‘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.

 

My Thoughts on the Delay of ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’

Late last week, it was reported that Paramount Pictures had decided to delay big summer tentpole film G.I. Joe: Retaliation until March 29, 2013. This shocking revelation came just five weeks before the G.I. Joe sequel was scheduled to hit theaters. The official reason for the delay was that the film would be converted to 3D, however reports surfacing this week have unearthed new details regarding the nine-month delay of the film’s release.

According to Paramount insiders speaking to Deadline.com, the decision to convert Retaliation to 3D was certainly part of the reasoning behind the delay, but was not the sole deciding factor. If you’ve seen the trailers, it’s fairly evident that Channing Tatum’s character Duke dies in a Cobra attack early on the film, leaving Roadblock (played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and a group of Joe survivors to rally together and bring down the terrorist organization in an act of—wait for it—retaliation. Although many fans of the property applauded the filmmakers’ decision to “wipe the slate clean” and distance Retaliation from 2009’s middling The Rise of Cobra, test audiences felt that the friendship between Duke and Roadblock wasn’t adequately developed fully in the original cut. Also, since Tatum has had a successful 2012 thus far with 21 Jump Street and The Vow, the studio is beefing up his role in this film and shooting additional scenes. Channing Tatum, in Paramount’s eyes, means profit.

I’m not necessarily a fan of 3D conversion, but I’m also aware that not distributing a 3D version of a blockbuster in today’s cinematic climate is akin to leaving money of the table. Plus, with The Avengers continuing to perform well as The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises stand poised to dominate the summer 2012 box office, it’s not unwise for Paramount to reposition Retaliation and pit it against less formidable opposition. After all, a March release date did wonders for The Hunger Games this year.

Having said all of that, I can’t help shaking the feeling that Paramount is setting itself up for failure. After being delayed for nearly a year, is there any way G.I. Joe: Retaliation could possibly live up to the hype, 3D or otherwise? For the sake of this franchise—which I feel has some true potential—I hope it does.

Just a Reminder: Tony Stark Rules

Over the Easter weekend, Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures unveiled a clip from Iron Man 2 showing Tony Stark—as Iron Man—skydiving into a packed auditorium for Stark Expo, a celebration of all things, well, him, complete with fireworks, screaming crowds and scantily-clad dancers. Indeed, it’s good to be Tony Stark, at least at this point in the film.

You can watch the clip here, and if you’re looking for more Iron Man 2 awesomeness to tide you over until the film’s May 7 release, the official site is now live.