Directed by Jeff Rowed and produced by permanent teenager Seth Rogen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem follows the four Turtle brothers who, after years of being sheltered from the human world, set out on a quest to be accepted as normal teenagers by the people of New York City through acts of heroism. With the aid of their new friend April O’Neil, the brothers go on a hunt for a mysterious crime syndicate, but trouble arises when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or TMNT for short) is certainly one of the most interesting franchises out there, having started as a comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird before spawning multiple adaptations that have all massively varied in quality, but each found their own unique audiences. There were several animated TV adaptations from the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s, and several big-screen adaptations, including live-action ones, and each had its own set of fans rather than a more united fan base. Admittedly I’ve only been a fan of the original source material as well as certain adaptations, of it so I wouldn’t say I love all things TMNT, especially since there were some adaptations I really hated or never understood the love.
But when I heard rumors circulating of Seth Rogen creating a new animated film adaptation of TMNT I was definitely interested to see what was going on, and then I became even more interested when I saw the trailers showcasing gorgeous and vibrant 2D/3D comic book animation, clearly inspired by the Spider-Verse films but done in a very different style that matches the world of the Turtles created by Eastman and Laird. That paired with some new directions the film was taking compared to previous adaptations had me absolutely hooked into seeing it.
And after finally getting the chance to watch it after what felt like a really long wait, I can say this is not only an amazing adaptation of TMNT on its own but I think this might be one of the best adaptations of TMNT that we have had in years. I was completely stunned by just how much I loved this film from start to end, not only for the fantastic animation but also the fun characters, the fun story, the crazy action, and the absolute passion that was clearly put into it that you could feel with every frame. I think there are a lot of things in here that TMNT fans are going to love, as well as general audiences who may have never had any attachment to the franchise before.
It goes without saying that we have to discuss the animation first because my god is it phenomenal. The impact and inspiration that Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse have had on animation continues with this film which uses a combination of 2D and 3D animation to create a vibrant world that looks and feels like a comic book come to life. But unlike the Spider-Verse films, as well as other films with inspired animation styles, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem has its own unique visual identity that is inspired by the hand-drawn grimy looks of the comics made by Eastman and Laird.
There are so many incredible layers of details that this film oozes within every frame, making it a visual feast for the eyes that I couldn’t stop looking at. It has a somewhat dirty aesthetic, complete with disproportionate-looking characters and set pieces that make it look like it was created by a street or graffiti artist, and I absolutely loved it.
A vast array of colors are used with darker shades to bring this grimy world to life in a creative way that looks amazing on the big screen and makes it hugely stand out from other films that have been adapting the same animation style, as well as match the tone of the Turtles story.
The action is extremely fluid in movement, supremely fun in thrills, and absolutely epic in scale, utilizing the freedoms that animation offers for these kinds of characters that are normally limited in a live-action setting. If anything this film proves TMNT is more at home being animated than it ever was being live-action. I can definitely see this film being a visual contender for the awards season against Across the Spider-Verse based on the amazing effort put on screen.
The voice cast for all the characters was stellar across the board, with every cast member committing to their parts without hesitation. The turtles in particular were a massive highlight, being voiced by a very talented young cast consisting of Nicolas Cantu as Leo, Brady Noon as Raphael, Shamon Brown Jr. as Mikey, and Micah Abbey as Donatello. They perfectly captured the respective personalities of the turtles, as well as the brotherly chemistry they share.
For the first time ever the turtles actually felt like teens as a result of the younger castings, instead of adults acting like teens, making them feel more relatable to audiences both young and old, even with their silly antics and behaviors. They are all fantastic and extremely lovable heroes with simple wants and needs that audiences will find themselves attached to, especially on their quest to be accepted by humans.
Jackie Chan as Splinter and Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil were both absolute gems in their portrayals of their characters, bringing both comedy and heart in their own ways that were very much welcomed. Even though they were both taken in slightly different directions compared to previous adaptations they were still really well done here, playing great parts in the story and given great performances by their respective cast members.
Then there is of course the mutant gang composed of several interesting voices led by Superfly, voiced by Ice Cube, who seeks for mutants to have dominance over humans. Superfly is a pretty simple villain compared to other major villains in the TMNT universe, but he serves as an effective first foe for the Turtles to face who is the exact opposite of them thematically, as well as showing himself to be a dangerous enemy due to his great strength and intelligence with no mercy to those that may stand in his way. Ice Cube clearly had so much fun playing this character, committing to being the biggest and baddest mutant on the block.
The same goes for the other mutants; each of the respective cast members clearly had so much fun bringing all these wild characters to life with their various personalities. But there were some standouts among the mutants. First, you have Seth Rogen and John Cena playing the iconic mutant duo of Bebop and Rocksteady, both great with their performances as expected but I wouldn’t have minded having a bit more of them given how popular the characters were from comics and how fun they were in this given their chemistry.
Then you have Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko who was absolutely hilarious every time he was on screen and got the most laughs out of me due to the performance and the absurdly silly character design he is given. Rudd is truly a national treasure no matter what film he is in and this is yet another film that proves that.
If there was one cast member and character that I felt was extremely underutilized among the bunch it would have to be Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman. Given the character’s history with the Turtles in comics and other adaptations, I was expecting him to play a much larger part but he unfortunately doesn’t. He certainly influences some of the major events and the development of certain characters but isn’t as heavy of a presence in the story as I was hoping for. They do however open the door for him to return and potentially play a bigger part, which I hope they do given that they were able to have someone as talented as Giancarlo Esposito attached to him.
This film lives up to its title, delivering both mutants and mayhem in an energetic story that is guaranteed to entertain even with its simplicity. But even when it’s simple and pretty straightforward with its plot and themes it still manages to pack a punch, especially with the amount of heart this film has that I feel many of the previous TMNT adaptations were severely lacking. It honestly shares a similar kind of heart, energy, and simplicity to The Mitchells vs the Machines, which funnily enough was written by the same man who directed this film.
The film largely plays with the theme of acceptance, which this franchise has attempted to tackle multiple times but either hasn’t been able to get right or never fully commits to. This film on the other hand does tackle the theme of acceptance correctly and fully commits to the ideas it presents. There are some surprising directions this new universe of the Turtles takes that felt refreshing and made this adaptation stand out from the rest in a great way. Some of the choices made may not appeal to all TMNT fans who were maybe wanting something else, but I honestly loved all the choices they made in this as it led to really fun and sometimes kick ass outcomes that made the film even more enjoyable.
There is a meta-humor aspect this film has that I found personally hilarious but I can’t say it will win over everyone unless you are into that kind of humor to begin with. Some jokes that include modern pop culture references may not land with some people but I honestly think it’s way better than the shit we had with the Michael Bay films.
I’m also glad the film doesn’t blow the entire TMNT lore load in one go like Out of the Shadows did. Even though this film has a lot of chaotic events that occur and a lot of mutants to play with, the filmmakers wisely save certain characters and story threads from the source material for potential sequels, allowing this film to focus on its own story and not have to juggle so much. This also made a certain tease for a certain major character that appears in the mid-credit scene of this film feel much more impactful and got many people, including myself, seriously excited for the next chapter of this universe.
This film also features some seriously awesome music both in terms of score and soundtrack. For the score, they managed to bring in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and they delivered an unexpectedly satisfying score that matches the rhythm and energy of this film in the thrilling action moments, as well as in the slower moments, giving additional layers to the world on screen. Alongside their great score is a very fun collection of songs that also match the rhythm and energy of this film in fantastic ways, including some major needle-drop scenes that I never knew I needed but absolutely loved, and I know a lot of people are going to love the songs they picked for this film. My favorite needle drop moment easily was the use of Ante Up by M.O.P. around the third act.
I was not expecting to love this film as much as I did but I’m really happy that I gave it a go as it really feels like it was an adaptation made with proper passion rather than corporate greed like some of the previous adaptations. This film is a refreshing entry for the franchise that I feel is not only going to please a lot of fans of TMNT but also gain new ones for a new generation. Even if you have never been a massive fan of the franchise I still recommend giving this one a go as you may love it like I and many others have. And if the hardworking cast and crew involved in this film end up continuing with this universe going forward then I am all for it. as long as they continue to put the same amount of effort into the sequel as they did with this. I’m going to give Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem an A = 97.
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