Credit: Nickelodeon Movies / Paramount PicturesTMNT: Mutant Mayhem is finally out in theaters, and we got to see it last night. The franchise might be rebooting again, but we believe things were done right this time. Here is our spoiler-free review of TMNT: Mutant Mayhem.
Related: ‘TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’ Early Reviews Are Overwhelmingly One-Sided
One of the most significant aspects of the new look at the Turtles is that all four voice actors are teenagers themselves. While that might not appear to be a huge change, it matters in the grand scheme. Most franchise movies and shows that have preceded Mutant Mayhem have featured actors of varying ages, but none have genuinely appeared to be teenagers.
Putting together the cast that includes Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, and Shannon Brown Jr. as Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michaelangelo mattered greatly. They all sound and act like teenagers, which blends nicely into the film’s overall theme: acceptance. This is a new era of Turtles, and the more contemporary TMNT: Mutant Mayhem offers a more emotional take on the Heroes in the Half Shell.
Although they don’t know how to be accepted in society, Raph, Donny, Mikey, and Leo want to be, considering they are all giant anthropomorphic turtles. There is also a considerable origin change in how Splinter views the world. He wants to protect his children at all costs, including him spinning a more cynical truth about humans. Splinter attempt to break their fascination with the human world with his overtly violent spin on the outside world.
During the TMNT: Mutant Mayhem panel at San Diego Comic-Con, director Jeff Rowe also revealed that he chose to go away from the traditional way of recording animation, which is bringing in actors one-by-one to record their lines. Rowe wanted to always have Canut, Noon, Abbey, and Brown Jr. in the same room so their banter felt organic.
It truly did, as the Turtles often make fun of one another in what feels like real-time, which is the usual case for most teenagers. It also allowed the emotional moments to flourish, as they all realize Splinter’s overprotective nature and the outside world is far out of their grasp. Early in the movie, we get to feel for the Turtles and identity with them—as acceptance is universally felt.
One of the biggest leaps that TMNT: Mutant Mayhem takes is not to revolve the reboot around the most notorious TMNT villain: Shredder. Instead, we look deeper at Super Fly (Ice Cube) and his cohorts. There is some connection to the older villains of the franchise, like Baxter Stockman, who Super Fly believes is his father. Stockman is most notably shown in the franchise as a mutated fly or cyborg.
Instead, he is the purveyor of the ooze and the pseudo-father of all mutants. Super Fly is a new character that blends the old with the new and creates a performance that Ice Cube delivers with prowess and style.
The issue is that while Super Fly is a wonderful complement to the Turtles, the rest of the mutants in his entourage seem to be a bit unnecessary. Some have far more hilarious moments and dialogue, while others appear to be standing around with nothing else to do. It is the only tragedy of the film, as most of the mutants shown are generally heavy villains for the TMNT, but they arrive only to be throwaway characters. The direction taken with the mutants will not be divulged here, but it is a bit upsetting to the overall promise of the franchise being built.
Despite the disappointment with the mutants, the core Turtles and Super Fly make for a fun adventure in TMNT: Mutant Mayhem. They blend well into one another, and the threat of New York and the world is certainly on display in the film, testing the Turtles in a way they have never been—as they are still teenagers.
TMNT: Mutant Mayhem takes the broadest swings for the franchise yet, as the new animated film also offers a unique animation style that sort of blends stop motion and the off-the-wall style shown in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. While the humans appear to be a bit clunkier than the film’s heroes, it’s very eye-catching.
The animation style, along with the music used, offers a contemporary yet familiar take on the Turtles. There are certainly callbacks to creator Kevin Eastman as the Turtles enter a phase where they are drawn, just like his original iterations. Also, some callbacks to the original live-action movies will not be divulged but are fantastic when shown. Simply put, it’s a great marriage of old and new styles that works on every level.
The issue with most franchise reboots is they completely change origins and characters in a way that distorts what made them feel special in the first place. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem takes the familiar and known origin of the Turtles and expands on it. We get a new look at teenagers wanting acceptance, an overbearing and cynical Splinter, and villains that aren’t the safer choice.
All in all, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem is a wonderful new version that brings the family fun. There are callbacks and older music that will appeal to the older Turtle fans and contemporary references that themes that are for the younger generation. It is a refreshing reboot that is being turned into a full-fledged cinematic universe. We understand entirely why Paramount and Nickelodeon are betting big on a new series and sequel movie.
Related: ‘TMNT’ Joins Marvel by Creating Its Own Cinematic Universe
We rate TMNT: Mutant Mayhem at 4.25/5. This is a fun movie that will appeal to everyone. Seth Rogen truly did his homework, and it shows how wonderfully funny this new franchise is. If you go see the film, make sure to also stick around for an epic mid-credits scene.
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