‘Mutant Mayhem’ is the Best TMNT Reimagining Yet

 

If you ever want to send me into an existential spiral, simply ask me this question:

“James, who is your favorite Ninja Turtle?”

When asked this question prior to a screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, I froze up. How can I choose just one?! I relate to the hot-headed Raphael more often than I’d like to, but I typically aspire to be a carefree party dude like Michelangelo. Professionally, however, I aim to channel the leadership of Leonardo and the problem-solving skills of Donatello. So, I guess that speaks to one of the reasons why Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has thrived as a now-multigenerational franchise for nearly 40 years. For everyone who grew up with them, the Turtles continue showing us who we are and who we want to be.

Nickelodeon has refreshed the brand a few times since acquiring the franchise in 2009, including two animated series and a bizarre duet of Michael Bay-produced films that made our heroes gigantic and Hulk-like (downplaying the “Ninja” part of their moniker) and visually unappealing (doubling down on “Mutant,” I suppose). The third film under the Nick umbrella turns up the volume on the “Teenage” aspect of the property and breaks off the knob. And the result is an irresistibly charming new take on the Turtles that oozes (ha) authenticity and reinvents the characters for an entirely new audience.  

Directed by Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines), who collaborated on the screenplay with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit, Mutant Mayhem uses a beautiful animation style reminiscent of the Spider-Verse series – a CGI hand-drawn aesthetic with a dash of stop-motion charm. Add in top-tier voice work from actual teenagers paired up with an all-star cast filling out the mutant menagerie and what you get is something that looks, feels, and sounds intricately, lovingly and effectively crafted.

The story takes place several years after Master Splinter (Jackie Chan) finds our ooze-covered protagonists in a sewer and trains them in the ways of the ninja to help them protect themselves from the dangers of the human world. Named after Renaissance artists, Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Donatello (Micah Abbey) and Raphael (Brady Noon) grow into restless pizza-loving teenagers curious about the world outside their sewer den. While stopping a robbery during a grocery run, they meet fellow teenager and reporter April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) who, like the Turtles, yearns for acceptance and validation. With April documenting their every move, the Turtles aim to track down and defeat a criminal known as Superfly (Ice Cube) to earn the city’s respect. While confronting him, however, they find that they’re not the only mutants in town and, as the title suggests, mayhem ensues.

Fans of the classic cartoon, toys, video games and Archie Comics will find many familiar faces and names in Mutant Mayhem, including Bebop (Rogen), Rocksteady (John Cena), Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito), Leatherhead (Rose Byrne), Wingnut (Natasia Demitriou), Ray Fillet (Post Malone), Genghis Frog (Hannibal Burress), Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd), and Scumbug (who only speaks in “vermin”). One of my few complaints about the film is that there are so many side characters they don’t really have much of a chance to shine individually, but I suppose with the announced sequel and two-season animated Paramount+ series already in development, we’ll get to know each of them individually in due time.

As mentioned earlier, the most endearing aspect of Mutant Mayhem is the fact that the Turtles talk and act like actual teenagers – perhaps for the first time in the franchise’s history. The way they goof on each other, support each other and crack jokes with each other makes it seem like these are actual 15-year-olds who spend a lot of time together. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the funnier moments between the Turtles were improvised in the recording booth. It’s special, and I can’t wait to see and hear more from this cast in future installments.

At 99 minutes – short for a superhero epic in 2023 – Mutant Mayhem does leave you wanting more in the best way possible. And judging by THAT mid-credit scene, massive things are on the way. But even as a self-contained story, I absolutely loved Mutant Mayhem, and it’s my favorite TMNT movie since the 1990 original. And to paraphrase Mikey from that film, man, I love being a Turtles fan.