (Friday, Boyz n the Hood), and the actor/musician does a great job landing his lines, especially when chasing the turtles on the freeway. Fan-favorite mutants, Rocksteady, voiced by John Cena (Barbie, Fast X), and Bebop, voiced by Seth Rogen (The Super Mario Bros. Movie, 2022’s Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers), also make their appearance here but feel different as they play a smaller role than expected. Mondo Gecko, a mutated gecko voiced by Paul Rudd (Ant Man, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) plays a big role behind Superfly, and the audience will enjoy it. Mutated alligator, Leatherhead, voiced by Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids, Neighbors), does the best job of acting in the film with her over-the-top Australian-accent. There are even more mutants, such as Wingnut, Genghis Frog, Ray Fillet, and Scumbug, but they receive smaller roles and not much screen time. It feels like they are just shoved in too small a space, so the audience misses out on seeing more of these characters in action.

Let’s also throw in Cynthia Utrom, voiced by Maya Rudolph (Big Hero 6, Bridesmaids), who tried to steal Baxter’s work earlier in the film. She makes an appearance later on, but it feels like she has a bigger role than what the film portrays. It seems like she takes a backseat in this outing, while the mutants are the main focus here. Perhaps her role shines more in the next film now that it has been greenlit?

Animated Comic Art

Taking notes from popular animated films like the Spider-Man’s Spider-Verse films, Mutant Mayhem uses a clay and comic-book style of thick lines and brush strokes that animate throughout the film. There are a lot of details on each character, and the lighting done is great, too. The animation is smooth with its technique of having a lower frame rate to make it look intentionally choppier but still smooth enough to not notice. However, it’s more noticeable in the background such as smoke. If you’re not a fan of this artstyle, you’ll have a difficult time getting through it, even with the stellar soundtrack and characters.

The storyboarding for the film is done remarkably well. There’s a scene of each turtle fighting that’s cut together perfectly. It makes these turtles really exciting to watch. It’ll be interesting to see what the film’s staff do for the next film.

Radical Soundtrack

The film’s musical score was done by The Nine Inch Nails duo, Trent Renzor and Atticus Ross. Both artists worked on other film scores such as Pixar’s Soul, The Social Network, and Watchmen. In Mutant Mayhem, they nailed it with a variety of scores, from an energetic techno/chiptune style to more whimsical ones. The dark, energetic tracks during the fight against Superfly fit remarkably well. You rarely see non-vocal tracks get this amount of vibe.

The film also adds in vocal tracks from various artists from the ‘80s and ‘90s eras, including Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Busta Rhymes, Blackstreet, and of course, Vanilla Ice. Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” used during the Ninja Turtles fight collage makes the scenes enjoyable to watch, especially for those who grew up in that era.

Turtle Power!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is full of energetic entertainment with a sweet animation style and a bangin’ soundtrack. Even though it’s overstuffed with villains, the movie delivers a fresh style that fans new and old will surely enjoy. The Heroes in a Half Shell are back!

An early screening provided for this review.