Review - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
They’re like little Shreks.
Directed by: Jeff Rowe
Written by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe , Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit
Starring: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rating: 3/5
I need a party size pizza. Stat. For myself.
I remember working at a local movie theatre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, when I heard that Michael Bay was looking to reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I remember seeing the trailer and watching these CGI mo-cap massive Turtles wreck havoc across a dark and grungy New York. I remember hating it.
Come to think of it, I can’t really think of the last time I actually enjoyed a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…anything, since maybe the late 90s, when I was still rocking the TMNT PJ’s. I used to think I was named after Raphael, minus the different spelling - whatever. I had a board game I think, choose a Turtle and travel underground in the NYC sewers, kick ass and eat some ‘za. I miss the 90s.
It’s 2023 now and of course, TMNT needs a revival. Stand back, Michael Bay. You’ve had your shot. Let’s hand off the Turtles to someone else for a shot. Enter Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
With the success of Sony’s Spiderverse films, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem rightfully stays away from whatever live action disaster came out back in the mid 2010s and finds balanced footing in the world of animation. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Jeff Rowe rejuvenate a nostalgic ruckus of adolescent energy, humor and extravagance into a fantastical rollercoaster ride that is Mutant Mayhem. Taking direct inspiration from Spiderverse and its cell-shaded, sketch-book art style, the new TMNT is an origin story of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelangelo as stray turtles who, exposed to an experimental ooze, mutate into larger-than-life creatures who talk, fight and skateboard - as you would think they would. Taking refuge from the cruel nature of the city, Master Splinter, a mutated rat, takes in the turtles as his sons and trains them in martial arts - as a way to defend themselves from whatever threat they may face from the outside world. It is when a gang of other mutant creatures begin to wreck havoc in the city that the Turtles are forced out of their *ehem* shells and thrust into the human world to stop the mutants from destroying mankind.
Strapped to a speeding skateboard, weaving in and out of traffic, whizzing across the stretches of underground sewers filled with ooze and side-scrolling smash ‘em ups beating up baddies - TMNT is exactly what its title calls for, a true slugfest of chaotic mayhem.
Deep behind its sketch-book art style and comic-book-narrative-insecurities, TMNT’s emotional anchor lies in its unravelling of adolescence - the Turtles are trapped in a unique in-between; the yearning for a normal, accepting life in the world around them, as teenagers, as boys, as humans. Yet, they’re not and they don’t think they ever will be loved in this world. Master Splinter raised them with the fear of the outside world; Splinter’s own trauma and insecurities of the human world has led his make-shift family into the dark depths of the New York underground. The deep rumblings of the human world within reach, across the sewer grates, illuminated by the starry LEDs of the city and the mystifying aura of the humans above. There’s a few flashback or detour sequences in this film that honestly surprised me with its emotional weight and resonance. Even as a thirty-year-old deeply in love with nostalgia; the Turtles hold such a powerful pull on the heart-strings. When April mentions about school bullies and second-hand embarrassment - the Turtles long for it. They want to be a part of that society. It almost feels like they are inching closer and closer to feeling alive, feeling their age and feeling human. There is such a universality to be loved, accepted - what more if you’re just a kid, right?
I need more Rocksteady and Bebop
The four Turtles are led by the voice talents of Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michaelangelo), Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), and Brady Noon (Raphael) while the rest of the cast is joined by an ensemble of talents in Ice Cube, Ayo Edebiri, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Jackie Chan. The casting is fun, inspired and doesn’t take away from the film as a distraction or stunt casting at all. I would argue that Ice Cube’s Superfly is probably the most distracting of the voices - because Ice’s own personality, delivery and voice is undeniable and unforgettable - though, this makes Superfly even more fun and entertaining as the big bad. Jackie as Splinter feels as if they were running into a little bit of some Asian stereotypes as the strict, overbearing father in Splinter, but it’s always nice to hear Jackie.
Now, I know, I can’t go on writing this review without even mentioning again how this film feels a direct inspiration, rip-off, try-hard as a direct competitor to the Spiderverse films. I love what Spiderverse has done to animation and its beautiful, stylistic art direction has revolutionized animation as a whole. Mutant Mayhem doesn’t feel like a direct copy of Spiderverse but it feels like an evolutionary spawn of Spiderverse, almost as if it was a spiritual successor in tone, art and direction. From its gorgeous specificity in lighting and detail to its interpolation of live-action images in the world of animation; Mutant Mayhem takes what Spiderverse has done and crafts its own distinct identity. The animation feels rough, with lines sparkling in every glare or streetlamp; the character design of the humans feels grungier, a little bit more monstrous and grotesque than you would think (!!!!) and the creature designs are top notch, terrifying (Superfly, especially) and goofy (Mondo Gecko). Though, a little bit moreso than Spiderverse, TMNT’s animation is especially fast paced - it feels like during some sequences the lights and sounds move too fast for me to even comprehend some of the action, it feels overwhelming, a bit blurring and boisterous. Even in one of the best sequences of the film, a side-scrolling montage of butt-whooping by the Turtles; it moves swiftly and the transitions sometimes take me out of the moment because it’s just too damn much. Slow it down, let me savor the animation!! I wonder if it would feel the same way if I saw this film in 3D. In 2D, I definitely felt some of the motion effects being quite overbearing.
Jeff Rowe’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a rip-roaring, side-splitting sensory overload across the cell-shaded streets of New York City. Strapped to a speeding skateboard, weaving in and out of traffic, whizzing across the stretches of underground sewers filled with ooze and side-scrolling smash ‘em ups beating up baddies - TMNT is exactly what its title calls for, a true slugfest of chaotic mayhem. Overflowing with an infectious energy, TMNT will leave you smiling and begging for more over-the-top rumbunctious action. It’s super fun, even if some of the jokes land specific to the younger gens (I’m not that old, but I felt a bit old with these jokes). Behind those tough green shells and bright eyes; there is a powerful emotional heartbeat buried deep in the flying num-chuks and swinging katanas. A nostalgia of being kids; the yearning to be a teenager with open arms. Everything in this film is smooth like butter (except when its not)
It definitely isn’t the new Spiderverse, but it’s definitely the new Turtles. Grab yourself a mask, grab a board, a slice of ‘za and enjoy the mayhem.
