Since its comic book debut in 1984, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been one of the most popular franchises ever. In 1987, creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird licensed the characters to Playmates Toys, who developed a multi-billion-dollar toy line. That same year, Playmates hired Murakami-Wolf-Swenson to create an animated series lasting for ten seasons from 1987 to 1996. Following the success of Batman, Golden Harvest produced a live-action movie that became a massive hit and spawned two sequels. A new animated series was created by 4Kids Entertainment in 2003, followed by a CG-animated film in 2007. By 2009, the franchise was sold to Viacom, producing two new animated series for Nickelodeon and two movies for Paramount. In 2020, Nickelodeon announced a new CG-animated film in development, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg producing. After premiering at Annecy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem hit theaters in August 2023.
%
Rating
Synopsis
Scientist Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) creates a family of mutants when soldiers from the Techno Cosmic Research Institute (TCRI) invade. Stockman dies in an explosion, the mutants go free, and the mutagen that created them is dumped in the sewer. A rat named Splinter (Jackie Chan) finds four baby turtles contaminated by the mutagen and decides to raise them. Years later, the turtles – Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), and Raphael (Brady Noon) – are ninjas. While going out for supplies, the turtles run into April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), a would-be reporter investigating recent break-ins. The turtles offer to help track down the source, discovering a mutant housefly named SuperFly (Ice Cube). He and his army of mutants from Stockman want to enslave humanity by creating more mutants. It’s up to our young heroes in a half shell to save the world from a Mutant Mayhem.
Review
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an animated film that both longtime fans and newcomers can enjoy. For one, Mikros Animation did an incredible job of bringing the film to life and giving it a unique aesthetic. How the characters, objects, city, etc., are designed reminds me of the doodles in a high school student’s notebook. It’s very similar to the art style of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which isn’t bad if done differently. While this film has a similar look and feel, it does just enough to set itself apart to stand out. Also, the four teen actors hired to voice the turtles do a great job and feel like four brothers. Some of the film’s best moments are when the turtles banter back and forth or joke around with each other. Jackie Chan is a great anchor to the turtles as the sagelike yet uncertain Splinter.
Ayo Edebiri is also fun as a new take on April O’Neil and doesn’t come off as standoffish or snarky. Ice Cube was also a great choice as the villain SuperFly, making the character both fun and intense when needed. John Cena and Seth Rogen are good as Bebop and Rocksteady, even if they don’t do much in the movie. The other big standout is Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, whose “dude bro” attitude perfectly compliments Michaelangelo. The action sequences are big and chaotic but never overwhelming or confusing, punctuated by a fantastic soundtrack. Also, I appreciate that this movie is only 100 minutes long, which is refreshing nowadays. Admittedly, a few jokes don’t land, and some plot elements don’t work, but these don’t ruin the experience. Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a fun movie for kids and adults alike.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
I trust your judgement. However I will check it out when I can rent or stream it