Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
July 30th, 2023
MOVIE: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
STARRING: NICOLAS CANTU, BRADY NOON, MICAH ABBEY, SHAMON BROWN JR., AYO EDEBIRI, JACKIE CHAN
DIRECTED BY: JEFF ROWE, KYLER SPEARS
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back and they arrive at an interesting time at this point in my own life. From the ages of six to ten, The Ninja Turtles were my thing. I had the action figures, watched the shows, loved the movies (because I didn’t know better), and dressed up as Leonardo for Halloween. They were the gateway to comic books and action movies and now I’m writing a review for a new TMNT movie that I watched with my five-year-old son. I was overjoyed watching it with him, feeling all the tingles of nostalgia, and yet, what Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem succeeds at is carving its own fresh path. It’s a wonderful combination of new animation, teenage comedy, cool action, and giving us all of the things that make these Turtle Ninjas a total blast of fun.
The characters haven’t changed but the tone and look has, pouring out of the minds of directors Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears. The screenplay is also fresh from Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg, and Rowe, where the comedy hits harder and the story moves faster. We meet Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon), Donatello (Micah Abbey), and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown). They are the four teenage turtles that were doused in radioactive ooze, grew to be the size of humans, live in the New York sewers, learn the art of ninjutsu, and live with their father figure- who happens to be a giant rat- named Splinter (voiced by a scene-stealing Jackie Chan, seriously Splinter is the best part). And although those major details haven’t strayed away from previous Turtle narratives, the spin put on this is filled with excitement. This is undoubtedly the best Ninja Turtles movie yet.
What Rogan and Co. understand is that this needs to be a movie for kids, teenagers, and adults, and Mutant Mayhem combines all three. My minor qualms lie with this feeling like a first installment and a lack of diving deeper into the Turtle characters themselves. My guess is the sequels will address those issues. But this one addresses the surface. It’s a movie about teens going stir-crazy and constantly warned by Splinter that humans will never accept them. It doesn’t stop the energetic four from hiding in the shadows, taking in movies at the park, or sneaking into the rafters of a Knicks game. But it pains them that they can’t go to high school, or have girlfriends, but when they bump into April O’Neil (voiced by Ayo Edebiri), they think they can help each other in their quests for acceptance.
The villain is the muscly mutated housefly- Superfly (voiced by Ice Cube)- the one-time pet of Baxter Stockman (TMNT nerds know him), but Superfly is not alone in his goals to turn all humans into mutants. We are introduced to the entire cavalcade of mutant characters with an all-star voice cast, including Rocksteady (John Cena), Bebop (Rogan), and a super cool Gecko voiced by Paul Rudd. It all leads up to the point where the Turtles need to stand up for themselves and show other mutants that not all humans are bad. All the Mayhem fun is displayed in gorgeous graffiti-style animation, with a banger score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and a string of humor that will have everyone laughing- there’s a consistent joke about milking that is too funny.
What it boils down to is that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a whole lot of fun. It’s also the first Turtles movie to truly blend the fighting four as a group, a family that needs to learn to come together. It’s not the Leo show, Donnie, being a brainiac, Mikey being the goofball, or Raph being angry. This is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie that proudly highlights why they have lasted since their creation in 1984. Something tells me they are going to be around for a lot longer too. My son already wants to buy all the toys. Who am I to stop him? I love the turtles too, my man. Cowabunga, dude.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM IS IN THEATERS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 2ND, 2023.
3 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com
