Anthony's Film Review - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

For the first time ever, the Ninja Turtles are given a heartfelt portrayal, with impressive results...

As of 2023, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is almost four decades old. The title characters created by comic artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird have long existed in media beyond the comics they first appeared in. Thus far, there have been four animated TMNT series on television, as well as six movies released in theaters: three live-action films in the early 1990s, a computer-animated film in 2007, and two live-action/CGI hybrids the following decade. Now we have a seventh film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Now, how could it possibly win over audiences after the Turtles have been on the screen plenty of times already?

The answer is simple: dare to explore new territory. When I heard that Seth Rogen, who is a Ninja Turtle fan himself, would write this movie, I thought, "OK. At least he's a fan." But then when I heard that he wants to provide more emphasis on the Teenage part of TMNT because it was never done before, I thought, "You know, he's right." With the exception of the fourth TMNT television cartoon, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, past portrayals of the Turtles presented them as older teens or young adults depending on how you look at them. I became curious about how well Seth Rogen would show the Ninja Turtles as true teenagers.

This is where the main cast shines. The voices of the four Turtles named Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael are provided respectively by four talented young actors: Nicolas Cantu, Shamon Brown Jr., Micah Abbey, and Brady Noon. Yes, the Turtle voice actors are practically teenagers themselves, and this is what makes the Turtles feel so real in this movie. The dialogue sounds very much like teens you may know in real life, speaking in a cool, carefree, and jovial manner. This really helps with presenting one of the themes of the story: the ups and downs of adolescence, which makes the reptilian Turtles feel so human to us.

There's another theme that comes into play: family. Like previous versions of TMNT, the Turtles live in a New York sewer with a mutant rat named Splinter (here voiced by Jackie Chan). But here's where one thing is different. Instead of Splinter being a ninja master and the Turtles being his pupils, Splinter is much more like a foster father to the four Turtles, considering them his sons. In fact, these new Turtles refer to Splinter as Dad. Then there's the fact that, instead of already possessing martial arts skills and passing them to his sons, Splinter and the Turtles are essentially learning martial arts for the first time, together.

OK, there's one more theme that is important: the humans' fear of nonhumans. From the start of the franchise, the Turtles largely live in the shadows out of public view, something that they pretty much accept as a way of life. In this film, however, the need to hide from humans is a burden, an obstacle against the desire to experience life with the humans. The Turtles clearly love the culture of the human world, evident by the pop culture references in their dialogue. They want to get out into the world and enjoy it, but father Splinter says no. The Turtles really only have one trusted human contact: April O'Neil (voiced by Ayo Edebiri), a high school student who aspires to be a journalist. (Remember April O'Neil as a TV reporter in the 1987 TMNT cartoon?)

Notice that I still haven't gotten to the action-packed part of the story with heroes and villains. That's how secondary that part of the movie is, but let me still give you a quick rundown. There is a crime spree believed to be masterminded by someone, or something, only known as Superfly (voiced by Ice Cube). There are also a horde of mutants, including familiar figures from past versions of TMNT, like Bebop the warthog, Rocksteady the rhino, and Leatherhead the alligator. How and why the Turtles get involved here is something I won't mention. I'm only going to say that the underlying reasoning makes much sense from their young perspective.

For the first time ever, a Ninja Turtles movie has title characters I care about. Instead of heroes who are already experienced and we look to them to save the day, we have vulnerable characters who want to be heroes and we root for them to discover their potential. Instead of waiting anxiously to get to the action scenes, I could care less about how long that wait is, because the adolescent mutant turtles here are just so fun to watch and listen to, and that is true even during the exciting action scenes.

Lastly, let me comment on the visuals. This is a computer-animated film that simultaneously is a standard 21st-century animated film, has a cartoonish look like the various animated TMNT series on television, and feels like a living and breathing noir comic. Just think of the recent Spider-Verse Spider-Man animated movies. It's remarkable how this film's visual style practically cobbles together the features of the different media that TMNT has occupied. Fans of beautiful animation won't be disappointed here.

What I am about to say will surprise you, because the thought surprised even me. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the best Ninja Turtles movie to date. All of the previous six movies, which I liked to varying degrees, pale in comparison to this. It's not because this movie captures the original intended vision of the Turtles. It's because it dares to do something new in order to achieve the important goal: having the audience connect with the main characters. This movie made me laugh and smile because of them. Even if these Turtles were to be in a movie with no action or heroics, I would still love it. It's all because Seth Rogen prioritized the right element: character over action, not vice versa. I do look forward to the next TMNT movie in this style with this cast (the mid-credits scene hints at what's coming). I'll now sum up my feelings about this movie in one familiar word: "Cowabunga."

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my reviews of the following:

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Films

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
TMNT
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem