Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a game changer. For both new fans of the turtles, and old ones, it perfectly combines nostalgia with something refreshing.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is one of those movies that is very clearly made for the fans, by the fans. It takes so much of what has made people fall in love with these turtles and brings it to a whole new level. By leaning into the teenage side of the teenage mutant ninja turtles they are able to explore so much more within these characters than we have seen before. At the same time, it opens up doors for many, many sequels (please and thank you).
Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.
This version of the turtles simultaneously feels like something we have never seen before and like a callback to the 1990s turtles. It does a great job of bringing something new and fresh to the franchise without making it seem as though the turtles we know and love are a thing of the past. It’s the perfect combination of the two for many reasons, and is an absolute must see, family friendly, ridiculously entertaining movie.
New and Refreshing While Also Nostalgic
Here’s the thing about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The turtles still have the same characteristics we have always known them to have. Raphael (Brady Noon) has a temper, Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) wants nothing more than to be a great leader, Donatello (Micah Abbey) is brilliant, and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) is fun-loving and carefree. However, these turtles are also still very much in their teenage state. The movie is smart in its writing, allowing them to fully lean into being teens. It even addresses why Splinter is so much older than them in a way that makes perfect sense.
Casting real teenagers to voice these roles is what makes this work so well. They are young, they act young, they sound young, and it just works. It seems as though those behind the casting knew exactly what they were doing, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that these actors share the same qualities of the turtles they are portraying.
Recording Together Makes All The Difference
Besides selecting the right aged actors, they were able to record their lines together. All too often in voice acting, especially post-pandemic, the talent does not record together. Instead, they record their lines in their own closets, over Zoom, and hand it over to the rest of the team to make it all work. For Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, all four of the turtles recorded in person together.
This allows for their personalities to really shine. There are times where they are talking over each other – so much so that some lines are hard to understand – and it works so well. Recording together also made room for a lot of improv as well as for them to naturally form a bond. They feel like real brothers. Real teenage brothers. Which takes the film to an entirely new level.
Phenomenal Art Style
The days of smooth CGI animation just might be over. Movies like Spider-Verse, Nimona, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, have proved that audiences are welcome to the finished product not looking so polished anymore. Mutant Mayhem embraces this style, offering up some truly stunning visuals that add a flair and uniqueness to the storytelling.
The turtles look amazing, but it is the mutants that really steal the show in terms of visuals. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem isn’t afraid to shine a light on the word mutant. There are multiple mutants featured throughout the movie. Some are grotesque, all bring something to the table — mostly hilarious jokes. Even though these are characters that longtime turtles fans know about, the art style adds a layer of uniqueness to them.
As far as April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) goes, she looks more like a real human teenage girl than she ever has before. She looks realistic, and Ayo gives her a voice that also feels real and genuine. Fans get to see her start, get to see her learn, and get to see her grow, throughout the movie.
Overall Thoughts
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is easily one of the best films of the year. It takes a well loved franchise and puts a whole new spin on it, while still staying true to the lore. It is very clear that the people behind this movie are big fans of the turtles, as well as many other geeky things like anime. It is wonderful to see it all come together, and is sure to have viewers expressing their love for it after they see it.
It leans into the teenage and the mutant aspect of the title, delivering hilarious comedy, as well as a powerful story about just wanting to be accepted. It is easy to fall in love with this version of the characters many of us grew up watching and reading. Not just the turtles, who are fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but Splinter (as a parent, I could totally relate to him this time around), and April.
The animation is gorgeous. It feels just as chaotic as the story at times which is why it works as well as it does. If this movie was a polished, squeaky clean CGI, I don’t think it would have the same appeal.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem does a great job of combining what fans already love about these characters, while still giving us something new, creative, and fresh. Be sure to keep your butts in the seats through the credits as a hint at what is in store next for Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo.
Rating: 5 out of 5
NEXT: Nimona Movie Review: An Absolute Must See!
About Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, after years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem hits theaters on August 2nd.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.